Speaker 1: A study from CareerBuilder found that 58%, a whopping 58%, yes, 58% of managers received absolutely no training after stepping into their new roles where they were leading a team. This causes all kinds of problems, and not just in the form of higher turnover, but lower productivity, decreased engagement, and not just by those individual contributors who are part of the team, but by the manager as well as everyone around them. My name is Jessica Miller-Merrill, and I'm the founder of Workology and the creator of New Manager Training Program. This particular video is part of our Leadership Lessons series, where we uncover the things that leaders need in order to thrive and really step into their roles. Being a new manager, you don't just step into the role and say, oh, promoted, I have all the tools and resources that I need to be successful in my job leading this team. Managers who are new need training in things like delegation, time management, and how to motivate their staff, how to build rapport, and dealing with those uncomfortable conversations, maybe delivering a not-so-fantastic performance review, or having performance discussions, and ultimately, maybe termination of employment. How do we prepare our managers for these kinds of things? Well, today's topic, we're going to focus on the value of role play. Now, I know that role play isn't everyone's favorite thing to do. When we think about delivering training, we think about videos like this one. We think about reading. We think about maybe studying for an exam. We think about traditional in-person training. But we think of lecture style, where I see the greatest value for managers is in practicing these conversations that we're going to have with our people before we have them, whether right before, but hopefully over time, in a learning setting, in a coaching setting, where we're able to practice these kinds of conversations. But unlike what I do in HR, I role play all the time with my team. We think of different situations and scenarios that might happen, and how we would handle that situation, because there are oftentimes, we're going to be faced with delivering these conversations on the fly, which is where role play is so very powerful. Role play builds a person's knowledge. It helps them prepare for that situation or scenario that they're going to find themselves in at a future time. And I guarantee that delivering conversations around performance, or having to talk about someone not meeting or exceeding expectations and objectives, role playing can be a very powerful way to be able to learn on the fly. Role playing is fantastic because practice does make perfect. The more times you role play a situation or scenario, either with a group, another individual, or by yourself, the more prepared you are to deliver on that conversation in that real life situation or scenario. I love role playing in a variety of situations and circumstances, but it is totally a doable thing if it is by yourself. When I think about role playing, we normally see them in conversations or situations where we're in a formal training program, but you can absolutely, and I encourage you as a new manager to practice different situations and scenarios and role play. Sometimes that means writing down those situations, how you would respond to these questions, or what you think might happen in preparation so that you are ready to go when that situation arises. I talked about a few of the situations I think that you need to be prepared for. There are a whole host of others. And so that is one of the things that we provide in our new manager training program is different situation scenarios that managers are often find themselves in, and how do we practice for it to be perfect when push comes to shove and we are in that real life, real time thing that's happening as a manager on the fly. Need some scenarios to role play and find a way to get started? Let me give you a list. A conversation with an employee who is a low performer. Now let's think about that in person as well as virtual, maybe over Zoom. What about a conversation with your CEO where you're asking for an increase in budget, maybe to train your employees or team members? What about a conversation with HR where you're making the case to give this person a bump in pay? How about role play where you're delivering a PIP, which is a performance improvement plan, and you're talking to them about a plan to move forward to help move them into a place where they are meeting expectations. And finally, delivering an uncomfortable conversation. Some of my hardest conversations were about things like body odor or severe smells. Maybe somebody wears really strong perfume or they have a loud voice. Or they just have an annoying habit that is disruptive to your team. These are all examples of different role play situations that as a manager, whether you're new or experienced, should be prepared for and to be able to deliver whenever and wherever it might be. Role playing is a powerful way for you to practice and make perfect. You can refine your conversation. You can write down what you're going to say and have multiple iterations and variations until it feels comfortable enough for you to deliver it to your employee. My name is Jessica Miller Merrill, and I'm the founder of Workology and the creator of the New Manager Training Program. It's a 12-week coaching and training program for new managers under three years of experience. They're new in their roles. We will walk you through a 12-week program to help you have access to all the tools and resources to be a supportive manager who makes bosses and employees and your teams happy. You deliver on promises and you exceed expectations. You can submit an application and join us now at workplacemasters.com. Thanks for watching this video. If you enjoyed the video, please give me a subscribe and give me a like too if you're at it and leave me a comment. Tell me what kinds of resources and other videos and topics you would like to see in the areas of manager training and personal development. Thanks for watching. Give me a subscribe and I'll see you next time on Leadership Lessons, a series by me, Jessica Miller Merrill, focused on personal and professional development for leaders and managers. We are here to help you grow and thrive.