According to a study by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and YouGov, 82% of managers entering leadership positions have not had any formal training. With the number of “accidental managers” on the rise, the need for effective leadership development is clear.

The demands on new managers are significant. With pressure to reduce costs, embrace technological change, improve operational efficiency and motivate team members, today’s work environment is demanding and pressured. Without formal training, accidental managers may find themselves struggling to be effective. Surrounded by watchful eyes, this lack of training can create damaging risks such as poor performance, impact and motivation.

When under pressure, accidental managers may rely on their status in a bid to drive for results. What they are likely to find is that this approach alienates rather than inspires. Although their position may command some respect, a job title alone will never be truly inspirational to others. It is the actions in a role that make the difference, and leaders who inspire follow a pattern of behavior that anyone can replicate. Effective leadership training and development enables the individual to widen their skill set and to have confidence in deploying this wider range of skills appropriately.

So, what are the key leadership skills accidental managers should develop to feel prepared and confident in their roles?

Recognize Individuality and a Breadth of Skills

Accidental managers are often gifted in a particular skill resulting in their promotion. Although highly capable in their specialty, they may lack competence and confidence in the full range of skills required for effective leadership. Relying solely on that one strong skill and applying it to every situation regardless of the facts will mean that poor results are not far behind. Leaders with such a narrow skill set are at risk of becoming the one-trick ponies of the leadership world, lacking breadth and nuance in their approach. This can often happen to accidental managers who stay in their comfort zone and rely on what comes most naturally to them.

Instead, consider focusing your leadership development efforts on the aspects of the “Firecracker Leadership Framework.” The framework identifies the 15 skills every great leader needs under three headings: head, hands and heart. By recalibrating their approach to ensure balance across the three areas, accidental managers can become inspirational, effective leaders with a broader range of skills at their disposal. Having all the head, hands and heart skills in abundance and in balance is crucial to optimising leadership credibility and impact.

So, why are each of these areas so important, and what do they look like in practice?

Head Skills (Brainpower)

Training for accidental managers on these skills should focus on their analytical and problem-solving skills to be deployed at a strategic or big-picture level. The head skills act as the command center for leadership effectiveness, leveraging intellectual capacity to analyze information, set a purpose, find solutions and envision the future.

Bringing the individual’s best head skills means moving beyond reviewing data and cracking down on performance; it’s about applying analysis insightfully to set meaningful goals that inspire motivation and discretionary effort from others to achieve a shared vision. To do this, the manager must be willing to take stock of their starting point and then commit to expanding their knowledge, honing their skills and learning on a continuous basis.

Applying the head skills in a leadership context means the focus is on others. Accidental managers need to widen their field of vision shifting from the realm of personal performance to encompass team and organizational goals and solutions.

Hands Skills (Technical Ability)

These skills translate thought into action. From technical prowess to effective communication, hands skills are about attaining expertise, doing the work, showing the way, setting the standard for professionalism, and encouraging others to learn and grow their own capability.

This is where many accidental managers can come undone. Often, they have attained their role on the basis of having exceptional skills in a technical area. Without the benefit of training to consider an alternative approach, they may be so focused on the need to get a job done, that they rely solely on their own skill. When they offer to help complete a task for team members, with the best of intentions, they take over the doing and forget about the leading. Although the job may indeed get done quickly and well, this approach has negative consequences. Focusing on their own competence and completing everything themselves leaves team members feeling undermined, untrusted, and without the guidance and encouragement they need to develop and grow.

This is why, as a starting point, it is important for new leaders to consider, “What is the quality of my technical skill?”; “How effectively do I communicate with others?”; “Now that I am a leader, am I deploying my expertise appropriately to set a good example and help others develop?”; and “Am I building a balanced team covering all the essential skill areas?”.  Answering these questions helps to identify areas of strength and weakness to focus training in key impact areas.

Heart Skills (Emotional Intelligence)

With so many demands on their attention, accidental managers may neglect the heart skills to their cost. These are the skills that truly separate a manager from an inspirational leader. Leaders with strong heart skills bring genuine care, empathy and positive values to the workplace. They are comfortable expressing emotion and vulnerability and have the ability to understand others and to recognize the contributions they make. Properly deployed, heart skills build commitment, loyalty and trust.

Possessing emotional intelligence (EQ) is the foundation of heart skills, enabling leaders to provide meaningful feedback, resolve conflict, and build lasting teamwork and collaboration. Heart skills can be dismissed as “soft” and “fluffy,” but when highly developed and deployed appropriately, they are the bedrock of building resilient, creative and effective teams. Heart skills inspire confidence, psychological safety and discretionary effort from others.

The risk area for overly empathetic leaders who have a surfeit of heart skills is that they get lost in the moment and in reflecting others’ emotions. When heart skills are overly dominant, leaders can leave their teams feeling cared for but lacking in urgency and direction to achieve meaningful tasks.

When upskilling accidental managers, taking a holistic approach to building head, hands and heart skills in abundance and in balance is the most effective route. Starting with an assessment of current skills and building a training plan that methodically addresses one area at a time is the best way to avoid overwhelm and to guarantee progression from accidental manager to inspirational leader.