Does your organization equip new managers with the training they need to be successful as first-time people leaders? Nearly three-quarters of respondents in a recent survey [1] reported having a specific development program for managers at their organization, and a majority of those who don’t yet have a program plan to implement one in the coming years.
We’ve trained nearly 100,000 managers over the last 20 years and we believe that great managers hold the power to propel organizations to success. However, when left untrained, we recognize that they have the power to negatively affect retention and culture if not properly engaging their reports, showing enough empathy, or prioritizing the right things.
Whether or not you currently have a management development program in place, there are several factors to consider when thinking about leadership development:
Location, Location, Location
Depending on the distribution of your staff, you’ll want to consider the best method to engage your managers.
In-person training – either onsite at your office or offsite at a hotel or conference space – will allow participants an opportunity to disconnect from the day-to-day tasks of their roles, share meals and bond with other managers, and there’s a higher likelihood of these managers feeling more connected as a cohort to idea-share.
Virtual training creates opportunities for busy managers to tune in and meet folks from other offices while offsetting travel and logistical costs. A hybrid approach often seems to be the most popular method for our clients: opting to bring managers in for a kickoff at the beginning of the program, running virtual sessions in between, and uniting one last time for a sendoff or graduation program.
Our workshops are flexible and bespoke to the needs of your organization, which is why we work with you to carefully curate the best training plan for each manager cohort.
Creating a Curriculum
We crafted our course catalog carefully to allow our clients to select the modules that best fit their managers’ needs. Our Managing to Lead series comprises our four most popular courses for any level manager, often the core skills needed to be a people leader. Our clients often supplement this series with additional “elective” courses on empathy, inclusion, retention, and prioritization. Once you determine your intended topics, we recommend building out a regular cadence in your training schedule. Participants are more likely to remember the information delivered to them if the content is memorable, evenly spaced out, and reinforced regularly. With our curriculum approach, we provide leaders with tools apply the learning outside of the classroom.
Finding Your Facilitator(s)
Several surveyed professionals reported using internal staff to run their manager development training. While there are benefits to an internal approach, we’re a bit biased on the benefits of harnessing the experience from an external facilitator. Third-party trainers offer an outside perspective on several business challenges, often sharing case studies from similar organizations or industries and providing coaching advice that internal staff might not have within their limited purview of development. Some clients opt to work with the same facilitator throughout the entire program, while others find that offering an array of different facilitators with various styles brings value in diversity of thought. All of our trainers bring these leadership concepts to life with humor and practical applicability, and are often confused as internal trainers from their keen ability to connect to the audience and engrain themselves in the organization’s culture and norms.
These are just a few starters to consider before diving into a new manager development program or revamping your current one. Our Client Service team is invested in creating memorable experiences that Make Work Better for your managers and those who report to them. If you are curious to hear more about our process or discuss how you can take the next step, drop us a note on our contact page and our team will reach out to set up a discovery call.