That’s A Wrap!

That’s a wrap on another 2 day Stepping into Management programme delivered a few weeks ago for 12 people from the School of Environmental Science at the University of Liverpool.

Together we created a great learning environment where we all learned something new about managing others and more importantly about managing ourselves!

I often get asked what makes the 2 day Stepping into Management programme any different from any other management training. Aren’t these management training programmes all the same? I like to think not.

If I was to capture in a few sentences I would use some feedback from a participant who said:

“I got answers to all the questions I had about being a manager and leading other people. It was the stuff you imagine might happen and that no one ever tells you to expect. I came away with some simple techniques to try that have given me the confidence to be able to give it a go. You have busted a lot of myths and shared things I would never have even considered as important.”

The stories are real based on all the things I didn’t get right about being a manager.  Keeping boundaries, not having to be everyone’s friend and delivering feedback kindly rather than not at all.

When I designed the course I reflected on my own stepping into management journey. I started by making a list of all my mistakes and the things I wish I had known. I asked myself what did I learn about the situations that didn’t go so well? What did I learn from those managers who were smashing it? What would I have found useful? How could I capture it all to share with other people so they can feel more equipped if faced with something similar?

The two days focus on three particular areas. The first is understanding the roles and responsibilities of a manager and a bit about what you need to know about people working together in teams. The second is the skills required by a manager (what you need to do) if you are managing the performance of others. The third is the behaviour required of a manager (who you need to be) and the impact you have on how you show up every day.

I included a range of tools and techniques which I and other managers found to be most effective and can really enhance your professional relationships (whether you managing others or yourself.)

It’s all grounded in theory and popular management models though it’s translated into practical advice and guidance – it’s a very light touch so it makes it accessible for people and ultimately makes it real so lots of useful resources to add to your professional toolkit.

There is no death by PowerPoint or role-play just some ‘Facilitator Faithfuls’ – Flipchart paper, post-it notes and good old-fashioned conversation with a sprinkle of fun.

The try-before-your-buy manager approach ultimately empowers participants and helps build confidence that they can do it.

If you’re interested to know more please get in touch. If you have a group of future talent or want to give your managers some support to be the best they can be I would love to have a conversation.