In today’s increasingly competitive business environment, effective manager leadership training is the cornerstone of any successful organization.
Whether you’re a high-performing manager looking to enhance your leadership skills or a new manager stepping into a leadership role for the first time, the right kind(s) of training can have a significant impact on your management skills.
In this blog, we’ll explore:
- What manager leadership training is, and why it’s essential for both new and seasoned managers to develop new skills
- The key benefits of leadership training and how it has high potential to drive organizational growth
- Different types of leadership training formats and how to choose the option that best aligns with your professional goals
Let’s take a closer look.
What is manager leadership training?
Manager leadership training focuses on helping managers develop the skills and capabilities needed to be effective leaders. It encompasses a range of programs designed to help managers—both new and experienced—enhance their leadership potential.
This training is beneficial for:
- Aspiring managers: Those seeking to step into leadership roles and develop the necessary skills, such as emotional intelligence or decision-making
- First-time managers: People who are new to leadership roles and need guidance on how to manage teams successfully
- Experienced managers: Individuals already in leadership positions who want to further develop their abilities to drive high-performing teams and achieve organizational goals
- Organizations: Companies looking to upskill their managerial staff to ensure leadership aligns with company objectives and fosters a positive work environment
By addressing essential leadership competencies such as decision-making, communication, and emotional intelligence, this type of management training prepares leaders to guide their teams effectively and navigate challenges with confidence.
Give your managers the tools to become outstanding leaders.
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Benefits of manager leadership training
Investing in manager leadership training is essential for any organization that aims to grow and succeed in today’s competitive business landscape. By providing managers with the necessary leadership skills, businesses can unlock several competitive advantages:
- Enhanced decision-making: Managers who undergo manager leadership training are better equipped to make informed, strategic decisions that drive organizational success.
- Improved employee retention: Strong leadership, fostered by comprehensive manager leadership training, helps create a supportive and motivating work environment, leading to higher employee satisfaction and reduced turnover.
- Operational efficiency: Well-trained managers can streamline operations, foster team collaboration, and enhance overall productivity, all of which are key outcomes of effective manager leadership training.
- Better business outcomes: Great leaders who complete manager leadership training are more capable of aligning their team’s efforts with the organization’s strategic objectives, ultimately improving revenue and business growth.
For new managers, manager leadership training is particularly important—it helps them build a strong foundation in leadership skills, which can be especially beneficial as they face common challenges like communicating effectively with their team or gaining confidence in decision-making.
Why is manager leadership training important? Managerial leadership training provides managers with the tools and skills they need to handle the complexities of leadership. As a result, businesses experience stronger team performance, improved employee engagement, and a thriving organizational culture.
Types of manager leadership training program formats
There are various types of manager leadership training formats available, each offering unique benefits—depending on one’s learning needs, leadership style, and preferences.
1:1
- Professional coaching: Short-term, one-on-one sessions focused on personal and professional development. Coaching provides managers with targeted assistance on specific leadership challenges and is one of the most effective forms of manager leadership training due to its tailored approach.
- Professional mentoring: Long-term, one-on-one relationships where managers learn from a mentor’s personal experience and expertise. Mentoring is particularly beneficial for those seeking personalized, ongoing development as they grow in their leadership roles.
Internal
- Professional development plans: Development programs are often created by department heads or managers to offer tailored growth paths for their team members. Development plans may include training recommendations, workshops, or specific leadership goals.
- Self-guided learning: Employees can engage in self-paced learning initiatives by accessing internal resources, free content, or company-sponsored learning services. This is an ideal learning experience for managers who prefer flexibility in their learning process or want to focus on specific areas of leadership development at their own pace.
External
- Leadership workshops or seminars: These events bring industry leaders together to share best practices, trends, and their own leadership experiences. Workshops and seminars are ideal for managers seeking to learn from industry-specific leadership trends.
- Industry-specific conferences: Attending conferences allows managers to gain leadership insights tailored to their specific sector. Conferences also offer opportunities to build connections and learn from other leaders’ experiences.
- Structured education/classroom-based learning: These are formal courses—either short- or long-term—that focus on building leadership skills through a structured curriculum. This is a strong option for those who prefer in-person, classroom-based learning environments.
Online courses
- Online Learning Management Systems (LMS): Online courses provide flexible, on-demand learning opportunities, offering a wide range of leadership topics and certifications.
Managers can choose from various courses, webinars, whitepapers, and best practices. Many online platforms, such as Coursera or LinkedIn Learning, offer leadership and management courses tailored to individual learning preferences. While some courses, like Masterclass, are not accredited, others provide formal certifications that can enhance a manager’s leadership credentials.
How to find the right training option
Selecting a manager leadership training course? It’s important to understand your goals, learning preferences, and focus areas to find a program that best suits your needs.
Understanding goals
The first step in choosing the right training is to clarify your professional development goals. A helpful way to set these is by using the SMART framework to identify goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
By defining clear, measurable goals, you can more easily connect the training to specific outcomes, ensuring that your leadership development is aligned with both personal growth and organizational success.
Understanding learning preferences
Next, consider your own learning preferences. Here are key factors to keep in mind:
- Who is the training for? Is it for yourself, your team, or specific departments?
- What is your learning style? For example, do you prefer in-person experiences or virtual training?
- What is your preferred frequency? That is: Should you hold training sessions daily? Weekly? Quarterly?
- Is having a professional certificate a consideration? Some roles or industries might require accreditation or other credentialing.
- What is your motivation for pursuing training? How will it advance your career or improve team performance?
- Do you prefer 1:1, small group, or large group learning environments? This will help you narrow down your options.
- Are you looking for flexible, on-demand options or structured programs with specific time commitments? This gives you the opportunity for scheduled programs or to learn at your own pace.
Determining focus areas for training
A great way to identify key areas for manager leadership training is through a skills gap analysis.
In short, the process compares the skills needed to meet your business goals with the present abilities of your team. By identifying these gaps, you can tailor your training to focus on areas that need the most development, such as leadership, decision-making, or communication skills.
Additionally, other organizations may employ professional development plans to highlight specific growth areas for employees, ensuring that their development aligns with both personal and organizational goals.
What to look for when selecting leadership training
Once you’ve established your goals and preferences, you can narrow down your options by looking for certain key qualities:
- Clear structure or schedule: The program should provide a well-defined schedule that fits your learning preferences.
- Support for different learning styles: Ensure the training offers a variety of approaches to accommodate different styles such as interactive elements or actionable tasks, like certifications or follow-up meetings with a mentor.
- Context and learning outcomes: It’s important to know what you’ll learn—whether that includes leadership fundamentals, certification options, or specialized skills tailored to your role.
- Experienced instructors: Check the credentials and experience of the instructors or speakers, particularly with regard to their expertise in leadership.
- Real-world applications: Look for training that offers practical insights you can apply directly to your job.
Top management leadership courses
When it comes to choosing management leadership courses, there are several well-respected options that cater to different needs. (Note: While this is not an extensive list, these are some of the most popular and highly regarded options for leadership training.)
Harvard Business School (HBS)
HBS offers its highly regarded Leadership Principles course, a six-week program that immerses students in real-life leadership scenarios while honing essential leadership skills. The courses are taught entirely online, with a focus on fostering skills in new leaders.
Cornell University’s Leadership Certificate Programs
Cornell provides a variety of leadership certificates, perfect for professionals looking to enhance their skills. In-depth certifications, such as “leadership essentials,” “performance leadership,” and “leading remote teams,” can provide applied skills in a variety of professional contexts.
Wharton’s Leadership & Management Certificate Program
Wharton offers a comprehensive suite of leadership and management courses. Its online Leadership and Management Certificate program is best suited for “high-potential mid- to senior-level managers” with a minimum of five to seven years of experience, interested in advanced concepts to help advance their careers and enhance their leadership skills.
LinkedIn Learning
A flexible, online learning platform with a vast number of courses tailored to individuals and teams, including courses on executive leadership, practical leadership skills, and bundled courseloads aimed at extensive review. Organizations can get a LinkedIn Learning license so employees can access the whole library.
The Predictive Index
While not a traditional manager leadership course, The Predictive Index offers powerful management tools that improve team effectiveness and leadership capabilities.
Including a cognitive and behavioral assessment, PI is a data-driven process that helps organizations assess a candidate’s or employee’s personality, skills, and behavior—and how they might align with your organizational goals or needs.
Coursera
Started by Stanford University computer professors in 2012, Coursera is a massive source of online courses, including those on manager leadership. With courses across all levels, Coursera offers flexible learning with options for certificates. Notably, many of the courses are free to audit and organizations can choose from a team or enterprise license.
Udemy
Similarly, Udemy is an online learning platform with over 250,000 courses, both paid and free. The site provides a broad range of affordable leadership courses, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee. Another perk? Once you purchase a course, it’s accessible for life. Last but not least, organizations can provide unlimited access with cohort-based learning to employees.
edX
edX is a self-paced learning platform that partners with over 260 top collegiate institutions to offer online learning worldwide, including leadership courses. You can also audit courses for free, and even stack certain certificates toward university credit. Similar to the other platforms, edX also provides subscription options for small groups and enterprise-level organizations.
How The Predictive Index can help improve leadership skills
At The Predictive Index, we go beyond traditional courses by offering tools that help managers provide effective leadership for their organizations. These tools are designed to improve decision-making, communication, and team engagement. Explore The Predictive Index’s solutions now.