New managers can only thrive in an organisation when they have the support to naturally develop them into influential leaders. The transition from a team member to a leader is a big jump, but you can support them with a comprehensive leadership training programme designed to help them and your business thrive.
Leadership development is all about identifying the talent you have and developing them into true leaders. Business needs change regularly and the pace continues to increase — it’s why companies need skilled leaders to guide people and execute strategy. Here’s how a leadership training programme for new managers can help and what to include in one.
- Why You Need a Leadership Training Programme
- Elements to Include in Your Leadership Training Programme
Why You Need a Leadership Training Programme
As a business, you want capable people leading from the front. If you throw them into the deep end with little guidance, the chances of failing are much higher and it doesn’t benefit anyone. By creating a leadership training programme, individuals and the organisation can benefit massively.
You’ll Attract and Retain Talent
Candidates want to join a company where they feel they can develop. It makes it easier to source the best talent as a leadership training programme shows you’re fully invested in helping them develop and are focused on their growth.
When candidates can see this clearly, it makes your business much more attractive. According to research, 59% of people say opportunities to grow and learn are important to them when applying for a job.
But it boosts retention rates too. Studies show that 82% of employees would quit their job if there’s no clear development plan or progression routes. They want to learn new things, they want the opportunity to move to a position to use their specialised knowledge and they want to know you believe in them.
A leadership training programme is a great commitment to show you’re ready to support them.
Impacts Profit
You can improve the business’ bottom line by developing a leadership training programme for new managers. First off, this programme can help employees think more strategically and understand the bigger picture within the organisation.
Secondly, it helps with turnover. If employees know you’re investing in them and have opportunities to grow, they’re more likely to stay with you. This is better for the finances than constantly hiring and onboarding new employees.
The added productivity impacts the organisation’s finances too. When employees can see a positive future for themselves, they’ll be more engaged. When they’re more engaged, they’ll motivate others to increase productivity.
Creates Future Leaders
A long-term vision includes identifying which team members are strong candidates for higher positions in the future. With a leadership programme, you can help your best talent get there — improving the business’ future and the employees’.
What Else?
There are countless business and employee benefits of developing a comprehensive leadership training programme for new managers. Some more include:
- Increases influential skills
- Develops emotional intelligence
- Increases communication skills
- Teaches skill-building
- Improves career prospects and loyalty
- Clarifies the vision
- Enables better evaluations
- Improves teamwork
- Helps manage change
- Benefits company culture
- Improves morale by leading projects
The benefits are obvious. But what does an impactful leadership programme actually look like?
Elements to Include in Your Leadership Training Programme
No development is identical as the challenges of the business can vary. Still, there are specific building blocks you can adopt to include in a training programme for new managers.
A Coach or Mentor
Everyone part of this programme needs a coach or mentor. Employees should get access to management, receive insights into their day-to-day and understand how they think at a higher level. It’s one-on-one access to ask questions, bounce ideas off of and receive directions on where to improve.
Although, this is easier said than done internally if you have a busy management team.
Milestones or Goals
It can’t be a never-ending programme. For it to be successful, it should include clear goals and milestones employees need to reach to measure its success. It’s also worth including company goals here so they can understand their role in team-wide success.
Make sure the goals are SMART, so they aren’t impossible and difficult to reach or so easy that nobody ever feels challenged. Also, think about the skills your company will need in the future and work this into the programme.
Self and Team Management
Your programme should include areas where employees understand the importance of self-management and analyse their own performance to pinpoint improvement areas. This increases their awareness and frees up the time of senior management.
Managing a team is also a crucial part of the programme. They need to establish ways to manage individuals with different personalities and keep them motivated. Working on this during the training programme will help new managers collaborate better and boost results.
Accountability
Although the training programme is detailed enough to map out what an employee needs to work on, there needs to be some sense of accountability worked into it. Accountability will allow them to hold others to account, showcase how not to micromanage and that you aren’t micromanaging them.
Including areas to weave in accountability will ensure they feel a sense of responsibility and that they’re relied on without fearing any repercussions for decisions.
Communication
Another critical element to include in the leadership training programme is communication. Leaders need to understand clarity, set the tone and maintain the perfect balance of showing respect and being approachable. Working on this skill will help them achieve productivity and build strong working relationships.
When they’re great communicators, they’re more likely to put innovation at the heart of decisions and contribute to business growth.
Budgets and Strategy
Leaders need to understand the financial impacts of their choices. In your leadership training programme, add the element of budget management so they can see how they contribute to operational and project strategies.
The same applies to business strategies. Add opportunities in the training programme for candidates to drive forward ideas, improve their strategy skills and adopt a process-driven mindset.
Creating a plan is only half of the battle. The time, energy and resources you need to pour into this might not be available. The last thing you want is a training programme that’s ‘good enough’ rather than offering genuine value and support.
As valuable as this training programme is, think about all the internal processes and hoops you need to jump through to make this happen. How much free time does the company have? Remember, job competency doesn’t always translate to the best leadership skills, so it’s worth looking at who can help facilitate this and create business benefits for you.
Don’t make this a box-ticking exercise. Work with providers that are experts in developing leaders of the future.
Develop More Leaders In Your Business
We run a range of leadership programmes, all designed to provide your employees with the right skills and the confidence they need to start climbing the management and leadership ladder.
To find out more about the leadership programmes, the benefits, costs and more, get in touch with us today.
