Management Institute
Managers, Supervisors, Leads, Manager Trainee
FOUNDATIONS
WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT
No one ever tells you what management is REALLY going to be like. Though there are hundreds of books written on it, you really can't know what it's like until you get there. Why? Because every situation is different. People are different, companies are unique, and every day brings something new.
​
As a manager, you face impossible demands. There will ALWAYS be more to get done than you have time for, people problems, lack of resources, and emergencies that arise. Somehow, though, you'll find a way to get it done.
​
Smart managers learn that there are systems, processes, and tools available to them that help to get more done in less time. These are the managers who always seem to take on more, accomplish the impossible, and achieve success. How do they do it? They have access to the same time and resources as you do. They have just learned to use them differently.
​
In this course, you'll learn how to develop and implement many of these same systems and processes to help you do more, be more, and achieve more. Just like a skilled carpenter, we'll provide you with additional tools for your toolkit AND the know-how to put those tools to work. As you apply what you learn, you can begin to master your newly developed skills and see immediate results.
UNLIKE OTHER TRAINING
If your first thought was: "Ugh! Another boring class!" I'm happy to say you'll be disappointed. Our programs are not like most. We believe that you should:
​
-
Apply what you learn - immediately - not later. We expect you to use it now.
-
Improve your knowledge, skill, and results. Management is about action.
-
Share what you learn with others. You learn best when you teach...so share it!
-
Engage in learning, not just sit there. You have a lot to contribute.
-
Learn by doing. It's the best way to learn.
-
Get a return on your investment. This training needs to generate value.
​
These are bold statements, but our approach has been used long enough for us to be confident in the results. However, you get out of this course what you put into it.
​
This program combines classroom learning, engagement, reading, online content (e.g., videos and articles), and some homework. Between sessions, you'll be expected to implement what you learn and report back on the results. Along the way, we'll provide feedback, coaching, and tools that will enable you to grow and succeed as a manager.
Course Objectives
During the course, participants will...
-
Understand the true role of a manager and lead through others
-
Improve communication, listening, and workplace understanding
-
Hire and select employees more effectively
-
Set expectations and build accountability
-
Give feedback and manage performance more successfully
-
Coach employees for growth, ownership, and results
-
Build stronger teams and develop employee competencies
-
Align people, goals, and execution more effectively
-
Lead through collaboration and organizational change
-
Strengthen legal, ethical, and professional management practices
COURSE OUTLINE
Here is how it works...
​​
-
In-class sessions run weekly from 8:30-12:00.
-
Content and discussion are provided in person, with additional content available online (videos, articles, other materials).
-
Participants leave with action items to be done between sessions. This creates accountability to implement what they learn.
-
Total course content includes in-class, online, and outside assignments.
​
Over four sessions, we'll cover:
​​
-
Module 1: Foundations of Effective Management
Core principles of management, leadership, style, ethics, legal awareness, and employee relations. -
Module 2: Communication, Planning, and Hiring for Success
Communication, listening, goal alignment, planning, meetings, feedback, and talent selection. -
Module 3: Leading People, Teams, and Performance
Employee development, team effectiveness, performance expectations, accountability, and high-performance culture. -
Module 4: Coaching, Corrective Action, Execution, and Change
Coaching, discipline, documentation, execution, collaboration, continuous improvement, and change leadership.
​
Additional course details are provided below.
CORE COMPETENCIES​​
Here are just a few of the competencies we develop:
​
-
Communication and listening
-
Goal setting and organizational alignment
-
Decision-making and implementation
-
Hiring and talent selection
-
Performance management and accountability
-
Coaching and employee development
-
Team development and collaboration
-
Change leadership and execution
-
Ethical and legally sound supervision
-
Continuous improvement and professional growth
-
Employee development
-
Human-centered leadership
Every journey begins with that first step. The key is to make sure you step in the right direction...then keep on stepping!
SESSION 1
FOUNDATIONS OF EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT
This module establishes the core mindset, responsibilities, and personal foundation of effective management. Participants learn what management is, how it differs from leadership, and how their own style, ethics, and legal awareness affect their effectiveness with employees and teams.
Session Content:
-
Role of a manager
-
Management versus leadership
-
Five key functions of management: plan, organize, staff, lead, control
-
Getting results through others
-
Personal management style assessment
-
Understanding behavioral styles and adapting to others
-
Ethics in management
-
Legal considerations for supervision
-
Employee relations fundamentals
-
Foundations of effective leadership behavior
What participants will learn:
-
What effective managers actually do
-
How leadership and management overlap but are not identical
-
How to better understand their own strengths, tendencies, and blind spots
-
How style affects communication, leadership, and decision-making
-
Why ethics and legal awareness are essential to sound supervision
-
How to improve employee relations and establish credibility early as a manager
SESSION 2
Communication, Planning, & Talent
This module focuses on the manager’s ability to communicate clearly, align work with goals, plan effectively, and hire the right people. It builds the practical front-end skills managers need to create clarity, reduce confusion, and strengthen talent decisions.
Session Content:
-
Effective communication fundamentals
-
Message construction and mutual understanding
-
Communication barriers and reasons communication fails
-
Active listening strategies
-
Goal setting for managers and employees
-
Organizational, departmental, and individual alignment
-
Identifying needs and assessing alternatives
-
Implementing strategy
-
Conducting effective meetings
-
Feedback and follow-up essentials
-
Hiring the right talent
-
Job analysis and role definition
-
Interview preparation and interview scripting
-
Behavioral checklists and candidate evaluation
-
Legal considerations in hiring
What participants will learn:
-
How to communicate with more clarity and less misunderstanding
-
How to listen more effectively and improve two-way understanding
-
How to align employee performance with departmental and organizational goals
-
How to plan more effectively and think through implementation choices
-
How to run meetings with more purpose and better outcomes
-
How to define what good looks like in a role and improve hiring decisions
-
How to evaluate candidates more consistently and lawfully
SESSION 3
Building People, Teams, & Performance
This module centers on leading employees well after they are hired. Participants learn how to develop employee competencies, strengthen teams, manage performance, and create a workplace climate that supports accountability and high performance.
Session Content:
-
Getting to know employees
-
Understanding employee needs and motivators
-
Developing employee competencies
-
Matching people to jobs and performance expectations
-
Creating a culture and climate for high performance
-
Building and leading high-performing teams
-
Stages of team development
-
Performance management fundamentals
-
Setting SMART expectations
-
Delivering effective feedback
-
Appraisals and year-round performance management
-
Accountability and follow-up
-
Recognition, motivation, and rewards
-
Identifying whether a problem is knowledge, skill, attitude, behavior, or something else
What participants will learn:
-
How to better understand employees and lead them as individuals
-
How to identify and develop the competencies employees need for success
-
How to build stronger, more collaborative, and more effective teams
-
How to set expectations that are clear and measurable
-
How to use feedback and follow-up to improve performance
-
How to create a more consistent performance-management process
-
How to diagnose common employee performance problems more accurately
SESSION 4
Coaching, Corrective Action, & Change
This module develops the manager’s ability to address difficult situations, improve performance through coaching, execute effectively, and lead through change. It emphasizes practical leadership under pressure and the tools managers need to guide improvement while protecting performance, culture, and compliance.
Session Content:
-
Coaching versus managing
-
When to coach and when to direct
-
Coaching mindset and prerequisites
-
Teaching and training model: explain, demonstrate, practice, evaluate
-
Assessing performance and behavior issues
-
Pre-coaching assessment
-
Corrective action process
-
Documentation practices
-
Performance improvement plans
-
Employee rights and due process considerations
-
Suspension, demotion, termination, and related preparation
-
Collaboration across individuals, teams, and departments
-
Execution and achieving goals
-
Managing change
-
Kotter’s 8-step model
-
Continuous improvement strategies
-
Personal professional development planning and next-step action planning
What participants will learn:
-
How to coach employees toward improvement rather than jumping too quickly to discipline
-
How to decide when a situation requires coaching, managing, or corrective action
-
How to document problems and use improvement plans appropriately
-
How to handle difficult performance and behavior issues more confidently
-
How to execute plans more effectively and turn intentions into results
-
How to collaborate across boundaries and improve organizational follow-through
-
How to manage change in a structured way
-
How to build a continuous-improvement mindset and leave with a concrete action plan
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
I've spent a lifetime exploring that question.
It seems almost elusive and philosophical to the point that some consider it impractical, illogical, and even impossible. Can leadership really make a difference? Does it really impact the bottom line? Am I really able to measure the outcomes of good leadership vs bad leadership?
​
As a lifelong learner who has sought the answer himself...seeking many sources from books, lectures, conferences, speakers, videos, interviews, experiences, inspiration, and even a doctorate in leadership studies.
Yet through all of this, do you know what I learned?
​
Despite all of our so-called accumulated "knowledge" on leadership, we as a human race are just now barely recognizing the true impact of leadership.
​
We have a long way to go to truly understand leadership.
Is leadership power? Yes...
Is leadership service? Yes...
Is leadership influence? Yes...
Is leadership results? Yes...
Is leadership love? Yes...
Is leadership success? Yes...
​
All of the above. None of the above. And so much more!
​
The TRUE definition of leadership comes from WITHIN.
You must define leadership for yourself.
This is part of your journey.
It begins with you...
What do YOU want?
Why do YOU want it?
Answer these questions first...then we can work together to build the strategy that guides us through the "how" to achieve them.