Day 1
Session One - Introduction
The course is introduced by the trainer and an emphasis is put on the need for participants to be open minded, support each other and give feedback to each
other.
This introduction includes:
- Individual introductions and expectations
- Personal learning objectives
- Course objectives and overview
- Timetable and approach to be followed
- Domestic arrangements
If the group has not met before, participants discuss the impact of first impressions. This will start the participants thinking about what impact they make or have made within their teams. Before embarking on a detailed exploration of management, we spend a short while looking at our current strengths as new managers and at those areas in which we need to develop further. This will be used as a basis for compiling a Personal Learning Log as the course progresses and for use following the course on return to work.
Session-Two- The Role of the Manager
This session will explore what typical managers do in order to achieve their objectives. Participants work together to produce and refine a model of their understanding of what management is all about. This, then, serves as a template for reference throughout the course. The Action Centred Leadership model is discussed with reference to participants’ current role. This is also linked with leadership flexibility. The key to effective leadership is not the application of any single leadership style but the ability to adapt behaviour to meet the requirements of many different situations and the needs of various people. It is knowing how or when to be ‘hard’ or ‘soft’, recognising which style a particular situation demands and applying it.
This session looks at:
- Individual leadership style
- Alternative leadership and management methods
- The importance of a flexible leadership style
- How to improve performance using the various techniques
- A diagnostic tool along with practical exercises and case studies is used to reinforce the learning.
Session Three- Planning for Management
The work of a manager and the team must integrate seamlessly with the rest of the organisation to achieve organisational goals. Discussion will focus on the need for an initial clear idea of what you, as a manager, are trying to achieve and why. Analysis tools such as SWOT will be introduced to help participants have a greater understanding of where their goals come from and how to communicate them.
Session Four- What you manage?
Once a team’s goals are clear, the tools managers have to deliver these are important. Participants discuss what resources they manage – what they would like more of and conversely what they would like less of.
This includes the 7 M’s:
- Manpower
- Materials
- Machinery
- Markets
- Money
- Methods
- Miscellaneous
This session gets participants to discuss the resources at their disposal and what they do to flex them.
Session Five-Managing Teams- What changes can managers make?
Participants will explore their own default communication style and discover how it can reinforce or destroy their efforts with others. A model will be used to identify participants’ social styles, which can impact their ability to manage the various individuals reporting to them. The focus now moves to the need for the manager to see individuals as members of a team. Participants will discuss:
- The issues of team morale
- The variety of roles within a team
- Creating mutual trust and co-operation
- The need to achieve clarity of roles, goals and clear procedures
- How to manage sound interpersonal relationships
A team roles questionnaire will be used to determine the type of role which the articipants favour in a team. They will then discuss:
- How will their mix of roles affect their interaction with the team?
- What other roles do they think are present in their teams at work?
- What is missing?
How can this be managed?
Evening Work: Planning Activity, Group Presentation
In small groups, participants reflect on the day’s proceedings and plan an impactful presentation, entitled ‘Our Team Brand’. The purpose of this session is to encourage integration of material covered to date, in the context of how participants perceive themselves in managerial/leadership terms. This session also encourages a willingness to step out of personal comfort zones, which is a requirement of all managers from time to time. Each group presents what is unique and distinctive about themselves as individuals and as a team.
Source material would typically include:
- Previous experience
- Personal assets/strengths
- Preferred team roles
- Personal leadership styles
Day 2
Group Presentations
Participants present the outcomes of their personal/team branding exercise. Besides dealing with important managerial material and self-perceptions, participants also benefit from exposure to presenting informally to their peers.
Session Six- Self Management Tools
Participants discuss how they manage themselves including:
- Behaviour management
- Stress management
- Goal setting
- Time management
Session Seven- Managing Change- Making it Happen
Today, organisations operate in a high change environment. The skills and knowledge covered on the course will amount to nothing if a manager lacks awareness of the principles of effective change management. These will be explored through discussions and participants own work circumstances. A change model which is applicable to change for each individual will be introduced along with some suggested processes for review.
Session Eight- Managing People
This session covers Motivation, Delegation and introduces concepts around Appraisals:
- Motivation: What motivates us as individuals, as managers or as employees? Motivation models will be applied to our conclusions to assist participants to come up with their own strategies for motivating others. Maslow and Hertzberg will be discussed along with other influence theories. Participants will be encouraged to review the levels of motivation in their teams.
- Delegation: Delegation, discussed previously in the context of time management, will also be reviewed in the context of motivation and developmentfor individuals.
- Coaching and Appraisals: The session will give participants the opportunity to review their styles of communicating and the impact of their style when working closely with their reports. Guidelines are introduced on how to coach or counsel employees to better performance and these are applied to participants’ own work examples. Management control is then discussed not only in the context of motivation and coaching but also through communication and appraising staff. On Day 1, the importance of planning as an initial managerial priority is set out. Co-ordination and control are equally important. Done well this can enhance a team’s effectiveness immeasurably. Participants discuss the importance of management control and the options open to managers in how this can be achieved. Conclusions are applied to participants’ own project responsibilities.
Session Nine- Review, Action Plan and Closee
Participants review what they have learnt during the two days of the course and examine their learning against their initial expectations and behavioural mindsets. They conclude by creating an Action Plan that prepares them for using their newly acquired knowledge and skills within the work environment.
