How to Develop a Comprehensive Management Training Program

 culled from:wikihosw.com

Helping managers grow in their skills is an important part of any training program. However, you may be finding that your current program is not living up to its potential, nor are your managers. Learn how to develop a comprehensive management training program that incorporates a variety of skills necessary for any manager.

Steps

1

Determine the goals of your training program. Identify the things you want your managers to be able to do once they complete your training program. Try to think of specific situations they will encounter at your organization. Keep your goals specific and realistic.

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   Establish the material you want to cover throughout your training program. Though there are basic skills every manager should have, there is also specific information you may want to cover during your training. Besides the skills listed below, identify foundational knowledge your managers need such as learning how certain processes work within your organization (e.g. turning in expense reports).
   • Leadership skills involve casting vision, inspiring others, and developing relationships with your employees.
   • Communication skills include conflict management, public speaking, business communication, and leading one-on-one meetings with their team members.
   • Supervisory or management skills incorporate tasks like directing others, solving immediate problems, and making sure work gets completed in a timely manner.
   • Technology skills help managers know how to use the technology available to them, whether mobile devices, computer software, or other computer applications.
   • Tactical skills include time management, stress management, and leading meetings.
   • Ethics and compliance training involves teaching managers about your company's code of ethics and how you expect them to conduct themselves as part of your organization.
   • Employment laws help managers understand and apply the law to specific circumstances, specifically discrimination, harassment, and termination laws.
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   Choose a format for your training program. Use the format that works best for you and your managers.
   • Computer-based learning or online learning are both cost-effective formats and can be very useful tools for individual study.
   • Live training with a facilitator can also present good information while being there to answer questions or demonstrate specific skills.
   • Case studies offer practical applications to some of the information and skills you teach. These can be incorporated into any format of training.
   • Mentoring allows each manager to receive personal feedback from a more experienced manager. Those in training can ask questions or listen to stories of past managers, realizing that they are not alone in any problems they are encountering.
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   Find a suitable time frame for training. Determine how long the training program will last. It might be an ongoing process, where the program is repeated every 2 years or so in order to allow managers to review the information and continue learning. Or, it might be a more succinct process new managers go through individually.
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   Evaluate the effectiveness of your training program. Decide in advance how you will determine if your training is effective or not. One way to do this is to look back at your goals.
   • If your goals identified what you wanted your managers to know, you can test their knowledge formally (e.g., test) or informally (e.g., casual conversation).
   • If you specified how you wanted your managers to act, observe their behavior as they interact with clients and employees.