Get the Most Out of Your Management Training Investment

To remain competitive, organisations need to train and develop their greatest resource – their people. In particular, management training ensures you have the very best individuals driving the organisation forward to greater and greater success. 

But here is an interesting paradox. Why is management training traditionally one of the first budgets to be cut during tough times? The organisation’s greatest chances of surviving and even thriving during that period are in the hands of its leaders. 

Invest in your people and expect a return 

Management training is no different to any other organisational investment – you need a good management training ROI! By spending time and money developing a leader, you expect the quality of their leadership to increase for the benefit of the organisation.  

Naturally, the need for effective learning techniques is paramount. Only by investing in a fit-for-purpose training solution can you expect to improve. 

Align training with organisational goals 

Generic off-the-shelf management training courses may enhance the skills of your leaders, but they come with a catch. You have to rely on a leader’s ability to apply the generic messages in the unique context of the organisation.  

So why not simply cut out that risk? It’s far better to arrange a management training skills course that is taught in the direct context of your organisation, together with its objectives and challenges.  

Furthermore, if the business is going through tough times, why not capitalise on the opportunity to identify solutions in an environment that is purpose-built for improvement? A bespoke management training course becomes a guided workshop on how to steer your organisation to better days. 

Set clear objectives and outcomes 

Be as specific as possible about the objectives of management training, and what reasonable outcomes should be expected.  

Objectives and outcomes will flow from a keen understanding of the position your organisation is in at the moment. For example, if you are experiencing a period of downturn, then your management training objectives can focus on stimulating sales in a difficult market, or championing innovation to identify diversification opportunities. 

Similarly, if your organisation is going through a major change such as downsizing or a merger, then management training should focus on the optimal way to steer employees through the uncertainly, including how to execute difficult decisions. 

Tailor learning to each management role

Many aspects of modern management training have relevance to all leaders but never lose sight of individual leadership roles. Leading a frontline team is very different from leading a support function such as HR or accounting. 

An excellent approach is to vary the format of management training to achieve the best results for your people.  

You could begin with a management training group session for all members of the management team, and ask each leader to think about what it means for their department. Breakout sessions and one-to-one follow-ups can subsequently help your leaders to arrive at outcomes that are perfectly tailored to their unique roles. 

Define how success will be measured 

Measuring the benefits of management training can spark debate over what counts as a tangible proof point, but a good course should deliver a breadth of evidence.  

Measurable productivity increases are ideal, but bear in mind that these can sometimes be misleading as they may be down to team pressures rather than improvements.  

Look for day-to-day positive impacts such as progress towards objectives, solving challenges quicker through innovation, and greater confidence about decision making. You should also expect to see improvements in team motivation and culture.  

Together, these indicators add up to paint a picture of how effective the line management training has been, which also serves as the basis for follow-up sessions to further fine-tune leader performance.  

How can training help?

Here are a few more articles about how to optimise the management training of your leaders: 

• Courses are an excellent management training tool, but there may be situations where leaders benefit more from one-to-one executive coaching.
• Learn – How to get the best results from executive coaching 
• Does your organisation only provide management training to its senior leaders? If so, find out about the huge benefits of training your frontline leaders as well.
• Does recruiting managers take up too much time and budget? Don’t miss out on opportunities to foster leadership potential that already exists within your organisation.

This article was originally contributed by Leanne Hoagland-Smith 

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