The Fast-track To Successful Management Programme

Essential Skills For Effective Management And Personal Success

It's a strange thing, management. When you think about it, most people who become managers never intend to. They become managers because they're good at something else. They're really good accountants, engineers, lawyers, teachers, pharmacists, salespeople... then one day they find themselves in a position where they're responsible for other people and, hey presto,  they've become managers. Now what?

Unfortunately, being good at something else doesn't mean you're going to be a good manager. That involves quite different skills. And it can take you many years of trial and error to develop those skills, during which time you'll be less effective than you should be. You'll probably also feel a lot of stress and anxiety as you wonder exactly what you're supposed to do to handle all those difficult situations you're meant to deal with now. 

The 3 day Fast-track programme helps people learn the essential skills of management quickly and easily, saving time, stress and heartache. It also saves your organisation money because it means your managers will be more effective and more productive much more quickly.

It's highly interactive, engaging and fun - but it's also packed with tips on how to be a successful manager. It's not full of abstract theories or the latest management jargon, it's about the practial skills you need to survive and succeed in the real world.

Some of the problems the course will deal with

 

" I've just become a manager and I'm not sure how I'm meant to behave now. Am I supposed to change the way I speak to people now that they work for me? "

One of the most difficult things for a new manager to work out is how to walk that tightrope between being friendly and approachable and still being seen as " the Boss ". Like it or not, as a manager, you're not just " one of the gang " and you do need to think more about what you do in certain situations. The course will discuss how you can " behave like a manager ", how you should act to gain the respect of the people who work for you without becoming a tyrant or trying to be everybody's friend. 

" I've got some people who aren't performing as well as they should be. I know I should do something about it but I'm not sure how to raise the issue without them reacting badly. How can I handle it? "

As a manager, you're responsible for geting the people who work for you performing at the highest level they can. You also have a role to play in helping them to develop. So you need to be able to give feedback ( and not just when people are underperforming ). There are ways to do it which can reduce the risk of causing tears or tantrums and the course will take you through some very practical steps so you can give feedback effectively, including a simple model which you can use every time.

" Now I'm a manager, I seem to be working all hours but I'm still not getting done all the things I really need to do. There are so many interruptions and people wanting my time."

Many managers struggle with organising their time because they're trying to get used to doing their own work at the same time as managing other people. One of the key things to learn is that now you're responsible for getting things done, not for doing everything yourself. You need to learn how to delegate properly. And you need to make sure you organise yourself, which means focusing on your key tasks and prioritising them. The course will show you some really good techniques to use to make the best use of your time so you can still go home at nights.

" There are some people I just find it hard to deal with. Some I get on well with but others just seem to be on a different wavelength. I can't seem to communicate with them. What can I do? "

Probably the number one skill of successful managers is understanding the people who work for them and knowing how to handle them. Some need an arm round the shoulder, others need a kick up the backside. Different people have different ways of thinking and communicating. The course will reveal some of these differences and show you how to deal with the people you find difficult.

The course content

 

One of the things which makes this programme different from others is that it includes a section on what you might call the " inner game " of management.

In other words, it looks at the attitudes, beliefs and characteristics of successful people and helps managers to develop a positive and confident outlook when dealing with the challenges they face. After all, without this, it's unlikely that people will implement successfully all the techniques they learn.

What do managers do?

 

What is management about? How are managers meant to behave on a daily basis? You'll learn:

• some useful ways of looking at management to understand the different elements you need to master to be successful
• different management styles you might adopt and how to choose which is most appropriate in any situation
• how to " behave like a manager ", i.e. how to treat people and how to act so that you gain respect without being either over - friendly or aloof

Personal effectiveness

 

You will face many challenges as a manager. Your success in dealing with them will depend largely on your own outlook and attitude. You'll learn:

• how to " think like a winner ", the characteristics of successful people
• how to develop a positive and confident outlook
• how to recognise, and deal with, limiting beliefs and doubts
• how to deal with change successfully
• how to manage and reduce stress

Personal impact and communication skills

 

As a manager, you will deal with people with very different ways of thinking and communicating. You need to know how to adapt your style to suit the person and the situation. You also need to know how to project the right image when you meet people. You'll learn:

•  the 3 key elements of personal impact and how to use them to create the right impression
• what you need to do to appear confident, competent and professional
• why communication sometimes breaks down and how to avoid it happening
• how to recognise, and deal with, people with different communication styles

How to organise yourself and your time

 

If you don't organise yourself and your time carefully, you'll find yourself snowed under with work, trying to do your own job as well as managing other people. You'll learn:

• how to prioritise your key tasks so you can stay focused and achieve more
• how to plan your work effectively - why most To Do lists are useless and how to use yours to actually get more done
• the difference between being efficient and being effective - the most productive people know this
• how to deal with the most common timewasters such as distractions and interruptions
• how to stop putting off the jobs you don't want to face and get them done

How to delegate work successfully

 

The ability to delegate well is crucial for two reasons - to manage your own time and to develop the people who work for you. Most managers are very poor at this, they either don't do it enough or they do it badly. You'll learn:

• the reasons why delegation is essential to being effective
• the excuses most managers use for not delegating enough
• the steps to take to make sure that you delegate well - so that work is done properly, people develop thier skills and you're not spending all your time dealing with questions or correcting mistakes

How to develop the people who work for you

 

Part of your role is to develop your staff so they work more effectively and improve their skills. There are many ways to do this. You'll learn:

• the different development stages people go through and how to adapt your approach to suit these
• how to recognise what's causing someone to underperform and how to respond appropriately
• how to set clear performance objectives for people which can be used to measure their effectiveness
• how to give constructive feedback whcih motivates people and avoids conflict and misunderstanding
• how to use a simple coaching model to help people improve their performance

How to motivate the people who work for you

 

Part of getting the best out of people is knowing how to motivate them to work well. But not everyone will be motivated by the same things you are. So you need to know your staff well. You'll learn:

• why it is critical to be able to motivate people
• how to recognise the signs of poor motivation or morale
• the factors which affect people's motivation, especially at work
• how to build motivating factors into the workplace and into the way you deal with people

A 3 stage programme

 

The problem with most training course is making sure that what's learned is transferred back to the workplace.

That's why this programme involves more than just the 3 day course, there are actually 3 stages involved.

Before the course:

• discussions to understand the organisation and the individuals involved and to make sure the course deals with the real situations they have to face
• pre-course questionnaires to find out more about the background of the participants and what they themselves want to get from the workshop
• other pre-course materials to help participants to think about the issues to be covered and to focus on what they want to learn

During the course:

• delivery of an interactive, engaging and practical 3 day course
• high quality supporting materials in a comb-bound workbook
• " brain friendly " toys, sweets and activities to help people focus, learn and remember

After the workshop:

• the offer of email and telephone follow up so that participants can ask any questions which arise about the issues discussed
• further materials sent out to reinforce the learning and help people remember and implement what they learned, reminding them of the key points and helping them plan how to put the ideas into practice 

Course numbers and cost

 

Group size

The programme works best with a maximum group size of 16 to make sure that everyone has a chance to contribute and to get involved with the activities.

Course structure

The course lasts for 3 days. It can be broken down into separate days, e.g. 1 day a week, if this is more convenient than running it on 3 consecutive days. However, it is important not to lose the momentum by spreading out the course over too long a period.

Venue

The course is available to be run in - house at your own premises or at any other venue to be provided by your organisation.

Cost

The cost for the whole package is £2,950 plus travel and accommodation costs as necessary. This includes all pre - course discussions and follow - up materials.

With a group of 16 participants, this would work out at just £185 each.

Download a pdf version of the course details