Train the Trainer- Manager Training for New Managers in 2024

An insight into the modalities of training your manager, its importance, & an overview of the relevant skillset for new managers.

February 21, 2024
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Managers are at the center of crucial business decisions. Their position necessitates upholding the company's ethics and steering teams through challenges and drawbacks. As a result, managers largely determine employee satisfaction and, by extension, the organization's retention rate.

With this responsibility, no one goes into a managerial position without trepidation. So, by improving the manager's skills and fostering a positive learning environment, you'll also be building the company in the long run.

Although training doesn't guarantee success, it reduces the time needed for the manager to gain competence. And this can reduce the cost of a turnover if the new hire does not work out. So, providing managers with practical management training ensures that each team performs optimally.

In this article, we'll discuss the essentials of manager training, the necessary skills every new manager should have, and the importance of management training. Let's get right into it.

What Kind Of Training Do Managers Need?

A manager in training requires training programs that ensure competence in today's business world.

The business world has a new outlook where employee satisfaction and productivity have become top priorities. Managers are crucial in maintaining team morale and commitment to minimize turnover.

Hence, management training programs should focus on capacity development, soft skills acquisition, innovation, and performance evaluation.

Here are seven important topics to cover to ensure effective new manager training programs:

  1. Leadership
  2. Compliance
  3. Conflict Resolution
  4. Project Management
  5. Performance Management
  6. Client Relationship Management
  7. Onboarding

  1. Leadership

Effective leadership is the core tenet of any management training. New managers need exposure to the rudiments of effective leadership to manage the team and align them toward the company’s goal. 

Leadership training programs for managers build and improve their ability to develop strategic plans to impact the overall growth and success of the organization positively. It promotes innovation and enhances the creation of a supportive working environment, ensuring the loyalty of both employees and clients.

  1. Compliance

Just as every industry has its standards, every company has unique rules and regulations that employees must follow. 

Since employees look up to managers for instructions and guidance, managers are expected to be up-to-date with these codes of conduct to enable them to inform employees and avoid conflicts.

  1. Conflict Resolution

The hallmark of being a great manager is the art of conflict resolution, and it is often a learned skill. Without proper training, new managers may experience difficulties managing conflicts.

Conflict resolution training enhances the ability of managers to solve conflicts as they present, prevent further escalation, and rebuild employee-company relationships.

  1. Project Management

Essentially, projects function as vehicles that drive the fulfillment of a company's goals. And they serve as means of optimizing efficiency in the workplace.

Therefore, it’s a relevant skill for managers, as they can learn to coordinate all aspects of project execution.

Inculcating project management in new manager training helps to instill critical analytical skills, relevant technical skills, methodologies, and frameworks for dealing with complex projects in a fast-changing business world.

  1. Performance Management

Performance management is another crucial skill in a business world where morale boost and commitment maintenance amongst employees is challenging. The performance level is a function of the viability of strategies developed by managers in sustaining employees' commitment.

The level of performance exerted by employees determines the extent of success attained by the organization; performance directly equates to productivity.

Performance management training for your managers provides an avenue for managers to learn the art of goal setting, performance evaluation, and feedback communication. It also teaches the habit of rewarding top performers and motivating low-performance employees.

Assembly is the perfect tool for mediating this aspect of new manager training. It equips new managers with the ability to carry out regular performance evaluations. Try it today.

  1. Client Relationship Management

In addition to managing employees and supervising projects, managers should be able to communicate with clients and get favorable results for the company. Therefore, training will only have a positive impact. 

It’ll help the company avoid revenue loss issues, timely client-company conversations, and litigations due to improper handling of client-company relationships. 

  1. Onboarding

Comprehensive training for managers is only complete with conducting onboarding management training seminars. Onboarding training helps to boost retention rate and new hire productivity.

Every company has a system in place that guides the onboarding process. And managers in training should be informed of these guidelines. This will assist them in selecting only applicants that are best suited for the company.

What Kind Of Skills Should New Managers Be Trained For?

For optimal performance, managers need training on the relevant skills that optimize their roles. 

While specific skills may differ based on function and industry differences, some skills are generally essential. Here are six skills that every manager needs to have training in: 

  1. Communication Skills

Employees thrive in a culture where their opinions are acknowledged. And managers become good communicators by becoming active listeners. 

To effectively lead, managers must pass across their message in the most precise terms. This way, they can provide appropriate feedback.

Managers are expected to inspire and motivate employees through efficient communication. A good manager is a good communicator well versed in different communication styles.

  1. Task Delegation Skills

The effectiveness of task delegation determines the success of every manager. It's an essential skill, as it is necessary for the smooth running of business operations.

Effective task delegation borders on managers understanding the strengths and weaknesses of team members, knowing when task delegation is required, and being able to trust in the ability of employees to complete assigned tasks.

  1. Decision-making Skills

Employees look up to managers to solve problems. This leaves managers with the critical task of decision-making. The decisions made by managers have far-reaching consequences on the company's overall performance.

Good decision-making entails carefully evaluating the available information and assessing different solutions. And, since accurate data influences good decisions, managers in training should be encouraged to use numbers to back up their plans.

  1. Time Management Skills

Managers should be timekeepers. Management training programs should instill the virtues of time management.

Improving a manager’s time management skills increases efficiency and productivity within the team. It also reduces the incidence of burnout among employees. (It's typically inappropriate for managers to allow meetings to extend past the allotted duration.) As a result, tasks get completed faster, and employees aren't overwhelmed.

  1. Emotional Intelligence

The days when managers were stoic, bossy, and inaccessible are gone. 21st-century managers should be accessible, express and comprehend emotions, and provide employees with the necessary moral and emotional support.

Empathy helps to build trust and loyalty between managers and employees. It is the secret to remaining calm in the face of immense pressure.

Emotionally intelligent managers nudge underperforming employees towards improved performance by being empathic rather than venting frustration. They acknowledge existing limitations, relate better and deliver better results.

  1. Digital Competence

We now live in a digital revolution where technology drives the workplace. 

Managers who are competent in digital tools are more productive, work smarter and often faster, and require less supervision. With an increasing number of employees choosing to work remotely, they must be able also to manage employees virtually.

A good knowledge of data privacy and cyber security is an excellent nice-to-have, as it’ll safeguard against the mishandling of sensitive information.

Why Is Training Important For Managers?

Every manager, irrespective of their competence levels, will always benefit from management training and development.

Management training programs equip managers with the necessary problem-solving skills. They enable the creation of a workplace environment that breeds employee satisfaction and alignment with the company's objective.

The top three benefits of training managers include:

  1. Seamless change management
  2. Better role understanding
  3. Self-evaluation opportunity

Seamless Change Management Process

In every organization, change is a constant factor. It varies from new leadership, new business policies, acquisitions, or hirings.

Irrespective of its form, well-trained managers can steer the course successfully by implementing necessary actions to guide the transition process.

Opportunity For Self-evaluation

A management training program provides an avenue for managers to self-evaluate and review progress and techniques to improve their jobs.

A Better Understanding Of Their Role

Training programs help managers better understand their primary assignment: to oversee and guide employees' actions toward achieving the company's objectives. 

When managers don’t clearly understand their roles, the friction that may arise typically creates a non-conducive working environment for other employees. 

How Can Managers Improve?

According to a recent survey by Gallup, organizations with skilled managers experienced a significant boost in revenue generation and had higher employee engagement ratings.

Managers improve by doing the following: 

Conduct Regular Check-Ins

One of the duties of a manager is to carry out performance evaluations. And they require check-ins too. 

Regular check-ins provide a means for giving feedback and getting. With the feedback managers get, they can also provide input and draw action plans to advance progress.

Regular check-ins offer the benefits of improved productivity, deeper team ties, and trust. According to Harvard Business Review, employees working in companies with a culture of trust experience less burnout and are more productive.

The effectiveness of check-ins lies majorly in the scheduling quality. Assembly ensures you get it right. Book a Free Demo today.

Avoid Micromanagement

Employees should have the liberty to take the initiative and undertake tasks with less monitoring. The management would need to trust employees- including managers, to complete assigned duties and offer assistance only when necessary. That’s an excellent way to help them improve.

Organizations can avoid micromanagement by building confidence through proper task delegation and understanding of employees. Getting employees involved in the decision-making process and promoting discussions bordering on personal and professional differences are ways of building employee confidence.

Celebrate Milestones

This goes a long way in motivating employees and improving their commitment and efforts. The rule is not to wait for the big wins but begin by celebrating the little ones. Additionally, celebrate top-performing employees. 

People are naturally inclined to perform better when their efforts are acknowledged. Publicly expressing appreciation and providing incentives also motivates the employees.

Building Your Training Management System

Management training is an investment that pays off by maximizing the efficiency and output of their subordinates. 

Managers are the wheels on which organizations run, and management training is the fuel that keeps it running. Therefore, companies looking to achieve maximum success should prioritize management training and development.

Manager training programs should aim to build competency in developing skills that enable managers to lead and train employees successfully. And the best approach is to set up a training management system that allows training to be continuous, readily available on demand via management training courses.

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Assembly SOC 2 compliant?

Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.

What's the ROI for employee recognition?

There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.

Does Assembly offer longer-term contracts?

Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.

The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.

Does Assembly offer onboarding support?

We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.

Is there a free version of Assembly?

Yes. We offer a completely free plan for up to 50 team members. This plan is intended for teams or organizations that are looking to get started with an employee engagement tool. Keep in mind, this plan is limited in features.

All customers can open an Assembly account for free and get started without a credit card. Then you can change plans as necessary.

How much do rewards cost?

At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.

The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.

Does Assembly offer discounts?

We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

How do I cancel my plan if needed?

If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.

If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.

What customizations are available?

Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!

Who can give or receive recognition?

While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.

What integrations are available?

Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.  

Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.

What's your average adoption rate?

That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.

Must rewards be set up to use Assembly?

They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.

Are points required to use Assembly?

No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.

Could find the answer you are looking for?

Please schedule time with an expert and we will help you to get all your questions answered