Developing skillsets for new managers

As a fast-growing organisation, management skills training was needed to support the team’s development. VTT designed and delivered a comprehensive training programme covering everything new managers in the organisation needed to know.

Our client, a fire risk consultancy, with over 100 employees, had grown quickly. This meant that many of their employees were taking on more responsibility and moving into more senior roles, including management positions. Our client pride themselves on having people “at the heart of what they do”, and this meant investing in learning and development opportunities for their people. Eager to upskill their new managers to work in
the best way possible, they needed a training programme which would set them up for success. Having previously worked with the virtual training team whilst working at another company, the HR Director, had seen first-hand the high quality, interactive training we delivered, and instantly recommended us as the experts in the area.

The Metrics

• 100% of participants said they would apply the skills they learnt in their job role.
• 91% of participants rating the workshop as very good/excellent.
• Recommendation score of 9/10.

Challenges

Growing quickly, and having employees grow into new managerial roles rather than having to recruit externally was great. They knew the organization well and many of them had come from quite technical positions, so they had a very practical skillset that befitted this role. However, being able to transfer these skills to a more people-focused role was essential for them to succeed as managers. OFR wanted to ensure that their managers would not only be confident in their role, but able to really thrive. This meant they needed a head start; they couldn’t just learn on the job. They needed to consciously acquire and practice a whole new set of skills including how to work with their teams effectively, communicate skilfully, and develop competent people skills.

Solution

After working with our client to gain a thorough understanding of the challenges their managers would face, we put together a management development programme which would provide the tools every new manager would need to succeed in their role. The resulting programme consisted of a series of virtual workshops:

• Mate to manager
• Unconscious bias
• Giving feedback
• Difficult conversations
• Maintaining momentum
• Delegation

We wanted the new managers to graduate from the program feeling as though they were thoroughly upskilled, confident, and able to lead great teams. Each workshop was supported by “wrap around” leaning activities – TED talks, podcasts, and self-reflection activities supported by the latest research and science. We didn’t want learning to be restricted to the virtual classroom. The wrap around materials expanded each session, allowing participants to build on the skills and knowledge taught. Having the guidance to explore the topics in their own time meant they could really take a
“deep dive” into the subjects, enhancing the learning transfer. The programme was delivered over a 6-month period, concluding with a graduation celebration. Here the participants could celebrate completing the programme, acknowledge their achievements, and most importantly, plan their next steps.

Result

• The programme’s success has led to our subsequent development programmes for senior managers and
• graduates.
• The new manager training programme is ongoing, continuing to train new managers in the organization to the highest standards.
• With practical sessions, research-led high interactive and engaging workshops, participants came away feeling they were completely ready to enter their new role.