Start Your New Manager Training With This Program Playbook

Struggling to train your new managers? You're not alone. This free New Manager Program Playbook offers a structured 8-week program packed with practical tips, actionable steps, and peer discussions to help first-time managers develop essential skills and build strong relationships with their teams.

Learn how to conduct effective 1:1 meetings, delegate tasks effectively, provide constructive feedback, and more.  This Playbook empowers HR teams to create a supportive learning environment and equip their new managers for success, ultimately unlocking the full potential of any manager responsible for leading a team.

Who This Program Playbook Is For

We know how hard it can be for HR and Team leaders to find new manager training resources. There are a lot of options out there, but they’re often not the right fit or too expensive (or both).

We want to change that.

We spoke to hundreds of managers, learning and development professionals, and People/HR teams about the most pressing challenges facing new managers and how they can learn to overcome them to become great managers.

This New Manager Program Playbook and the accompanying New Manager Program Playbook Kit (for facilitators) are the result.

Together, these resources provide HR directors with everything they need to run a great training program for first-time managers and help them develop management skills, core competencies, and fundamentals in their new role. We’ll take you from being unsure about how to get started to having confidence that you’re providing your managers with motivating, engaging, relevant, and effective support.

Let’s get started.

New Manager Training Via the Program Playbook: How It Works

Our Playbook splits your new manager training program into eight “Sprints” of 1-2 weeks, each focussed on building a key skill set for first-time managers. Every Sprint includes three aspects:

• Learning: Practical tips on topics first-time managers should know, e.g. “Getting 1:1s right.”
• Action: Tasks they should do to put learnings into practice, e.g. “Organize first 1:1 meetings.”
• Discussion: Group peer discussions to reflect on the Learning and Actions.

This range of activities keeps the new manager training program engaging and relevant to each manager’s role at your company and flexible enough to fit into their busy schedules. The time commitment for each manager for each Sprint shouldn’t exceed two hours, so the course will total 16 hours across eight to sixteen weeks.

For more details on how the course works, see the Notes at the end and the full New Manager Program Playbook Kit.

Further Resources

This Playbook is free for anyone to use. If you would like assistance running the Playbook or any advice on your manager training program, just contact us to schedule a chat.

Sprints 1 - 4

The first four sprints help managers listen to and learn from each of their team members. This builds the understanding and empathy which will be the foundation of their working relationships. Each manager will learn about what it means to succeed in the role.

They’ll also have a series of meetings so they move into the next phase of the course with a clear idea of their boss’s priorities and their team’s career aspirations. They can then think about how they’re going to align the two and run an effective team.

Sprints 1 - 4 Checklist

By the end of Sprint 4, each manager should have:

• Embraced what being a good manager involves
• Recognized their boss’s priorities
• Completed one-on-ones with everyone on their team
• Completed career discussions with everyone on their team
• Defined a measurable system for tracking their team’s development and essential skills
• Defined new ideas to optimise their team’s performance, i.e. performance management
• Identified a buddy for discussing any management challenges or issues

Sprint 1

Learning

• What It Means to Be a Manager
• Alignment & Managing Up

Actions

• Meet with boss to discuss team priorities and schedule future 1:1s with them
• Establish how boss would like team updates

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Alignment and Managing Up

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Sprint 2

Learning

• Getting 1:1s right

Actions

• Hold first team 1:1s
• Schedule career conversations

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Getting 1:1s Right

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Sprint 3

Learning

• Career and Leadership Development

Actions

• Hold first in-depth career conversations and schedule future ones monthly/quarterly
• Write up development plans
• Review promotion processes

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Career Development
• Consider approaching a management BUDDY and arranging the first conversation

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Sprint 4

Learning

• Achieving Results

Actions

• Reflect on how you set expectations for success
• Review high and low performers

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Achieving Results

• Consider approaching a management MENTOR and arranging the first conversation

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Sprints 5 - 8

By now, each manager should feel more confident about the direction of their team, and each individual’s aspirations. These next four weeks are about building on skills from last month (like 1:1s) while looking for opportunities to improve team performance through constructive feedback, communication, and effective delegation.

Managers will also reflect on their own performance and wellbeing, including gathering some feedback from their team, giving them a learning experience well-positioned to continue evolving in their management and future leadership roles.

Sprints 5 - 8 Checklist

By the end of Sprint 8, each manager should have:

• Implemented the recommended, positive 1:1 habits with their team
• Established a mentorship relationship  (if a suitable one is available)
• Reviewed and improved how they give feedback to direct reports
• Exhibited more effective communication styles in meetings and async conversations
• Delegated some meaningful tasks to others to build teamwork
• Reflected on maintaining their managerial wellbeing
• Gathered feedback from their team on their work and management style

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Sprint 5

Learning

• Feedback

Actions

• Review opportunities for constructive feedback

• Review opportunities for positive feedback

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Feedback

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Sprint 6

Learning

• Communication

Actions

• Optimise your team updates
• Optimise updating your boss

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Communication Skills

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Sprint 7

Learning

• Delegation

Actions

• Look for an opportunity to delegate

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Delegation
• Second BUDDY conversation

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Sprint 8

Learning

• Managing Yourself

Actions

• Start work on personal development plan

• Gather feedback from team on performance so far

Discussion

• PEER LEARNING GROUP: Managing Yourself
• Second MENTOR conversation

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The New Manager Training Program Playbook Summary

These notes provide additional context for using this Playbook. They go into more detail on how Learning, Actions, and Discussion work together and what topics should be covered in each Sprint’s Learning materials. For any further questions, just get in touch.

Notes on Discussion

The discussion element of new manager development is essential. Learning resources and action plans are useful, but the situations faced by new managers are unpredictable and particular to their teams.

Having people to discuss those challenges with (and celebrate success) is vital. It also opens up the conversation about people management and shows that it’s OK to ask for help and discuss the difficult parts. Many mistakes new managers and new leaders make are avoidable, but happen because they feel embarrassed to ask for help in company cultures and work environments where management is something you’re just meant to “figure out.”

This course anticipates Discussion mainly taking place in Peer Learning Groups, but you may also want to find roles for mentors and buddies.

Peer Learning Groups

Each Sprint includes a Peer Learning Group which brings together a cohort of managers to discuss their experience of that Sprint’s topic with a focus on any challenges they have had.
If you are new to Peer Learning Groups, you can leverage our guide just for facilitators to run them effectively - upgrade with the full New Manager Playbook Kit.

Mentors

While your managers will have a lot to learn from the challenges of their peers, they will also benefit from speaking to those with more experience as part of their new manager training. Manager mentors are those who have managed teams for a while and can use what they’ve learned to advise and provide hands-on professional development to those who are newer to the role. If possible, you may wish to match your first-time managers up with a mentor whom they can meet with monthly to discuss their experiences.

Buddies

Your managers may have challenges that they would like to discuss with a peer but do not feel comfortable doing so in a public forum. We’re using the term “Buddies” to refer to an arrangement where peer managers meet 1:1 to discuss their experience in the role. Some managers may find this arrangement beneficial in addition to sharing their thoughts in the peer learning groups.

Notes on Discussion

Each Sprint includes a learning topic. The new manager should be provided with relevant materials on this topic at the beginning of the Sprint, which will inform the Peer Learning Group discussion and the Actions they take.

This section describes the themes we think the learning materials should cover. The New Manager Training Playbook doesn’t prescribe specific materials, as your company may have existing ones you have found effective.

Our own learning resources are available here as part of the New Manager Program Playbook Kit. They’re designed to work with the Playbook, and are full of practical tips and actions for first-time managers across the eight sprints (plus an introductory piece on “What it Means to be a Manager”).

What It Means To Be a Manager

• The responsibility and opportunity of being a manager
• What success looks like
• The principal differences from being an individual contributor
• The main challenges of the role

Discussing Career Goals

• How and when to discuss career development
• Career discussions with uncertain team members
• Aligning career aspirations with company ambition
• Translating discussion into ongoing support and sponsorship

Alignment and Managing Up

• What “managing up” is and why it’s important
• Key techniques for managing up

Delegation

• The importance of delegation
• Key tactics for delegating well

1:1 Meetings

• The purpose and importance of 1:1s as part of new manager training
• Having a great first 1:1 as a new manager
• Key tactics for successful 1:1 meetings

Feedback

• Giving effective feedback
• How to approach tough feedback conversations
• Leveraging positive feedback

Communication

• The role of effective team communication
• Running good meetings
• Key async communication tactics

Achieving Results

• The conditions for high-performance teams
• How to manage underperforming team members
• How to support high performers

Managing Yourself

• The pressures of being a people manager
• Time management and avoiding burnout
• Prioritizing personal development and getting feedback.

Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Team

Now that your new managers are set up for success, it’s time to unlock the full potential of your entire leadership team!

Your journey to empowering your new managers with the soft skills, emotional intelligence, and confidence they need to excel has just begun. You've seen the framework, understood the sprints, and recognized the transformative potential of effective new manager training. Now, it's time to take the next step.

Why Now?

• Empower All Managers: Your organization's success hinges on the strength of your entire leadership team. Equip all of your managers with the tools to lead with confidence, empathy, and effectiveness.
• Foster a Culture of Growth: Cultivating a learning environment not only boosts performance but also enhances employee satisfaction and retention.

Your Next Step

• Explore comprehensive training programs with Unicorn Labs, and discover our range of leadership training programs designed for teams of all sizes.
• Book a personalized consultation. Let's schedule a call to discuss how we can tailor our training to meet your organization's unique needs.

Let us be your guide as you unlock your leadership team's full potential. Your managers are not just leading teams; they are shaping the future of your organization.

Warm regards,

The Team at Unicorn Labs

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