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February 2025
Ella Jaczynska
When it comes to management development and leadership skills, for many years, there has been a focus on Leadership Development. While the emphasis was, for a time, squarely on how to develop the leaders of tomorrow, it had the effect of somewhat sidelining the ongoing development and training of managers already in post.
What we are now noticing is that more and more clients are recognising that their managers, (especially the recently promoted ones), need management skills development, or have management skills that would benefit from refreshing or refining.
Common Management Development Themes
When asked to design and facilitate management development programmes, we start by delving deeper into what the gaps really are for our clients and the changes they want to see; we often identify two common themes that emerge.
1) A need to educate and embed Good Management Practices.
2) A requirement to help a team develop into a Healthy High Performing Team.
Alongside ongoing management development, businesses are also turning to us to find ways to develop their teams as a single entity. How can we enable a team to collectively find its power and purpose? And for its members to connect positively, communicate effectively and collaborate successfully?
It’s essential to recognise that, although these themes overlap, they are distinct and should be approached in different ways. We are pleased that more and more focus is being placed on this aspect of team development – the dynamics and the behavioural interplay. This aspect requires very different development support. We often suggest a Team Coaching-focused programme in these instances, as this can really get to the areas the team specifically needs to focus on together. Importantly, it is team-led and leaves the team able to self-assess and course-correct in the future.
In this blog, we will focus on helping our managers with Good Management Development Practices.
We will share more on our Team Coaching programmes in an upcoming blog!
Good Management Practices
Two areas we see as the most common areas managers need support with are a) regular one-to-ones and b) managing challenging conversations.
a) Regular one-to-ones
Many managers don’t make the time to do 1:1s with their team members, but these focused sessions are absolutely crucial. They deepen trust and connection whilst also demonstrating an investment in people. The role of a manager is not just to manage delivery but to develop their team and enable them to be their best. These 1:1s are also beneficial for managers, as they improve their confidence in people and delivery, as well as their management capabilities.
In order to do that, it is critical to take the time to understand them and to co-create a focus on their personal development.
Here are some tips for establishing a flow for a good 1:1 conversation:
1 ) Remember 1:1s should deliver mutual benefit and create clarity. Your intention is to have open conversations to support:
- clarifying deliverables and ‘what good looks like’
- understanding if there’s anything required to support successful delivery
2) Start the conversation with a check-in.
3) Celebrate successes and progress if appropriate. Be clear that the conversation should be about both the ‘what’ and ‘how’.
- Ensure they understand what successful delivery looks like
- Clarify expectations around performance and behaviours
4) Agree actions and timing.
5) Ask for feedback on yourself.
b) Managing yourself in managing challenging conversations
Managing challenging conversations requires a balance of empathy and professionalism.
Before the conversation takes place, managers should take the time to prepare – cultivate a mindset of openness, calm and curiosity and ensure that any bias or emotion is recognised and set aside.
When it comes to the conversation itself, set a positive tone, listen deeply, address issues constructively, ask for their solution ideas, and offer support for their solutions. This approach can turn difficult conversations into opportunities for growth.
Today’s managers are often crying out for management development guidance in other areas too:
- How to delegate effectively
- How to enable team members’ resilience.
- How to listen deeply and not just tell.
- How to motivate and engage their team members.
- And many more
Ask yourself these questions…
Do we do enough as a business to support our managers and set them up for success?
Do we reward them for the time and effort put into developing their teams, not just for delivering and performance?
If the answer to either of these questions is “no” (or even “not sure”!), or if you’d like to explore how we can help your organisation, contact me directly at ella@masteringmindsets.co.uk. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter Mindset Matters to receive regular updates and insights.