Most managers are promoted for being good at their old job, not trained to manage people. Our Manager Development course helps with that: practical skills to flex your style, give feedback that lands, coach rather than instruct, and lead change without losing your team.

What is our Manager Development training?

Our Manager Development course is a practical, skills-based programme that prepares people to manage others well, whether stepping into their first management role or managing for years without formal training.

Rather than theory for its own sake, it focuses on the day-to-day moments that make or break a manager’s relationship with their team: motivating people who work differently, giving feedback that’s honest without damaging trust, coaching instead of just telling, and holding a team together through change.

Suitable for managers at any level, from first-timers finding their feet to experienced leaders sharpening how they lead.

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What the course covers

Not every team member needs managing in the same way. This module introduces the situational leadership model, recognising that people need different levels of direction and support depending on their confidence and competence with a given task, and adjusting accordingly rather than applying a single management style to everyone.

Building directly on situational leadership, this module gives managers the practical skill of flexing, moving between being more directive and more hands-off as the person and situation demand, so every team member gets what they actually need to succeed, not just what’s easiest for the manager to give.

How to give feedback, positive and constructive, in a way that’s specific, timely and genuinely helps someone improve, without it becoming awkward, avoided, or so softened it loses its meaning. Managers leave able to have feedback conversations they’d previously have put off.

Change is a constant part of management, and poorly managed change is one of the fastest ways to lose a team’s trust. This module covers how to communicate change honestly, bring people with you rather than imposing it on them, and support a team through the uncertainty that change creates.

The shift from telling people what to do to helping them work it out for themselves. Managers learn practical coaching techniques, the right questions to ask, when to step in and when to hold back, that build a more capable, self-sufficient team over time.

Understanding how a team really works: the informal roles people fall into, where friction tends to come from, and how a manager can shape a healthier, more collaborative team environment rather than just managing individuals in isolation.

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Who is this for?

For individuals

Builds genuine confidence in the parts of management that don’t come naturally, feedback, difficult conversations, and leading through uncertainty
Gives new managers a practical toolkit from day one, rather than having to learn people management by trial and error
Develops coaching skills that make a manager’s own job easier over time, by building a more capable, self-sufficient team

For teams

Team members get a management style suited to them, not a one-size-fits-all approach
Clearer, more honest feedback builds trust rather than eroding it
Teams navigate organisational change with far less disruption and anxiety

For the business

Research consistently shows managers have an outsized influence on team engagement, often cited as accounting for the majority of the variance between highly engaged and disengaged teams
Stronger management reduces avoidable turnover, since people frequently leave managers rather than organisations
Builds a more consistent, capable layer of management as the business grows

The workshop

Manager Development is delivered as a live, facilitator-led workshop, never pre-recorded content. It’s built around real management scenarios and practical application, not theory delivered from the front of the room.

Format and delivery

Face-to-face or virtual delivery, depending on what suits your team
Delivered to individuals or as an in-house group session for a whole management team
Practical and scenario-based, managers work through real situations, not hypothetical case studies
Led live by an experienced facilitator, with space for open discussion and honest questions

Customer reviews

Workshop of real situations really brought it to life. Presentation as a whole really engaging. Best training of the programme so far.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
Good feedback and coaching techniques. Trainers brought to life the content and were engaging throughout.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
The role play exercises were really useful with good hints and tips from the facilitators that I took away and put into practice in half year reviews.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
Seriously impressed with the team that delivered the training. I wish more courses could be that enjoyable.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER
Roger and his co-hosts were excellent. Kept the day friendly, collaborative, and encouraged some great discussion. Thank you.
VERIFIED CUSTOMER

Ready to help your managers lead with confidence?

Whether you’re supporting first-time managers or sharpening an experienced team, Manager Development gives your people the practical skills great management actually requires. Get in touch to talk through the right format for your team.

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Our expert team

Perform is delivered by a dynamic group of talented professionals, all focused on achieving exceptional results. Our offer is supported by a broad pool of experienced associates, bringing diverse expertise and real-world insight.