Managers have a huge impact on the experience people have at work. They influence engagement, performance and retention, which is why manager development matters so much.

Yet when someone is promoted into management, one of two things often happens. They receive very little development and are expected to learn on the job, or they attend a one-off course and are expected to return with everything they need to become a great manager.

The biggest mistake is treating manager development as an event. Becoming a capable manager requires a different set of skills from the role someone was doing before, and those skills take time and practice to build.

Management is a different role

People are usually promoted because they are knowledgeable, reliable and consistently deliver results. Once they become a manager, success is no longer only about doing the work themselves. It is about helping other people do their best work.

They need to delegate, coach, give feedback, manage performance, motivate people and lead through change. For many new managers, these are skills they have never had to use before.

A course is the start, not the whole solution

Training gives managers space to learn, think and try new approaches. The difficulty comes when the course is where development ends.

Managers need time between learning sessions to apply ideas, reflect on what happened and return with real experiences to discuss. Workplace practice, peer conversations and feedback help turn useful ideas into habits.

That is why effective manager development is better understood as an ongoing process rather than a one-off event.

Questions worth asking

If you are reviewing manager development in your organisation, look beyond the course itself:

• What support do managers receive after formal learning?
• How are managers encouraged to practise and reflect?
• How do first-time managers build confidence in the fundamentals?
• What opportunities do experienced managers have to keep growing?

Different stages need different development

A first-time manager is often learning the foundations of managing people. An experienced manager may need to strengthen coaching, lead through change, influence across the organisation or develop future leaders.

A clear development pathway recognises those differences. Our programmes for new managers and experienced managers are designed around the distinct challenges at each stage.

Take a longer-term view

Leadership is a craft. Like any craft, it develops through learning, practice, reflection and experience over time.

When organisations create repeated opportunities to learn and apply, managers become more confident and capable. That is good for the manager, their team and the organisation as a whole.

Build manager development that lasts

Explore how we help organisations develop confident, capable managers at every stage, or talk to us about the manager development gap in your organisation.