Management & Leadership for First-Time Managers

Program hours: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Day 1

Leadership Fundamentals and Issues All New Managers Face

• Crucial differences between being the leader and "being the boss"
• The challenges facing leadership today
• How to acquire a supervisor's mind-set and image
• The emotional requirements of being a supervisor: Have you got what it takes?
• Can you be friendly with your staff and still maintain respect and compliance?
• Tips for avoiding the problems that come from supervising friends and former coworkers
• Most common mistakes new supervisors make and how to avoid them

Developing Your Personal Leadership Strengths

• How to build on the leadership strengths you've identified and shore up your weaknesses
• Why your "people skills" will be the No. 1 driver of your success as a leader
• Understanding how your leadership style can work for or against your employees
• Adopting the "success habits" that effective leaders swear by
• "How-to's" for establishing your credibility as a leader — fast!
• The 7 classic principles of influence ... and how and when to use them to your advantage
• What are the keys to results? Focusing your efforts on that which makes the greatest impact

Building a Highly Motivated, High-Performance Team

• Recognizing the crucial role you play in driving your team's effectiveness
• Keys to making every team member feel valued and important
• Building relationships that enhance cooperation among team members
• How to ignite enthusiasm and gain buy-in for accomplishing goals
• Understanding the basic things that motivate today's workers: You may be surprised
• Creative ideas for keeping your team motivated even if you don't have an extra dime in the budget
• Proven morale-boosters for employees nearing burnout

The Mechanics of the Manager's Job

• Proven tips for recruiting top-notch employees
• Do's and don'ts for effective interviewing
• How to help new employees hit the ground running and succeed on the job
• Techniques for addressing poor performance so that positive change results
• Strategies for curbing absenteeism, tardiness and rule-breaking
• When firing seems imminent: Key legal considerations you must understand

Communication Techniques Every Manager Should Know

• Why developing your communication skills is essential to management success
• Your role in keeping lines of communication open at all times
• Words and phrases that can destroy your credibility and authority — and what to say instead
• The secret to giving crystal clear directions that are understood the first time
• Active listening techniques that ensure you'll hear what's really being said
• Pointers for speaking more powerfully and confidently in meetings

How to Turn Around Difficult Employees and Eliminate Problem Behaviors

• Tips for turning chronic complainers into satisfied employees
• Tools for combating a variety of attitude problems
• The best approach for dealing with argumentative and combative people
• What's your role in settling disagreements between employees?
• "How-to's" for a professional, productive employee confrontation
• Proven techniques for appearing calm and in control when you're feeling anything but

Managing Your Time, Priorities and Projects

• Tips for saving tons of time using e-mail, voice mail and fax
• Prioritizing techniques that save the day when everything on your desk is "urgent"
• Increase your "Planagement Quotient" and watch difficult tasks disappear
• Why failing to delegate is a big, big mistake for managers
• A super time- and effort-saver: Learn how to say "no" in a professional manner
• Guidelines for tracking projects so nothing falls through the cracks

The Leader's Role in Making Change Happen

• Understanding why people often instinctively resist change
• Top reasons why organizational change often fails
• Important considerations to address before introducing any change
• The keys to overcoming employee resistance to change
• How to project confidence that inspires your people during change or transition
• What you must do as a leader when your people flatly refuse to embrace critical changes

Career Mapping: Preparing Yourself for the Next Level

• Fine-tuning your skills: Why continuous learning is crucial to your ongoing success
• What's most important to you? Incorporating core beliefs into your career path
• Traits upper management looks for when deciding who to promote
• Tips for "tooting your own horn" so your accomplishments are recognized
• Understanding how to "play the game" when you need to