New Managers Certificate

Constant change is the new normal; change initiatives fail at an alarming rate because organizations "fail to put people first" and focus on the "the things that matter most". Managers and change agents need powerful strategies and meaningful actions to successfully execute organizational transformation. This course focuses on guiding, equipping and supporting individuals and teams as they transition from their current states to their future states. Participants will be better equipped to manage the predictable dynamics of change and able to direct their energies on building top performing work groups during challenging times.

Strategic thinking goes well beyond thinking about the present – it is imagining what the future could be. Strategic thinking is the ability to think on a big and small scale, long and short term, and into the past and the present. When you understand more about thinking styles and understand how the players think on your team, then you can see the big picture more clearly. Applying strategic thinking comes down to building human connections and really listening and hearing what others have to say. Continually being aware of the changes in the external environment and how they can potentially affect the direction of your business is a skill. When you can think of all areas within and outside of your organization and the impact your decisions will make – that is strategy.

As a new or aspiring manager, resolving conflict in your work team can be one of the most daunting tasks. How do you recognize when conflict is happening, how do you prevent it and what is the manager's role?

This course provides tools and strategies for managing workplace conflict. Through lectures and exercises, participants will:

• Explore self-awareness
• Examine various conflict resolution styles
• Examine the basis of interest-based conflict resolution
• Work on active listening skills and on sharing perspectives 
• Learn to frame conflict around needs and interests
• Learn to use collaborative strategies 

As a leader in the workplace, effective communication practices and tools can be the vehicle through which you and your employees can clarify expectations and coordinate work. Your team can work interdependently through communications and communications will be important for their learning and decision making.

This course aims to enhance cultural awareness and cultural competence through scientific and experiential methods by covering valuable information, individual and group exercises, and providing some tools and techniques.

Its purpose is to enhance your skills, knowledge, and awareness of yourself in your interactions with others and to assist you to recognize what you can do to become more effective in working and living in a culturally diverse environment. It’s important for our businesses and communities to thrive and be aware and sensitive to all the members of our community. 

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that culture impacts productivity, explaining “employees from different backgrounds are motivated by different incentives and react differently to various management and communication styles.”

To cultivate the potential of new managers, focus needs to be placed on developing both managerial and leadership skills. Moving from an employee to a manager is not just a promotion; it requires a whole new set of skills, perspectives and accountabilities. This workshop will help participants transition from individual contributor to manager.

In this session explore and take away tools and strategies to: 

• Establish your presence, build trust and respect
• Create a performance culture
• Appreciate different leadership styles
• Motivate your team
• Effectively coach and supervise employees 

Learn how dynamic productive teams can bring together knowledge, skills, experience and perspectives of a wide range of people to solve multifaceted problems, make good decisions and deliver effective solutions. 

The following themes will be explored:

• Definition of team and teamwork
• Team roles and responsibilities
• Behaviours and strategies for establishing and maintaining teamwork
• The role of the leader or manager
• Team dynamics and stages and development
• Goal setting and accountability
• Using tools to solve problems
• Learning to work together
• Team management tools and techniques
• Managing virtual teams 

Leaders who understand how to create high performance work environments grounded in clear communication, giving and receiving "smart" feedback and building team trust are successfully able to navigate, develop and guide employees and teams to organizational success. Process focused performance management strategies fail, people centric performance management strategies succeed. This course focuses on educating participants on the philosophy of performance management and what motivates employees to perform.
 
Learning objectives:

• Understand key concepts associated with performance management
• Develop strategies that work corresponding to each step of the performance management cycle
• Practice giving and receiving "smart" feedback
• Practice managing difficult performance scenarios and conversations