Develop Your Management Style
Find A Style That Works For You
Develop Yourself
Balance a consensus-building style, with firm leadership by developing two key emotional intelligence skills.
Lead Inspirationally
Calm people down and insist on what you want without coming across as a tyrant.
Transform Your Style
Achieve greater success in leading people, without the need for a personality transplant.Refine your communication skills by learning to harness your emotional intelligence with one of the UK's most acclaimed management training courses.
Why Choose This Training?
More Than Just A Course Of Lectures
What gets in the way of developing and holding on to new communication skills are old habits of thinking and speaking. Even if the advice is very good the reason why it rarely sticks are the mental habits people inevitably revert to, especially under pressure.
Unlearning those old habits and internalising a more effective and lasting approach to communication needs more than a short course of lectures on how to do it.
What Makes This Training Stand Out?
What makes this training stand out is the exceptional support through one-to-one coaching sessions and continuous feedback. Changing behaviour is not an easy task as old habits are hard to break.
With a 40-year track record we can help you cultivate practical skills, and build your confidence to so you can successfully navigate real-world challenges, ensuring lasting behavioural improvements.
Testimonials
Join thousands of participants getting results
"What I love about this course is that I didn't just learn about the topic, this course is about ME. I'm confident I can reliably use my new skills, even when under pressure".
"A lesson for life! The power of effective communication is incredible when one masters the skills "listening with empathy" and "speaking assertively"
Clients We Have Worked With
Well-known companies who have used this course again and again, over many years
Course Summary
Training Objectives
This course is designed to help you develop your confidence to develop a management style that works for you. This training will make sure that you're more confident about your relationship building skills, helping you to develop your abilities to connect with others at work. You'll receive a generous amount of one-to-one coaching sessions to help you improve your interpersonal skills, and are able to win people's collaboration, resolve conflict without breaking a sweat, and encourage your team to work hard enough to earn your respect and trust.
Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
You will learn a set of powerful emotional intelligence communication techniques so that you can manage difficult conversations, handle challenging situations, build relationships and set firm boundaries.
Transferable Skills
The goal of this training is to equip you with the tools they need to build strong, lasting relationships in your professional life, although because these skills are so transferable many clients report vast improvements in their personal relationships as well.
Develop Skills
This is a skills development rather than just a theoretical programme, so the emphasis throughout will be on you taking turn after turn, practising your skills, while receiving feedback and coaching about your effect on others.
Repeated Practice and Feedback
In your coaching sessions you will be helped to practise dealing with the kinds of situation you find challenging, again and again, until you are confident you can do it successfully.
Video Analysis
We'll combine practical, hands-on experience with video replay and analysis and discussion of the principles involved to help you gain both skills and understanding. Special attention is paid to your individual training needs, so you can practise your skills in real-life situations that you have to handle at work.
Sustained Change
That's why as well as your place in a small group, this training includes a generous amount of private and confidential one-to-one coaching sessions online, spread over several months, ensuring an exceptional level of support. This will ensure the changes you make are sustained over a longer period of time and any obstacles are overcome. Choose between online training available worldwide, or in-person face-to-face courses in the UK.
Course Dates and Price
For a list of upcoming course dates (for online coaching and face-to-face training), the locations of the next 3-day public courses in the UK and pricing Click here.
Free Initial Session
This initial coaching session serves as an introduction to the "Skills with People" course, allowing you to understand the course's relevance and effectiveness for your specific needs before committing to it.
Why is this course on developing your management style so effective?
Crucial skills for getting the best out of others
For more than 40 years this management training course has proven to be one of the most highly acclaimed. Over the years we've had thousands of managers and professionals through our hands. Many have said it's one of the best management training courses they ever attended. We have helped our clients develop their skills so they can communicate more effectively, and succeed in both their personal and professional lives.
Over the years we've helped managers develop and hone a management style that enables them to become more successful at achieveing their goals. Part of what makes this training so effective is that the skilsl and syllabus have helped develop an effective leaders. Here's how we achieve similar results for you;-
- This course is designed to help you become a more effective leader and manager. You will develop and strengthen your communication skills, allowing you to build strong relationships, handle difficult conversations with confidence, be a fair and demanding boss, defuse tense situations, respectfully overcome objections, negotiate win-win solutions, chair productive meetings, provide motivating coaching, delegate effectively, and foster teamwork. With some skill and a lot of practrice you'll have them motivated to work hard in order to earn your approval.
- This course provides you with the opportunity to develop a personalised leadership style, by focusing on practical applications that are tailored to your individual needs. You will have ample opportunity to practice the skills you have learnt in real-life situations that are relevant to you, rather than a generic selection picked by someone else. You will receive valuable feedback from other participants and your instructor to ensure you are progressing.
- You will receive generous amounts of private and confidential one-to-one coaching to help you reach your goals. In fact you won't finish your sessions until you're completely satisfied you've got what you need.
What are the 5 management styles?
Management styles are the way in which a manager leads and directs their team. There are various management styles, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
- The autocratic style is a top-down approach where the manager makes decisions without consulting employees. This style encourages quick decision-making, but can lead to employees feeling undervalued and disengaged.
- The democratic style is a more collaborative approach where the manager listens to employees and takes their opinions into account. This style encourages employees to feel involved and valued, but can lead to decisions taking longer to make.
- The laissez-faire style is a hands-off approach where the manager allows employees to take decisions without intervening. This style can lead to high levels of creativity and innovation, but can also result in decisions being made without proper consideration.
- The transactional style is a results-driven approach where the manager sets goals and expects employees to achieve them. This style encourages employees to work hard and can lead to higher levels of productivity, but can also lead to employees feeling micro-managed.
- The transformational style is a high-engagement approach where the manager motivates employees and encourages them to think beyond their own job roles. This style can lead to increased employee engagement and loyalty, but can also lead to employees feeling overwhelmed and overworked.
What is the best management style?
There isn't one best management style. The most effective management style is one that is tailored to the specific needs of your team, and the tasks in front of you. You'll need to take into consideration the individual strengths and weaknesses of your team members, so you can creates an environment in which everyone can flourish. Variety and flexibility is the key.
You'll need the goal-oriented approach of the transactional management style. This style is characterised by setting clear goals, delegating responsibility, and providing encouragement and feedback to employees.
You'll also need to adopt a transformational style of management, because it encourages creativity and risk-taking, which can help foster growth. This approach also places emphasis on collaboration and communication between managers and their team, which is essential for the successful implementation of strategies and initiatives.
Sadly, many people automatically adopt an autocratic management style without realising it, and can then run into difficulties. You may think you're being helpful and clear, especially if you love helping people who come to you with problems. You might be shocked to discover as part of an appraisal that your team find you domineering, dictatorial, bossy, intimidating or unapproachable. If you've had feedback along these lines it could be career limiting. On this training course we can show you how to adopt a much more appropriate style of management, and help you practice your skills so that it begins to feel more natural to delegate more, and to concentrate on developing your team.
What difficulties do people run into when adopting a management style they are not comfortable with?
You may find it difficult to adopt a management style that does not feel comfortable to you. You may lack of confidence in your own abilities, feeling overwhelmed by the task, or even feeling a lack of control over a situation.
First, a lack of confidence in your abilities can cause you hesitate to adopt a management style you are not used to. You may worry that you will not be able to successfully carry out the duties of the position you are in, or that you are not equipped with the skills to do it effectively. This training course can help you with this. These are management skills. Everyone has the capability to grow and develop their skills. On this course you will learn and practice new skills that will build their confidence. The generous amount of one-to-one coaching you'll receive as part of this training will support you
You may feel overwhelmed by the task of managing, which could make you hesitant about adopting a management style you are not comfortable with. You might be paralysed with fear of the unknown, or a fear what might happen if you mess it up and fail. On this course you'll receive lots of support and guidance to help you feel more confident about your ability to handle your team. You'll learn how to communicate properly with them, and make sure you're training them to give you what you need, by simultaneously providing them with what they need from you.
You may be inhibited by feeling a lack of control over your team, making it difficult for people to let go and adopt a new management style. You may feel that your decisions or actions will be judged, or that you can't possibly leave it to anyone else, in case they don't make as good a job of it as you would. On this course you'll learn how to delegate with confidence. If you can learn to direct your team appropriately, then with skill and practice you can let them know what you need from them, and you'll be there to mentor, coach and provide all the guidance they need to be able to get on top of things. By fostering an environment of collaboration and open communication, you'll feel much more comfortable in taking on the role of manager who is comfortable delegating to an eager and motivated team.
On this course you'll learn how you can provide support, guidance, for those you manage. It will provide them with the opportunity to learn and grow, and you can then feel more confident in taking on a management style that might be unfamiliar to you. With the right training and strategies that you'll get as part of this course, you can be empowered to take on the challenges of the position, and to become a more effective leader.
Is this the right course for you to develop your management style?
Might your need to find a more effective management style be met by this training course called Skills with People?
Yes, if you agree with any of the following ...
When you've an important decision to make you like to discuss it with your team, but it can take ages while you wait for consensus in the team.
Though it's okay to consult the team, perhaps sometimes the right thing to do as team manager is to be decisive.
And perhaps that's what your team want you to do.
You don't find having your management style labelled is much practical help - it's too general, too abstract, and seems to imply that management style is a reflection of personality or character - something you may not be able to change.
If you're going to change your management style wnat you need is much more precise feedback about what specific effect you're having on others, what exactly you're saying or doing that has that effect, and, if it's not the effect you want, what specific changes in your behaviour would be likely to achieve the effect you want.
What you'll take away from this course on how to develop a management style that works for you
You'll be more aware of the things you're in the habit of saying and doing, and the effect this has on others. By being so aware, you'll be able to change your approach in order to be more successful with people.
You don't need to change your character in order to be a more successful manager. All you need to change is your behaviour. Small changes in the way you deal with people can make a huge difference to how they experience you, in other words, to your perceived management style.
How the skills you'll practise on this course will enable you to develop a more successful management style
An example
Here's an example of someone who needed to change his management style. His approach to people was getting him into difficulties because it was having an effect on them that he didn't want it to have. He'd been labelled as having an autocratic management style, but he found the label perplexing, upsetting and unhelpful.
He was reacting defensively to complaints
He was a distribution manager in a manufacturing company. Like many people in his position, as a distribution manager was under fire from all sides. It wasn't his fault – it went with the job. Anyone else in that job would have experienced similar pressure. He took the brunt of complaints from customers about late deliveries. Sales people blamed him when customers were unhappy. Production people blamed him when he told them they would have to alter their production schedules because of last minute changes demanded by customers.
Unfortunately some of these conversations became heated and there were a few complaints that he himself was difficult, defensive and annoying to deal with. That's why his management style was assessed and he was labelled as an autocrat. He was upset and confused by this because although he had to put up with a lot of abuse from all sorts of people he always did his best to respond to complaints in a calm, reasonable, practical and helpful manner.
A habit he needed to become aware of and change
His method of handling a complaint was to try to get straight down to the facts so that he could sort out the problem with a minimum of delay. He would urge the person complaining to calm down and stick to the facts. He tried to take no notice of the complainer's feelings because he believed they were a waste of time and would only make matters worse. Unfortunately the effect of this approach was often the opposite of the one he intended. His intention was to resolve the difficulty and give quick satisfaction by being practical, helpful and efficient, but his effect was often the opposite. His effect was to wind them up and make them feel even worse. He didn't understand what was happening.
His underlying mental habit - an assumption he'd held all his life
He grew up in a family that never talked about feelings. Their underlying belief was that feelings were uncomfortable, dangerous, better suppressed or ignored, and that expressing or talking about feelings only made them worse. This fear of allowing people to express feelings would be a challenging obstacle for him to overcome. It's not easy to turn and face something you've always run away from, particularly when you're not even aware that you're afraid of it.
How a new set of skills and a new approach helped him change the way he was perceived
First he needed to be helped to be aware of his fear of communicating about feelings. The underlying assumption that it's dangerous to allow people to express feelings needed to be challenged and replaced with the opposite idea - that the safest and fastest way to calm people down is to encourage them to let off steam.
His initial reaction to this idea was of amazement and disbelief. But in the safety and privacy of one-to-one coaching sessions he was encouraged to slow down and respond with empathy instead of trying to ignore people's feelings. Difficult though this was for him initially, he began to try it and the effect was dramatic. Instead of winding people up, his empathy seemed to calm them down, and to do it very quickly.
Admittedly, in the process of letting off team people were sometime initially aggressive, but the aggression soon blew over. By using empathy to calm people down he was able to have much calmer conversations with people and therefore be quicker to give them satisfaction by sorting out the problems they were complaining about. There were no more complaints at work that he was a difficult or autocratic kind of manager.
Sometime later he said that learning to show empathy and not be afraid to let people express feelings had helped him a great deal not only at work but as home as well. He said he wished he had learned it much earlier in life.
More information on this website relevant to developing your management style?
You might also find our pages on how to drive for results, coaching skills and how to give honest feedback relevant and helpful.