Introduction
Organizations invest heavily in developing frontline managers, but one critical layer often gets overlooked: the people responsible for managing managers. Middle and senior leaders play a pivotal role in ensuring that managers perform at their best, align their teams with strategic goals, and lead with consistency and confidence. Yet, supporting and developing managers presents unique challenges that require specialized skills, strategies, and mindsets.
Manager Management is a practical and transformative course designed for leaders who oversee teams of managers or supervisors. The course focuses on how to support, develop, coach, and hold managers accountable so they, in turn, can deliver high performance through their own teams. Participants will learn how to navigate the complexity of managing “managers of others,” align leadership across layers, and create an environment where managers thrive—and their teams flourish.
Because great organizations aren’t built just by managing employees—they’re built by managing managers well.
Latest Trends in Manager Management
The context of managing managers is evolving, shaped by remote work, generational shifts, and increasing demands for agility and inclusion. Staying current with these trends is essential to effectively support and lead management teams.
1. Leading in Hybrid and Remote Environments
As hybrid and distributed work become the norm, leaders must help managers maintain connection, accountability, and performance across physical and virtual spaces. This includes supporting managers in building trust, running effective virtual teams, and ensuring consistency across locations.
2. Focus on Coaching and Development
Modern leadership places less emphasis on control and more on coaching and empowering managers. Leaders are expected to act as mentors, helping managers grow their leadership skills and navigate complex team dynamics.
3. Building Inclusive Leadership Across Layers
Middle and senior leaders must ensure that inclusive practices, such as equitable delegation, recognition, and feedback, are consistently applied across all levels. Managing managers now means shaping a culture of inclusion that cascades down through the organization.
4. Agile Leadership and Change Readiness
Managing managers requires fostering agility and change-readiness, helping them navigate uncertainty, shift priorities, and lead their teams through transitions while staying aligned with organizational goals.
5. Data-Driven People Management
There is growing use of people analytics and performance data to monitor manager effectiveness, track engagement, and inform leadership decisions. Leaders must understand how to use data to coach and support managers without reducing leadership to numbers alone.
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for leaders responsible for overseeing other leaders and managers—whether in the corporate, non-profit, humanitarian, government, or public sectors.
Ideal participants include:
- Middle and senior managers
- Department heads and division directors
- Program and project directors
- Regional and country managers
- Chief officers (e.g., COO, CHRO, CTO)
- Donor or partner organization leaders overseeing multi-layered teams
- NGO leaders managing field or country managers
- Any leader transitioning to a role that requires managing managers
Whether you are an experienced senior leader or newly promoted to a role where you lead managers, Manager Management gives you the tools, frameworks, and strategies to build an aligned, empowered leadership bench.
Learning Objectives and Outcome for the Course Sponsor
This course helps organizations strengthen leadership capacity across layers, ensuring that managers are effectively supported, aligned, and empowered to deliver results.
Key Learning Objectives
- Understand the Unique Role of Managing Managers
- Define the responsibilities and mindset required to lead leaders
- Identify the differences between managing individuals and managing managers
- Recognize the ripple effects of leadership behavior across levels
- Develop and Coach Managers for Growth
- Assess managers’ strengths, development needs, and leadership styles
- Use coaching conversations to unlock potential and encourage self-awareness
- Provide growth-oriented feedback and development opportunities
- Align Managers Around Strategy and Culture
- Cascade vision, priorities, and organizational values through management layers
- Ensure consistent leadership behaviors and communication across teams
- Help managers balance short-term execution with long-term development
- Drive Accountability and Performance Through Managers
- Set clear expectations, KPIs, and accountability structures
- Monitor performance and outcomes across managers’ teams
- Address underperformance and enable managers to lead difficult conversations
- Strengthen Inclusive Leadership and Psychological Safety
- Promote inclusion, fairness, and psychological safety across management levels
- Support managers in creating equitable and high-trust team environments
- Model inclusive behaviors and decision-making at the leadership level
- Support Managers in Leading Change and Complexity
- Help managers lead through change, uncertainty, and competing demands
- Build adaptability and resilience across teams
- Equip managers with tools to communicate change effectively
- Use Data and Insights to Guide Leadership Decisions
- Apply people analytics, engagement metrics, and performance data to inform leadership practices
- Track and improve leadership effectiveness across management layers
- Balance quantitative insights with qualitative understanding
- Develop a Manager Management Action Plan
- Create a personalized plan to strengthen how you manage, support, and develop your managers
- Identify key leadership routines, communication rhythms, and follow-up mechanisms
- Build a roadmap for continuous improvement
Organizational Outcomes
Organizations that strengthen their capacity for managing managers will benefit from:
- Better leadership alignment, ensuring consistent direction and values across all teams
- Improved managerial effectiveness, with stronger coaching, delegation, and performance management
- Higher team engagement and retention, driven by empowered and supported managers
- Greater agility and adaptability, as managers are better equipped to lead through change
- Improved accountability and results, through clear performance expectations and follow-through
- Enhanced talent development and succession planning, by growing the next generation of leaders
Ultimately, investing in manager management strengthens the entire leadership pipeline, setting the foundation for sustained organizational success.
Course Methodology
This course uses a highly interactive, reflective approach that integrates leadership theory, practical tools, and peer learning. Participants will explore real-world challenges, share experiences, and develop strategies tailored to their own teams.
Core methodologies include:
- Expert-led presentations on leadership frameworks and practices
- Self-assessment exercises on leadership style, coaching behaviors, and delegation habits
- Role-plays and case simulations on coaching, performance management, and difficult conversations
- Peer coaching and feedback sessions
- Real-world case studies from corporate, development, and NGO sectors
- Group reflection on leadership challenges and best practices
- Development of a personal Manager Management action plan
Each participant receives a Manager Management Toolkit, including:
- Leadership alignment checklist
- Coaching and feedback conversation guides
- Delegation and accountability frameworks
- People analytics and performance tracking templates
- Change leadership playbook
- Inclusive leadership practices guide
- Personal leadership action plan template
Course Formats
This course is offered in flexible delivery options:
- 5-day in-person workshop, including simulations and group exercises
- 4-week online cohort course, with live sessions and guided assignments
- Custom in-house program, tailored to the organization’s leadership context and goals
Participants are encouraged to bring real leadership challenges or examples to apply course learnings in real time.
Why It Matters in Today’s World
Strong leadership doesn’t stop at the executive level—it must cascade throughout the organization. But too often, organizations promote people into management without preparing their own leaders to lead those managers well.
Managing managers is a unique and complex challenge. It requires not just technical or operational oversight, but the ability to coach, align, inspire, and hold accountable the very people responsible for leading others.
Manager Management equips leaders with the skills, mindset, and strategies to strengthen their management teams—and, by extension, the entire organization. It’s about ensuring that leadership excellence doesn’t live at the top—it lives at every level.
Because great leadership is not about doing it all yourself—it’s about enabling others to lead well.
