10 Best Management Training Topics to Improve Performance

Management training is a critical investment for any company aiming to thrive in today’s competitive business environment. However, research shows that many organizations fall short in this area. Companies with fewer than 100 to 500 employees allocate only 6 to 12 minutes of manager training every six months—far from adequate. 

Even when training is offered, it often misses the mark because it does not include the relevant topic. This lack of preparation is a major contributor to high turnover rates, with 40% of employees leaving within the first year due to poor training.  

But you do not need to worry about it anymore! We’ve written this blog to guide you about the ten management training topics for stronger leadership and management teams. Keep reading to ensure long-term success for your organization. 

1. Leadership Development

A manager's role isn’t limited to overseeing tasks; it’s far more impactful. According to a Gallup survey, about 70% of a team's engagement is influenced by their manager. If managers aren’t equipped with proper leadership skills, they’re more likely to struggle with maintaining a positive work environment, which, unfortunately, will affect the company's overall performance. 

Focusing on leadership training software or topics in management training can easily resolve all the challenges. It teaches managers:

• To inspire and motivate the team rather than micromanage them.
• Improve decision-making skills that help them make impactful decisions. 
• Enhance company culture by fostering trust and collaboration. 
• Help build a strong and healthy relationship with employees. 

2. Emotional Intelligence for Managers

EI helps managers better understand their employees, empathize with them, and diffuse conflicts before they arise. Not only that, research has proved that incorporating emotional intelligence as a management training topic for managers in businesses can result in 20% higher team engagement.

So, how can businesses implement targeted training programs to develop this vital skill?

1. Interactive EI Workshops: Conduct workshops with real-life scenarios. For instance, you can simulate challenges that may arise in a team and show managers how they can tweak their responses based on high EI.
2. Self-Assessment Tools: Use EI self-assessment tools, such as the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), to help managers identify areas for improvement.
3. Feedback Loops: Develop a culture of feedback where employees can share honest reviews about their managers every month. This direct insight will allow companies to refine their management training topics.

Source: PassiveSecrets

3. Time Management Skills

Time is a manager's most precious asset, yet many struggle to plan it properly. Many managers feel overwhelmed by countless team meetings. In fact, on average, managers spend 23 hours a week in team meetings. This often leaves them little to no room for strategic planning or team development.

Managers can focus on two techniques to overcome this issue: the Eisenhower Matrix and time-blocking to categorize priority tasks. 

a) Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is a productivity and time-management framework designed by Professor Dwight Eisenhower. This framework helps managers categorize priority tasks based on four quadrants:

• Urgent and Important: Tasks that are urgent but do not require immediate action. 
• Important but Not Urgent: Important tasks but the ones that are not urgently required. 
• Urgent but Not Important: Time-sensitive tasks that are not important, and we can assign them to another team member. 
• Neither Urgent Nor Important: These are tasks that are neither urgent nor important at the moment, and we can schedule them for another day. 

Companies can implement the Eisenhower Matrix using Excel templates designed for this framework or specialized Eisenhower Matrix tools. Both of these options make it easier to streamline workflow and enhance productivity.

b) Time-blocking

Time-blocking involves dividing the workday into different slots for specific tasks. For example, it can be done by dividing tasks such as team meetings, strategy sessions, or administrative duties. A manager could allocate mornings to deep work like project planning and reserve afternoons for collaborative tasks like check-ins or brainstorming.

If businesses prioritize time-based management training topics for managers, they will spend less time on redundant tasks and more on high-impact activities, increasing productivity by 25%. 

4. Conflict Resolution and Negotiation

Differences are bound to arise when everyone has their viewpoints. However, the difference between a good team and one that struggles is how those conflicts are managed. Research indicates that conflict in a workplace each week results in a loss of $359 billion annually. This is why it’s crucial to include conflict resolution and negotiation topics in the training. 

There are a lot of employee training software offering extensive training on conflict resolution. The key components of an effective training program include:

• Solution-focused techniques: Introduce tools like interest-based negotiation to help managers steer conflicts toward mutually beneficial results. For example, managers can practice active listening and ask clarifying questions.
• Negotiation Skill-Building: Negotiation is not just for sales—it’s important for resolving internal disagreements. Offer workshops on strategies like BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) to teach managers how to reach agreements while maintaining relationships.

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Source: Psychometrics

5. Effective Communication Skills

A manager who communicates poorly can single-handedly derail projects and employee confidence. Companies lose up to $1.2 trillion annually as a result of ineffective communication between teams. Here are a few strategies companies can help solve this issue:

a) Clear Messaging

Companies can incorporate practical techniques for clear messaging in the training program. This will work by teaching managers to frame their messages clearly without sounding rude. Also, instead of giving vague instructions, they can learn how to convey the job descriptions and deadlines properly. It can be done through scenario-based workshops and training.

b) Active Listening

Companies should incorporate exercises or training games for employees that help managers practice active listening. This skill helps ensure managers understand employee concerns before responding. As a result, communication becomes more effective in the workplace, and the trust between managers and employees is strengthened. 

Source: Financesonline

6. Performance Management and Feedback

Another management training topic companies can include is performance management and feedback. Research revealed that about 96% of employees believe performance feedback is highly important, yet less than 30% receive it. This leaves a significant gap in communication, which also impacts company growth and employee productivity.

To make this training effective, companies can:

• Conduct Simulation Sessions: Let managers practice delivering feedback in a safe, simulated environment. You can take 2 employees and 1 manager out of the team and, through examples, show how different types of performance feedback have different results.
• Offer Expert-Led Workshops: Bring specialists to train managers on the powerful feedback delivery options.
• Incorporate Technology: Introduce tools like 360-degree feedback systems to streamline the feedback process.

Source: Vega HR

7. Change Management

Change is inevitable in any involved business—whether it’s integrating technology, restructuring teams, or expanding into new markets. This is why it should be focused on as one of the most important management training topics. 

According to McKinsey, 70% of change initiatives fail due to poor management. So, if a manager does not know how to carefully guide teams through transition, such initiatives are likely to fail.

Change management training topics often include:

• Developing resilience and adaptability.
• Understanding the psychology of change.
• Creating a change communication strategy.
• Measuring the success of change initiatives.

Source: ChangingPoint

8. Coaching and Mentoring Techniques

Coaching and mentoring techniques should be incorporated into management training topics, as they equip businesses with managers who drive employee performance.

The Career Guru program at Google is a relevant example. This program pairs employees with mentors who provide career guidance and identify growth opportunities. Such types of employee training programs drive managers to be more relationship-focused.

Companies can:

• Focus on goal-driven coaching: Managers should be taught to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals. These factors ensure clear objectives for employees, boost performance by 70% and reduce turnover by 90%.
• Incorporate peer coaching: Implement peer-to-peer coaching within teams to reduce training costs while building a collaborative culture. This approach helps employees learn from one another and develops shared accountability.

9. Delegation Skills

Effective delegation is a significant management skill that builds teams. Companies often underestimate the importance of teaching delegation skills to managers. Managers who hesitate to delegate fear a loss of control that causes them to micromanage their teams. In contrast, managers who delegate tasks have more team engagement and 33% more revenue growth.

For example, managers must understand employees' strengths and weaknesses; otherwise, they won't be able to assign tasks to the right employees. 

Delegation skills training should focus on:

• Improving managers' ability to assess individual employee capabilities
• Communicate expectations clearly
• Provide constructive feedback
• Provide the right resources to employees
• Encourage accountability for work

Through proper delegation training as one of the management training topics, team leads can focus on more strategic areas that require their utmost attention. Delegation skills can be taught using AI for employee training methods.

Source: FinancesOnline

10. Decision-making and Problem-Solving

Problem-solving and decision-making skills are essential for every business employee because the majority of managers aren’t trained for their jobs. They lack problem-solving and proper decision-making skills, which leads to mistrust and confusion. Research has also shown that 85% of business managers become stressed while making decisions. 

To solve all these issues, companies must focus on targeted training programs to help managers with practical techniques for decision-making. These programs should include: 

1. Analytical tools like decision matrices and cost-benefit/ SWOT analyses.
2. Workshops to improve collaborative problem-solving.
3. Strategies to balance short-term and long-term goals.
4. Training for managers to deal with stress and anxiety. 
5. Techniques to make rational decisions even in high-pressure situations.

Conclusion

The management training topics discussed in this blog are non-negotiable. They’re crucial for a business that is aiming to set a mark in the market. What’s more exciting is that creating these training courses has become incredibly simple and efficient. 

With tools like Coursebox AI, there’s no need to sit and manually curate content or source dozens of course materials by searching over the internet. Coursebox AI streamlines the process by enabling companies to develop professional, customized, and engaging courses in no time. 

So, start now and empower your workforce with the skills and knowledge they need. 

FAQs

How do I choose a management training topic for my team?

There are the following steps you can take to choose one of the main HR training topics for managers:

1. Conduct a skill-gap analysis and review past performance metrics. 
2. Align topics with business goals and team growth.
3. Evaluate team dynamics. 
4. Partner with professional training providers or leverage Coursebox AI to identify training topics for managers and supervisors.

What is soft skills training for employees?

Soft skills training focuses on improving the interpersonal skills of employees. It includes developing communication, conflict resolution, and time management skills to enhance workplace performance and collaboration.

What is the biggest challenge of training employees?

A lot of challenges arise when it comes to training employees. Some of them include:

• Maintaining engagement
• Knowledge retention
• Time constraints
• Customization needs
• Resistance to change

What is the most important training topic in the corporate sector?

Leadership development programs are important training topics for employees, as they directly impact team performance and business growth. Lack of training leads to a high failure rate among new leaders. 

What is basic management training?

A basic management training program is a program that focuses on all the fundamental skills a manager requires to fulfill the responsibilities. It covers core skills such as communication, problem-solving, delegation, time management, critical thinking, project management, customer service, etc.