Evidence-led development for the modern manager
Combining personalised insights, timely tools and peer learning groups — we’re defining and building the high-impact behaviours of managers and leaders at all levels. Below you’ll find some insights in our modern methods and core modules — and do drop us a line to learn more.
Our work is continually informed by the thousands of managers we're privileged to support every day, across hundreds of organisations of all shapes and sizes: from scaling tech stars to fast food favourites; creative agencies to amazing charities — sharing what's working across our curious, growing community is key.
Enabling leaders at every level
From first time leaders to board members, engagement is tailored to reflect managerial range throughout your organisation and to create shared standards and vocabulary.
Often stepping up through their individual performance, but not set up to succeed as a manager. Challenges come thick and fast.
Rising stars across departments, hungry for skills that will fuel their progression — and with real currency placed on coaching capability.
This group will be navigating competing demands with long-established leadership behaviours. It's key they're open to continuous learning.
From motivating personalised insights, to connective communities of practice — our work and experimentation has revealed the mix of methods that work best when it comes to engaging modern managers, and quickly equipping them with the skills to enable their teams. Snapshots are shared below.
Enabling modern managers
The elements of development
We start with 'human data', combining self-reflection prompts, facilitated conversation and simple surveys among leaders and teams. Is a manager overly-biasing towards a coaching approach? Struggling to be directive with more senior colleagues? Not asking for feedback frequently enough? A shared, personalised picture of perceived effectiveness helps prioritise behaviours, motivate action, and offers metrics to measure against down the line.
You really got the nuance of our culture, and the way we'd need to position development to get our people-managers on-board and see what was in it for them. People still talk about the programme today, and the tools and language we gave managers live on powerfully in their conversations.
The Core Four
Foundational modules for modern managers
From a first focus on self-management, to committing to conversational consistency — these Core Four modules have been road tested and refined alongside thousands of modern managers from hundreds of teams in all sectors. They offer a set of foundational behaviours and skills to measure competency against, prioritise establishing and then build on. Here you'll find framing for each, and links to some digital resources that sit within each module.
This short, shareable download offers further insights into our modern, measurable approaches manager development. It tours our core modules, introduces some of the topics we tackle beyond them and outlines key elements within our programmes. You'll see how connecting participants to their own managers, teams and each other — through timely tools, practical experiments and smart cultural mapping — is key.
It’s a question we’re continually asking, and the reality is disarmingly straightforward. Effective leaders make a habit of simple, deliberate and decidedly human behaviours. Like asking the right questions, making people feel recognised and that they’re part of something bigger. And with the right approach, the behaviours are very easy to isolate, experiment with and quickly establish.
We ground our first Core module — Styles, Strengths and Situations — in Daniel Goleman's archetypal work on leadership styles, offering a relatable foundation for further skills building. In the short film shared below YCN Coach-Facilitator Kate Lloyd shares an overview of the styles, and makes the case for situational flexibility when managing modern teams.
Kate Lloyd on Goleman's Six Leadership Styles
Ahead of development programmes we often run our Manager Effectiveness Check among teams of participants for a picture of perception around 16 key points, all practically addressable ahead of future effectiveness checks. You can see those 16 points in the PDF here, and use them as an interesting reflection tool for your own relationships.
We've regular collaborative cohorts kicking-off for curious people managers keen to continually sharpen their skills. Focused on our Core Four modules, we'll blend live experiential learning with self-directed study and targeted missions to ensure all's immediately put into purposeful practice.
How can the infamous Forgetting Curve shape the way we develop our managers, and, in turn, how they develop their teams? For starters it should discourage us from dumping loads of information at once, guide us towards 'spaced repetition' and ensure that people can access the learning they need at the moments that matter.
Drop us a line to fix a time to speak to a subject expert. We can share more from both sides, offer our perspective and arm you with some tools to test for free. Email Nick, YCN Director, as a next step.