Management Skills Training Course: Coaching, Performance Reviews and Team Accountability

Programme Summary

Management skills are the subject of this one-week training course for senior managers and heads of function who oversee supervisors, ending in a management practice plan for one team. Many managers are promoted for technical results and then apply a different style to each person, so supervisors receive uneven expectations, feedback and support. The programme moves from the managerial role and expectations, through diagnosis of performance and coaching habits, to the design of reviews, delegation, accountability and decision routines, then applies them to one team. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this management skills programme for managers from mixed organisations.

The Business Case

When expectations vary from one manager to the next, supervisors guess what matters, reviews turn into surprises and problems reach senior staff late. A shared management practice gives every supervisor the same standard for goals, feedback and follow-up. Consistent routines also free senior managers from firefighting, because work is delegated with clear limits and results are reviewed on a steady cycle.

• Goal Achievement: Improves as expectations are clear, measurable and reviewed on a fixed cycle.
• Supervisor Retention: Strengthens as supervisors receive regular coaching and fair review.
• Escalation Volume: Falls as delegation limits and decision routines are agreed in advance.

Principles and Evidence Base

• Locke and Latham goal-setting theory: It underpins the setting of specific, demanding expectations in Sessions 1 and 3.
• GROW coaching model: It structures the coaching conversations practised in Session 3.
• Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership: It guides the match between delegation level and the readiness of each person in Session 4.

Intended Participants

• Senior managers who answer for the results of several supervisors and their teams.
• Heads of function who need the same management standards across sites or units.
• Managers of supervisors who run reviews and difficult performance conversations.
• Experienced managers who report to executives and need to manage upward with confidence.

Typical functions include operations, customer service, finance and engineering.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to construct clear and measurable expectations for supervisors and teams.
2. Participants will be able to diagnose gaps in their own performance reviews, coaching and follow-up habits.
3. Participants will be able to apply a structured coaching model in a performance conversation.
4. Participants will be able to design a delegation approach matched to the readiness of each person.
5. Participants will be able to prioritise decisions and escalation rules for a team.
6. Participants will be able to justify a management practice plan to executive colleagues.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Management Skills and the Role of the Manager of Supervisors

What does managing supervisors ask of a senior manager?

• Manager of Supervisors Role Map
• Expectation Setting Sheet
• Goal Specificity Checklist
• Stakeholder Expectation Grid
• Personal Management Style Baseline

Day 2: Diagnosing Performance and Management Habits

Where do the manager's habits help supervisors, and where do they hinder them?

• Team Performance Gap Review
• Review and Follow-Up Habit Audit
• Supervisor Workload and Span Chart
• Feedback Frequency Tally
• Management Practice Survey Summary

Day 3: Designing Performance Reviews and Coaching

How are performance reviews and coaching conversations structured so that people improve?

• Performance Review Template
• Rating Calibration Exercise
• GROW Coaching Conversation Guide
• Difficult Performance Conversation Script
• Development Action Plan

Day 4: Designing Delegation, Accountability and Decision Routines

How is work handed over with clear limits, and how is accountability kept?

• Delegation Level Ladder
• Situational Readiness Matrix
• Accountability Tracker
• Decision and Escalation Rule Sheet
• Upward Reporting Brief Format

Day 5: Applying the Management Practice to One Team

Does the management practice hold when tested on a real team?

• Applying the Session 1 Expectation Sheet to the Team
• Testing the Session 3 Review Template on a Live Case
• Rehearsing the Session 3 Coaching Guide
• Checking the Session 4 Delegation Ladder against Current Work
• Completing the Management Practice Plan

Methodology

The programme uses a structured exercise method built on anonymised review forms, workload charts, short written cases and role-play scenarios from manufacturing, healthcare and customer service. Participants work in small groups on one team, practise conversations with peers who act as supervisors, and receive facilitator feedback on every work product.

• Suggested activity: Setting expectations for a supervisor who is missing targets.
• Suggested activity: Practising a coaching conversation with a peer observer.
• Suggested activity: Delegating a task at the right level to three people of different readiness.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a management practice plan for one team. It holds an expectation set, a review and coaching calendar, a delegation map, an accountability tracker and a decision and escalation rule sheet. The plan is used at work to brief executive colleagues, agree standards with supervisors and guide the management cycle for the following months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a management skills training programme suitable for managers who have not led supervisors before?

Yes. Management skills are taught from first principles and assume responsibility for people or teams, not earlier experience of managing supervisors.

Which models do management skills rest on in this programme?

Management skills here rest on Locke and Latham goal-setting theory, the GROW coaching model and Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership.

How is the management skills practice plan used at work?

You use the plan to brief executive colleagues, agree standards with supervisors and guide how you review, coach and delegate in your team.

How does a management skills programme differ from a programme on leadership development?

A management skills programme centres on expectations, reviews, coaching, delegation and accountability in daily work, while leadership development centres on vision, influence and organisational change.