How to upskill managers and leaders to unlock your team’s potential

When we talk about professional development, the focus is typically on entry level or non-management employees. But increasingly, organisations are investing in upskilling leaders and managers to stay ahead of the curve.

Building programs and initiatives that support employee growth are often a key priority for HR teams. This makes sense because an effective learning and development strategy has numerous benefits.

Unlocking the full potential of your employees will significantly improve retention rates, increase employee engagement, and help you develop a leadership pipeline that nurtures in-house talent.

The best way to achieve this is by including your managers and leaders in your professional development goals.

A common mistake organisations make is to focus squarely on upskilling employees when they should be developing a more systematic approach that takes a top-down approach to CPD.

Managers work with their teams daily and are perfectly positioned to assess core capabilities, offer valuable insights that support professional growth, and act as a conduit that connects employees to the rest of your organisation and, crucially, your decision-making processes.

But no one is born with this skillset - the ability to lead and inspire teams comes from experience and continuous training.

So, with that in mind, let’s look at four ways you can upskill managers and leaders in your organisation to help drive long-term success.

1: Attend leadership development workshops

Attending a workshop or seminar that’s designed to equip managers and leaders with new capabilities is a great way to build upon existing skillsets.

It not only saves you time, but more importantly, a professionally-led program will introduce your staff to different perspectives and approaches to management you can then implement in your organisation.

A seminar will often allow you to connect with industry leaders, share knowledge, ideas, and solutions to specific organisational challenges, and deep dive into topics that address the needs of your management teams.

Workshops, on the other hand, emphasise the practical over the theoretical through relevant and engaging activities that can inspire fresh ideas as well as equip participants with new skills.

2: Provide training in new technologies

Technology is changing the future of business as organisations look to increase productivity and efficiency by streamlining workflows and introducing a variety of automative tools for project management, HR, inventories, marketing and more.

But the expectation is for managers to be just as tech-savvy as the teams they lead. After all, employees seek guidance and support from their leaders in many different ways, including upskilling with new technologies.

If you’re planning to integrate a new platform into your workflow, here are a few things you should consider:

• How will this new technology impact your current workflows and how your team functions? Will it be seamless, or will you need to invest time in further training?
• What new skills do your managers, leaders, and employees actually need? Will this technology enhance their abilities or is it just going to add an extra layer of complexity to their jobs?
• How can you involve your teams in the planning and implementation of this new technology? Gathering feedback on the need for a new platform is a good start, but you should also seek input on what's working and what’s not.

3: Focus on relationship management

One of the most essential characteristics of a modern leader is strong interpersonal skills.

The ability to build healthy and productive relationships with co-workers is crucial to team building and fostering a positive atmosphere where employees feel engaged and motivated.

However, many organisations do not prioritise relationship management as a core part of their CPD.

There has always been this assumption that “soft skills” are acquired with experience rather than through continuous practise and development.

There are a few reasons why this is problematic, with the most conspicuous being that managers are frequently promoted because of their technical ability or time spent in their current role – but this doesn’t mean they’ve gained the essential interpersonal skills needed to be an effective team leader.

But, by creating a leadership framework that includes coaching and mentoring, you can work with your managers to help them become better workplace communicators.

A five-step coaching plan to develop stronger relationship management skills could include activities and strategies that focus on the following:

1. Active listening – The ability to give someone your full attention not only shows respect but also helps to build trust and empathy.
2. Asking Questions – This shows that you’re interested in your team members' thoughts and ideas, and it encourages others to ask questions.
3. Developing common values – Uniting your team around shared values increases cooperation, reduces conflict, and improves productivity.
4. Effective communication – clear and objective statements limit confusion and remove ambiguity.

5. Positive feedback– Offering authentic and genuine praise builds confidence, so long as you don’t overdo it.

4: Make continuous upskilling central to your retention strategy

LinkedIn’s 2023 workplace learning report revealed that 93% of companies are concerned about employee retention with burnout, a desire for greater flexibility and a lack of fulfilment cited as critical reasons for staff leaving their jobs.

But upskilling drives employee retention, especially if you focus your efforts on a top-down approach.

There are two main reasons for this.

First, upskilling leaders improves the overall employee experience because people want to be led by efficient, highly skilled professionals who can provide guidance and direction.

Second, building continuous development for leaders into your long-term retention strategy allows you to strengthen leadership throughout your company and bridge skills gaps when inexperienced managers need support to do a specific task.

Prioritise leadership development

Including leaders and managers in your professional development targets will benefit your organisation in different ways.

Participating in an expert-led workshop or seminar can empower your people with new skills and introduce them to emerging leadership models and concepts that are changing how organisations operate.

Investing in leadership training with new technologies improves collaboration within teams and ensures your leaders stay current with the latest advances.

Taking the time to work with your leaders to develop their interpersonal skills will help them to motivate and inspire their colleagues.

Are you looking to uplift your leadership capability? Our tailored and flexible learning solutions are delivered by world-leading experts and can be aligned to your organisation’s specific needs for impactful skills development.