5 Considerations to Make When Choosing a New Manager Training Program
If you’re stepping into a management role for the first time, or still finding your feet as a new leader, you already know that the learning curve can feel steep. From giving feedback to managing budgets and running effective meetings, you’re likely being asked to do things you’ve never done before (and often with little guidance!).
That’s why manager coaching can be so valuable. But, not every coaching program is built with new managers in mind. Some programs focus on senior executive leaders or company-wide transformation. Other training programs promise vague webinars about mindset shifts without offering tactical tools you can actually apply.
So how do you know what’s worth your time and money?
Here’s what I encourage you to look for, based on what we’ve seen work at Reframed Coaching.
1. Choose a program designed for new and early-career managers
You don’t need a ten-step executive leadership plan, (at least not right now!). Instead, you need support with foundational topics like:
Managing people 101
Navigating tricky situations and navigating difficult conversations
Building your confidence as a leader
Managing former peers or older team members
Prioritizing when everything feels urgent
Time management and productivity
Building resilience and adaptability on the team
If a coaching program spends more time talking about building vision statements than navigating team dynamics, it’s probably not aligned with what you’re dealing with today: actual on-the-ground management challenges.
At Reframed Coaching, we work with first-time managers who are often promoted quickly or stepping into leadership without much training. We focus on tactical and practical skills like leading effective one-on-ones, setting clear expectations, giving constructive feedback, and addressing performance concerns early.
Teaching tools and frameworks that help managers feel more capable and less overwhelmed is what works, not just sharing theories.
2. Look for coaches who have relevant experience
Your coach doesn’t need to know the ins and outs of your industry, but they should understand the challenges of managing people for the first time!
Before founding Reframed Coaching, I led marketing teams inside fast-paced, VC-backed startups and corporate brands like Aritzia, KPMG, and Louis Vuitton I know what it’s like to move from doing the work to managing people doing the work, and how tough that transition can be when you’re figuring it out as you go.
I’ve also invested deeply in my own development, which shapes how I coach today. Some of the certifications and trainings I draw on include:
Associate Certified Coach (International Coaching Federation / ICF Credential)
Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths® Coach
Certified Royal Telos Executive Startup Coach
Conflict Mediation training with Michelle Brody
Mental Health First Aid Certificate
Non-Violent Communication (NVC) training
Conscious Leadership, Radical Candor, and Leading Through Uncertainty courses
Enneagram-based leadership tools
Graduate of The Corker Co.’s Facilitator Training
Virtual Facilitator Training
AI training from The Uncommon Business
CPA, CA designation (with experience at KPMG)
Founder of Pivot Six, a marketing agency running for over a decade
The coaching team at Reframed Coaching brings a similar mix of hands-on leadership and formal training. It’s important that our coaches have both the operational experience to put themselves in your shoes and a certification from an organization that emphasizes ethics and confidentiality.
If you’re trying to navigate performance issues, build trust with former peers, or simply feel more grounded in your role, it helps to work with someone who’s been there too. We’ve actually (yes, actually!) lived through the same kinds of messy, high-stakes challenges that many new managers face themselves.
3. Find a balance between structure and adaptability
Programs that are too rigid, formal and structured can feel out of step with your actual challenges. They don’t leave room to be flexible enough to address the specific types of challenges you may be facing. On the other hand, overly unstructured coaching can leave you wondering if you’re even making progress since there’s no clear curriculum and skill building agenda.
We recommend you look for a new manager coach that offers a hybrid approach: you want someone to give you valuable tactical tools to use on the job, while also allowing you space to talk through and be coached through current issues.
In Reframed Coaching’s programs, we use different coaching and science-based frameworks to introduce key management tools, but we also leave room to address what’s happening in the here and now. For example, our new manager training program is built on a clear sequence of foundational modules. We start by focusing on trust, mindset and comfort with giving feedback, because it’s hard to have meaningful performance conversations if you’re not confident giving feedback in the first place. At the same time, we poll each group to identify their most pressing challenges right now, and adapt our modules and sessions so the training is both relevant and immediately useful.
That might mean role-playing a difficult conversation they need to have the next day. Or reviewing a team communication that didn’t land the way you hoped. We also provide reflection prompts and challenges between sessions to keep you engaged and intentional about your growth.
4. Make space for reflection and connection
It helps to know you’re not alone (really, you aren’t). Some of the most powerful insights come when managers realize that others in the same training program are facing the same challenges and feel the exact same way. Leadership is hard and isolating! If a program offers optional group sessions or peer discussions, take advantage of them. They can boost your skillset as you learn a new leadership language, fresh strategies, and a broader view of leadership.
Reframed Coaching includes cohort options where course alumni can share experiences and learn from each other. We’ve seen how encouraging it can be to hear someone else voice the exact same worry you’ve been carrying. Coaching is personal, but it doesn’t have to be lonely!
5. Focus on real-world application
Ask yourself: What kind of progress do you want to make? How do you want coaching or training to impact your day-to-day life? How will you be better equipped to support your team? Will you have a clearer understanding of how to lead effectively?
For us at Reframed Coaching, we design every session to leave managers with something useful. That might be a new tool to setting goals with your team, or simply a mindset shift in how you handle difficult feedback.
What matters most is that you walk away with tangible skills, templates and strategies that help you feel more confident and capable as you continue on your management journey.
Coaching should meet you where you are (and help you grow from there!)
Nobody has ever figured out how to be an effective leader overnight. And if someone has told you they have, they are likely lying to you! With the right kind of support, however, you can get clear on your goals and avoid a lot of the unnecessary headaches that come with new management.
If you’re looking for a coaching program that’s practical, thoughtful, and designed for the real work of managing people, I recommend exploring our manager training program here.
P.S. If you’d like to know how leadership coaching can transform your career, read this article!