Startup Manager Training
A tactical training program for
new and first-time managers.
Learn a no BS, data-backed way of managing and leading.
According to Gallup research, managers are the MOST important variable in employee engagement.
So, when employees leave a company, there’s high probability they are leaving their manager—not their job.
❓Did you recently transition from being an individual contributor to managing people?
❓Are you promoting current employees into management positions but don’t have the resources to train them?
❓Have you been managing a team for a few months…. but never received training?
Managers have the hardest job.
Managers deal with changing priorities, pivots in product, higher expectations for results, minimal systems, and no formal development paths.
Management is hard. People go to school and learn technical skills on the job as individual contributors-but people don’t go to school to learn how to give feedback, have hard conversations, give performance reviews, develop others, hire, advocate for themselves—and more.
On top of that, startups have minimal to zero resources to provide adequate training to cover the leap that is required. This program changes all that.
Learn tactical, no BS, evidence-proven, real-life management skills to set you up for success.
How is training a startup manager different from
training a non-startup manager?
✅ Startups have limited runway and operate in times of rapid change and uncertainty versus large, stable companies.
✅ Startups are unstructured, have limited resources, and no basic systems, playbooks, or processes.
✅ Startups funded by venture capital firms face extra pressure to meet growth metrics-stress that falls to you.
You need specific startup management skills to thrive.
Startup managers are building planes AND flying them at the same time,
while managing others and taking orders from the top.
Invest in your company by empowering your people with essential management and leadership skills.
Who we work with
New Managers
You excelled as an individual contributor but need help as a manager. Strong individual contributors don’t always easily transition to management.
Aspiring Managers
You’re a high achiever and want to excel. You want to be promoted to a management position and want to take it upon yourself to learn the skills now.
Experienced Managers
You’ve been managing for a while but were thrown into the deep end with little support. You want to take your management skills from B to A+.
Founders
Entrepreneurs and founders know A LOT about fundraising and growth-but not all of them have experience managing others. Meet your growth goals by learning ways to level up your team.
HR, Ops, and People Teams
You’re scaling fast and you need training support for anybody with the words “manager”, “head”, “director”, “lead”, “president”, “VP”, “chief”, or “founder” in their title!
The Manager Development Program
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Understand the unique role of a manager in the startup world.
What you’ll learn:
✔️ Mindset shifts required to be a successful startup manager
✔️ Deeper self-awareness around your natural management strengths
✔️ Your management blind spots
✔️ What trust and psychological safety looks like and how to cultivate it
✔️ Growth action plan to track your progress -
Good decision-making can be the difference between success and failure.
What you’ll learn:
✔️ Actionable mental models and frameworks to help you make better decisions
✔️ How to create an actionable vision/strategy
✔️ Tools to make strategic trade-offs
✔️ How to manage uncertainty and risk -
Learn the basics of project management as a manager, how to keep people accountable, and how to set expectations.
What you’ll learn:✔️ Project management skills for startup managers
✔️ Prioritization hacks
✔️ Tools and techniques for setting clear expectations.
✔️ Strategies to keep individuals accountable
✔️ Delegation techniques and what to do when things get off track -
The ultimate secret weapon of any effective manager? Their communication skills. This module won’t be want you think it is!
What you’ll learn:✔️ What “good communication” actually means
✔️ How remote communication is different and what you need to excel in
✔️ You’ll practice. A lot! -
Learn how to give performance-changing feedback and appreciation.
What you’ll learn:✔️ Proven frameworks for giving feedback
✔️ Templates, tools, cheatsheets, and more
✔️ You’ll practice. A lot! -
Build the confidence to have difficult conversations to effectively dial down conflict.
What you’ll learn:
✔️ Proven frameworks and secret to managing conflict at work
✔️ Templates, tools, and cheatsheets
✔️ You’ll practice. A lot! -
How to lead and guide performance conversations, performance reviews, and career development conversations.
What you’ll learn:✔️ How to have performance management conversations without hating them
✔️ How to help your team members develop professionally
✔️ How to manage over and underperformers -
Set yourself up for success. Learn how to recruit and hire the best team.
What you’ll learn:✔️ A five-step proven framework to increase your confidence level in hiring
✔️ Interview hacks to help you
find the best individuals for the role
✔️ Tools, templates, and cheatsheets
✔️ What people don’t tell you about reference checks -
Master your interactions and understand the unique nuances of each team member to maintain psychological safety and boost productivity.
What you’ll learn:
✔️ How to individualize your management approach with each team member
✔️ Coaching team members so they are motivated and engaged
✔️ How your strengths might clash with your team — and what to do about it -
Success as a manager is not just about managing down!
What you’ll learn:
✔️ Crucial skills for cultivating positive relationships with your superiors and your peers
✔️ The best way to communicate up and across
✔️ How to sell your ideas to others
✔️ What to do when interests and opinions aren’t aligned -
How to advocate for yourself, and your team, and how you can grow into the next phase as a leader.
What you’ll learn:
✔️ Clarity around your current role and your future goals
✔️ How to advocate for yourself
✔️ How to advocate for your team -
Navigate change, uncertainty, and challenges inherent to the startup environment.
What you’ll learn:
✔️ Change management frameworks to help you lead through constant change
✔️ Tools and strategies to set yourself up for success in the face of resilience
✔️ How to help your team members become more comfortable with uncertainty and change
Contact us to ask for a detailed curriculum or a custom cohort.
FAQs
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Yes! Formal organizations often have structured processes and systems in place for their managers. We don’t want to replace your company’s formal processes, especially if you are being evaluated on them. However, a lot of managers still get a ton of value from our models, frameworks, and real talk. We believe you will still receive value from attending. Past participants have told us that our training programs helped them build skills to elevate their personal lives to! Let’s chat and make sure we are the right fit for you!
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See the section above titled “This manager developer program is for you if…”
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This program is NOT for you if:
You’re looking for exploratory coaching sessions. This program is specifically built to train and give you the management skills to excel in your role, not coach. If you’re interested in coaching, check out our coaching packages here.You’re close-minded and not committed to creating a safe, inclusive psychological space with the rest of the students.
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Computer with webcam and a microphone.
Zoom account.
Broadband internet connection (25Mbps+ recommended).
Google account (used for exercises and resources).
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Participants must attend all 12 sessions (or prove viewing of recording if they are unable to attend), complete all assignments, complete a self-assessment, and attend a minimum of 1:1 private coaching.
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Certificate of completion after attendance of all modules and 1:1 coaching sessions
Ongoing support
Comprehensive resources, including workbooks, templates, and cheatsheets - that are updated
Private coaching 1:1 sessions
Group coaching and guest speaker sessions
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This experience is currently $2,222 USD or $2,600 CAD. Residents in BC are charged GST. Payment plans are available.
About Your Trainer
Alice Ko, has worked for innovative organizations, tech startups/scaleups, agencies, non-profits, the Big 4, and corporate conglomerates for the last 18 years. She’s experienced different types of leadership and management - and knows what truly sets effective managers apart.
From first-hand experience as an IC and people manager, she knows that working at a startup during a growth and scaling phase has a different set of challenges compared to non-startups. The result? Participants learn the right mindset, framework, tools, and real talk to excel as a people manager in a complex and unstructured startup environment.
Alice’s credentials
✓ Worked with 90+ teams
✓ Worked with over 850 StrengthsFinder profiles
✓ 3x Marketing Director at venture-capital funded fintech startups
✓ Certified in Gallup’s CliftonStrengths
✓ ICF Professional (international coaching federation)
✓ Graduate of the Landmark Forum
✓ CPA, CA from KPMG (active member of CPABC)
✓ Graduate of non-violent (compassionate) communications course
✓ Graduate of The Corker Co.’s Facilitator Training
✓ Graduate of Conscious Leadership’s Introduction
✓ Graduate of Radical Candor’s Feedback Course
✓ Mental Health First Aid Certificate
What People Are Saying
“I know she’ll bring immense value to companies, just like you did for us. The outcomes of your workshop influence our decisions in hiring, staffing, and resource development to this day!”
— Maya Sol, Partner, Prototype Thinking Labs
“I loved how Alice helped me explore my deeply seated whys and tied my actions and behaviours to my values. This type of coaching further helped me coach my mentees and members of my team better. I overall feel more prepared to lead.”
— Ramit Arora, Senior Product Manager, Microsoft
“Alice is a strong facilitator who creates a very safe space. The Strengths training was a valuable exercise both as a team, and for personal growth as a manager.”
— Jinny Wu, Director of Marketing and Communications, Innovate BC
“The coaching sessions have helped me gain clarity on tricky work situations and have helped me to devise a path forward. There have been several times where we work through a specific hypothetical conversation and I leave the session feeling much more prepared.”
— Emily Gale, Director of Materials Science, Prolific Machines
“Alice brings an energy and knowledge about the CliftonStrengths which I found so impressive! I learned a lot from Alice being a new manager, but experienced managers could still learn loads.”
— Sam Goulden, Former Frontend Team Lead, Unbounce
“I learned about how I apply my maximizer strength when leading people, and choose to work with their strengths.. Alice provided valuable, time effective coaching and I'd absolutely recommend her services to other companies.”