As a year draws to a close, it is a good time to think about the people your business will rely on most in the months ahead. Three questions usually bring the picture into focus:
- Who is ready to step up?
- Who needs support to become a stronger manager?
- Where is valuable knowledge sitting with just a handful of people?
Often, you already know the names. The harder part is matching each person to the right kind of development. Here are four practical routes.
1. For Your Next Generation of Leaders
You probably know someone who is excellent at their job and looks like the obvious next leader. But being a great individual contributor does not automatically prepare someone to manage people. This programme helps new and aspiring managers make that transition: managing former peers, delegating without becoming the bottleneck, setting clear expectations, handling difficult conversations and building a stronger team. Four live online workshops are supported by one-to-one coaching so delegates apply what they learn in their own workplace.
Best for: high performers preparing for promotion, newly appointed team leaders, supervisors and managers in their first year of leading others.
2. For First-Line Managers Who Need Recognised Development
ILM Level 3 Leadership & Management
For team leaders and supervisors already managing people who would benefit from more confidence, structure and a nationally recognised qualification. It strengthens their leadership approach, communication, motivation of the team and day-to-day decision making.
Best for: team leaders, supervisors, first-line managers and recently promoted managers.
3. For Managers Ready for Greater Responsibility
ILM Level 5 Leadership & Management
As managers progress, the job stops being only about the immediate team. They need to influence others, lead improvement, make stronger decisions and connect their team's performance to wider business objectives. ILM Level 5 develops the strategic thinking and confidence needed for that step.
Best for: middle managers, department heads, senior operational managers and future senior leaders.
4. For Businesses With Too Much Knowledge in Too Few Heads
Think about the people who seem to know everything: the experienced team member everyone asks, the technical expert who knows every process. Their knowledge becomes far more valuable when they are equipped to pass it on. Train the Trainer helps experienced people transfer knowledge consistently, structure and deliver engaging sessions, develop newer team members and reduce reliance on a few key individuals, so expertise becomes part of the organisation rather than staying in someone's head.
Best for: technical experts, internal trainers, experienced supervisors, team leaders and anyone responsible for developing others.
Not Sure Which Route Is Right?
If you are weighing up qualification levels, ILM's guide to qualification levels shows how they broadly map to management roles. Stand & Deliver has spent more than 30 years helping organisations develop their managers and leaders, and all of these programmes can also be delivered in-house. Browse all courses.
Final Thought
Development works best when it is matched to where someone is now and what you need them to achieve next. Start with the person you already have in mind, and choose the route that fits them.
