Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? In this course, you gain the knowledge and skills to take your management expertise to the next level -- to lead, manage and motivate others within the greater strategic context of your organisation, department or business unit. You learn to forge alliances across your unit or department in order to become an effective agent for change and growth. You develop the confidence to engage and mobilise others to achieve positive results. You also learn how to foster change from the middle and navigate organisational politics. Who will benefit from this course? This course is for experienced, middle managers who manage other managers. Those wishing to expand their influence and make a horizontal impact across an organisation also benefit. What background do I need? Attendees are expected to have at least three years of experience managing the performance of others. You should have some prior education or training in basic management and leadership skills at the level of Course 290, Management Skills, Course 906, Management Skills for an IT Environment, or Course 222, Leadership Skills: Building Success Through Teamwork. How do middle managers have an impact on strategic planning? This course addresses the important management skills required to successfully implement an organisation's strategic plan. Mid-level managers are responsible for understanding the big picture (i.e., where their organisation is headed) and identifying how their team can make the greatest contribution to achieve their goals. In this course, you learn the tools and techniques to ensure your team stays focused and committed to the strategy as defined by senior management. I find that managing people is the hardest job of a manager. How will this course help me? Managing people and getting the best from your staff is a thread that weaves throughout this course. Through case-study scenarios and real-life examples brought by course attendees, you gain useful insights into how to align people's talents and skills with organisational goals. You see how to eliminate performance barriers and encourage accountability in your team. In today's workplace, it is not uncommon to have staff from multiple generations, each with their own values and approaches to work. In this course, you gain practical experience finding commonalities and eliminating differences so that your staff can succeed. Is this a change management course? This is not a change management course per se; however, in most organisations the need to grow, compete and improve results makes change an inevitable fact of life. In this course, managers learn to help their staff overcome resistance to change and become the catalysts for growth. I've never been very good at dealing with office politics. Will this course help me? Yes! In this course, you learn that those who have the best handle on the political situation in their organisations are the ones who are the most successful at getting things done. Rather than thinking of politics in a negative light, you gain an appreciation for the positive impact it can have, see the value in different perspectives and use this understanding to achieve your desired business results. You leave the course with the political skills you need to build coalitions and alliances. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours The role of the experienced manager 1.5 Linking strategy to action 3.0 Making tough decisions 3.0 Expanding your influence across the organisation 2.5 Fostering change from the middle 3.0 Engaging and mobilising others 2.0 Politics with integrity 2.0 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. What kinds of activities are included? In this case study-based course, approximately 75 percent of the class time is spent in individual and group activities through which you develop skills in strategy implementation, decision making, alliance building and networking. You learn to become a change agent, engage and mobilise others, navigate the political landscape within your organisation, and handle conflict and other management challenges. Is this course applicable toward a Project Management Professional (PMI) certification? Yes. Though the course is not designed as preparation for the exam, it is beneficial to anyone working toward PMI's PMP certification. For those who are currently certified, completion of this course counts as 17 professional development units (Sixty units must be completed every three years to maintain certification). For more details, please see the Learning Tree PMI Registered Education Provider Q&A. If you are an experienced project manager intending to take the PMP exam, you should take Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam. In this course you learn essential PMBOK® Guide terminology, tools and techniques. You gain practical test-taking experience through PMI-style practice exams and create your own personal study plan for continued use after the course. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? Learning Tree offers a number of courses in management, communication and planning: 290, Management Skills  906, Management Skills for an IT Environment  222, Leadership Skills: Building Success Through Teamwork  274, Managing Performance  224, The Art of Coaching: Enabling Employees to Achieve Their Potential  294, Influence Skills: Getting Results Without Direct Authority  904, Responding to Conflict: Creating Resolution and Cooperation  905, Facilitation Skills  284, Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving  252, Strategic Planning for Organisational Success  The following courses may also be of interest: 246, Managing Information Overload: Techniques for Working Smarter  247, MBA Essentials: Enhancing Organisational Performance  340, Project Management for Software Development  296, Project Management: Skills for Success  346, Project Leadership: Building High-Performance Teams