Most leadership training in South Africa is bought for people who have just been promoted: the best artisan made supervisor, the top salesperson made manager. They know the work but not yet how to lead the people doing it. A good programme runs over months, mixes workshops with practice at work and checks that something changed. Tell us who the managers are, how many and what you want to improve, and we pass your request to independent facilitators and training providers who work in your area. They quote you directly, free.
Supervisors, new managers and middle managers
Pitch the programme at the right level:
- Supervisors and team leaders: running a shift, giving instructions, handling discipline and absenteeism fairly, safety conversations
- New managers: delegating, setting goals, performance conversations, running meetings, managing former peers
- Middle managers: planning, leading change, managing other managers, working across departments
Mixing levels in one room rarely works; supervisors hold back when their manager's manager is there. Ask for examples from your own workplace, whether that is a call centre floor, a municipal depot or a production line.
Cohorts over months, with coaching between sessions
Many providers run leadership training as a cohort: the same group of 12 to 20 managers meets for a day or two every month or so, over several months. Between sessions each manager tries something at work, such as a hard conversation or a new team meeting, and reports back. Coaching between sessions, one on one or in small groups, helps the change stick. Ask the provider to brief the managers' own line managers, because a manager whose boss ignores the programme usually stops trying.
Outcomes you can measure
Agree before the programme what should be different: lower staff turnover in a team, fewer grievances, better results on an engagement survey, deadlines met. Use a short before and after check with each manager's team and line manager, and plan a review a few months after the last session. Kirkpatrick's levels help here; see training evaluation. If the managers also need to run better workshops of their own, add workshop facilitation skills.
Briefing a provider and comparing quotes
Send the number of managers, their level, the problems you see, your dates and whether you want it at your premises or away. Ask each provider:
- How is the programme built, and how much is practice?
- Is it accredited, or a non-credit programme designed for us?
- What coaching is included, and who does it?
- How will we know it worked?
Ask for a sample session plan and a reference from a client with similar managers. Put the programme in your WSP; your SDF can advise.
What to include in your brief
- Number of managers and their level
- What you want them to do better
- How many months and sessions
- On site or at a venue
- Accredited or non-accredited
Leadership Training for business, government and communities
- Companies and head offices: new manager and middle management cohorts with coaching, run over several months
- Government departments and municipalities: supervisors and managers in departments and municipalities, often linked to performance plans
- Schools, colleges and universities: heads of department and deputy principals learning to lead staff and run meetings
- NPOs, churches and community groups: NPO coordinators and volunteer leaders who manage teams on small budgets
- Small and family businesses: an owner and two or three senior staff learning to delegate as the business grows
- Mines, plants, factories and farms: shift supervisors and foremen on mines and plants, trained on site around shifts
- Event organisers and associations: event and venue managers leading large casual teams during busy seasons
- Training and skills development providers: providers adding leadership modules to learnerships and skills programmes
Frequently asked questions
How long should a leadership programme be?
Accredited or non-accredited leadership training?
Can leadership training run on site at a mine or plant?
Do you provide the trainers yourselves?
Leadership Training by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg