Most manager training fails before it even starts.

Not because the content is bad or the facilitator is weak. It fails because the organization treats it like a one-time event instead of a shift in how managers lead.

A day is blocked off on the calendar to learn. Some useful tools are shared. A few 'Deep' conversations are had. People say it was great. 

Then Monday comes and nothing around those managers has changed. They still have the same workload with no time freed up to invest back in their people. They still get rewarded for their team’s output more than their team's growth. They still report to leaders who never ask about the skills they just learned.

In that environment, even the best training becomes a memory, not a new way of operating.

If you want manager development to stick, the question isn’t "what should we teach them?" The question is "What will we expect and reinforce after the training is over?"

When I work with senior leaders, I start with three questions before we design any program.

First, what are the two or three behaviors you actually want more of from managers. Not a long list. The essentials. For example, setting clear expectations, running useful 1:1s, and addressing performance issues early.

Second, how will executives and directors model and reinforce those behaviors. If a manager learns how to set expectations, then walks into a culture where other leaders are intentionally vague and avoid hard conversations, the new skill will not survive.

Third, what will you change around them so they have a fair shot at using what they learned. That might mean changing what gets recognized in performance reviews, removing low-value reporting that eats their time, or making it explicit that developing their team is not extra work on top of their real job, it is their real job.

You don’t need a complex system. You need a clear connection between what you teach and what you expect.

If you’re planning to invest in manager development this year, walk through these questions first:

Can you name the few behaviors you expect every manager to live daily? Are senior leaders prepared to model and ask about those behaviors consistently? Will managers have the space and support to try, stumble, and improve?

If the answer is no, you don’t need more training. You need more alignment across your company. Manager training doesn’t fail in the classroom. It fails in the two weeks after.