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There are a number of ways to build a successful management development program. One strategy is to break it down into a list of the top best practices. The best HR certification programs should focus on these key ideas. Management training courses should also cover these topics. If you do an Internet search for “Building a Management Development Program” you should find resources that elaborate on the best practices outlined below.

If your company is building, revising or overhauling a management or leadership development program, there are the best practices to consider on your way to success. An overview of the best management development practices characteristics is commonly found in successful management development programs.

The current state of the economy creates a need for efficient management development training programs. Dizzying economic conditions, changing demographics, an impending “brain drain,” and a need to enhance employee retention levels are just some of the issues driving organizations of all sizes to explore ways of ensuring the readiness and stability of their workforce. If your company hasn’t yet embarked on a leadership or management development initiative, it’s likely that you will in the near future.

These programs are usually significant undertakings and therefore highly visible within a company. They may target existing, middle or new managers, emerging leaders, high-potentials or executives. Regardless of the intended audience, there are several characteristics common among successful management development programs. While every situation is unique and you’ll need to find a solution that works best for your organization’s culture and goals, there are several best practices that can be employed on your way to success. These best practices can be summarized by the following brief bullet points:

1. Identify who is going to participate in your program. (Participants are generally high level employees and / or those with the most potential.)

2. Base your program on a competency model. (Define the skills you want your employees to develop.)

3. Involve senior management. (You will need full support to be successful.)

4. Content is king. Blended learning should rule the day. (Provide relevant information for your participants.)

5. Don’t underestimate the importance of financial acumen. (Many managers and leaders need a more thorough understanding of financial terms and concepts.)

6. Integrate feedback, development planning and coaching. (Take feedback and offer programs such as mentoring or one-on-one help to develop personal plans for the leaders of the company.)

7. Leverage “action learning” as part of the process. (Groups of participants work together to address real issues facing the company.)

8. Adjust, adapt and improve over time. (Adapt your program as you receive feedback and / or your needs change.)

9. Measure and track outcomes. (Use tools to determine the usefulness of the program.)

It is clear that these key points need more elaboration to be implemented successfully. Only a select few of the best HR certification programs have fully covered these nine best HR practices in depth. The top management training programs offer whitepapers that develop these ideas further. These whitepapers are available for download for free from the schools that offer those management training courses.

David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on the best HR certification, management training courses, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com

Whether a small business owner is a one-man show or has a staff of twenty, his business success depends as much on how he manages the business as on any other factor. Management is defined as coordinating the actions of the people in a business to achieve the desired results: high sales, loyal customers, and profits sufficient for personal comfort and business expansion.

The following discussion is about small businesses with more than one person involved, but a one-man business can apply them by realizing he has to fulfill all the different functions until he can hire people to turn them over to.

Running a business is easy if everyone in the business knows exactly what his role is, how his role relates to the other people’s roles, and how to fulfill his role. Management, therefore, consists solely and only of making sure these conditions occur.

Defining Roles

Most roles consist of handling a number of functions in a business. While management training can be very helpful to a manager in determining what functions are necessary to business success, even a brand new small business owner can list the major ones: marketing, production, accounting, customer service, and legal requirements, for example. Only one person can be responsible for any one function: if more than one is, then no one is. The small business owner can have veto power and directive power, but must leave the doing of the function to the person in charge of it.

Example: The owner hires a salesman to be in charge of finding and handling new customers. If the owner then goes out and finds a new customer, he has to turn that customer over to the sales manager to handle. Otherwise, he is not managing, he is being a salesman, and that is not the owner’s function once he has turned the function over to someone else.

When something doesn’t get done that should have, the responsible party is clearly evident, or the action gets added to someone’s role if it wasn’t previously defined. Read the rest of this entry »

Managing a sales staff can be challenging due to the nature of the business. Sales people are generally extroverted and assertive, so it’s a good bet if you are a sales manager, you’ll have your hands full. Keeping upper management informed while supporting your staff is no easy job, but you can have success if you remember key duties.

The first key duty is maintaining a team spirit. As a sales manager, you are going to be dealing with people who sell for a living. Most professional sales people have big egos, but are also highly social and able to establish rapport with customers quickly. To maintain control and a sense of teamwork, you will have to show individual attention to each of your sales people every day. The weaker sales people need the reassurance and support, and the high-performing sales people need to know they are acknowledged. It is important to point out when someone is performing well, and ask them to show others how to do the same. Commission -sharing agreements are also important. If two sales reps work the same deal together, a split commission is only fair, but also reinforces the need for team members to work together. Read the rest of this entry »