Here's what's inside the course, how it's sequenced, and why the role-play exercises are designed the way they are.
The course is self-paced so you can work through it alongside a real job. But the modules are sequenced deliberately — each one builds on the previous. We recommend working through them in order, especially the first time.
Each module includes a core lesson section, a set of reflection prompts, and at least one role-play exercise with detailed scenario cards and guidance on what to look for in your own responses. Some modules have two scenarios to cover different situations you're likely to face.
Concepts, frameworks, and real-world context for each topic.
Questions that connect the material to your specific situation.
Practice conversations with detailed guidance and debrief notes.
A short action you can take at work before moving to the next module.
Before you can lead your team well, you need a clear picture of where you're starting. This module covers how to show up in your first week without overclaiming authority or underclaiming it. You'll learn how to have an opening conversation with your team that sets the right tone — curious, confident, and honest about what you're still figuring out.
Clarity about expectations is one of the most important things a manager can provide. But there's a meaningful difference between being clear and being controlling. This module teaches you how to set standards for outcomes rather than methods, how to communicate them in a way that feels empowering rather than constraining, and how to follow up without hovering.
One-on-ones are the single most valuable recurring interaction you have with each team member. Most managers run them poorly without realizing it. This module gives you a complete system: how to open them, what questions to ask, how to listen for what's not being said, and how to make sure both of you leave with something useful.
Good feedback is specific, timely, and focused on behavior rather than personality. Bad feedback is everything else. This module breaks down the structure of effective feedback — both positive and corrective — and gives you a framework you can adapt to different personality types and situations. The role-play here is the most practiced module in the course for a reason.
This module addresses what most management training skips entirely. When you're promoted over colleagues you've worked alongside for years, the relationship doesn't automatically update. This module gives you a clear, honest framework for resetting the dynamic — including the specific conversation to have, when to have it, and what to do when a former peer tests the boundary.
Most meetings are poorly designed, not poorly attended. This module covers how to structure different types of team meetings — status, problem-solving, decision-making, retrospective — and how to facilitate rather than just chair. You'll learn how to draw out quieter voices, manage dominant ones, and end every meeting with clear next steps that people actually follow through on.
As a manager, you're now in the middle — between your team and your own leadership, and alongside peer managers in other departments. Each of those relationships has its own dynamics. This module covers how to manage expectations with your own manager, how to collaborate across teams without creating dependency or conflict, and how to know when to escalate versus handle something yourself.
The ninety-day window is real. After it closes, the honeymoon period ends and your team starts to see you clearly. This final module helps you reflect on what you've built in your first three months, identify where you've developed and where you still have gaps, and build the habits and feedback loops that will make you a consistently effective manager over time — not just a good one at first.
Each role-play scenario includes a detailed situation brief, a character profile for the person you're practicing with, and a set of "watch for" notes that help you evaluate your own responses. You don't need a partner to do these effectively.
After each scenario, there's a debrief section that walks through common approaches and explains what tends to work and what tends to backfire. The goal isn't a script — it's building your own judgment so you can adapt in real situations.
Questions? Get in Touch
We're happy to answer questions about the curriculum, the format, or whether this course fits your situation.