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First Line Management Course

This 2 day course is ideal for Team Leaders and Managers who have had little or no training in the role where they have to lead a team and take on management responsibilities. It will give them confidence and the skills to take decisions and get the best performance from their team.

The most popular of our management training courses, the First Line Management course is specifically for people who are new to a management position or who are about to undertake a management position and have had no formal management training. Anyone who is new to a management or supervisory position will benefit from this course.

Run over two days, the syllabus of the First Line Management course will cover a wide range of topics to give new or inexperienced managers a firm understanding of the foundations needed to begin their journey as a manager. It includes units on effective communication, managing your team, managing yourself, delegating, setting objectives, effective planning and personal development.


Course Syllabus

Module One
Role Assessment and Personal Development Planning

  • Understanding roles and responsibilities
  • Outline framework of management
  • Taking the step into management
  • Identifying personal development needs and planning




Module Two
Effective Communication Skills

  • Communicating to be effective - how and what to communicate
  • Designing effective questioning techniques and listening actively
  • Non-verbal communication
  • Dealing with, and responding to, differing communication styles




Module Three
Managing Yourself

  • Use of planning tools and techniques
  • Dealing with time stealers and interruptions
  • Learn how to delegate effectively





Module Four
Managing Your Team

  • Understanding different management styles and how to use them
  • Recognising performance management
  • Setting expectations and clearly defining roles and responsibilities
  • Pinpointing performance and motivating your team/individuals
  • Learning the management actions required to maintain team effectiveness
  • Team dynamics and looking at individual behaviour within teams




First Line Management Course

Management is the efficient, effective and economic use of resources to achieve results with and through the efforts of other people.

Leadership – a definition Inspiring others to follow your lead by creating a compelling vision of the future, whereby targets are not merely achieved, but are surpassed .

Leadership – a definition Inspiring others to follow your lead by creating a compelling vision of the future, whereby targets are not merely achieved, but are surpassed .

The Role of the First Line Manager as ‘Leader'.

First Line Managers have Leadership responsibilities – this is often the biggest challenge for Team Leaders and Supervisors who have to adapt from performing a task to motivating a team. At the beginning of the 21st century, the most powerful sources of growth, employment and wealth creation are found in innovation-driven industries. As a result, organisational leaders face a whole new set of challenges. They have to change and will increasingly need to rely on the knowledge, skills, experience and judgement of all their people. Organisational leaders will need to place less emphasis on traditional structures and control, and concentrate on five key priorities: .

Five Key Priorities .

  • using strategic vision to motivate and inspire
  • empowering employees at all levels
  • accumulating and sharing internal knowledge
  • gathering and integrating external information
  • challenging the status quo and enabling creativity

Using Strategic Vision.

Effective leaders will develop a strategic vision that is clear and compelling, and communicate it in a way that gives a real sense of purpose and direction. A powerful vision is clear about direction and objectives, proactive in its approach, but allows room for flexibility about the means of achievement. A powerful vision is important because it is one way of linking the present to a desirable future. The role of strategic planning is then to map out a path to achieve that vision. However, visionary thinking should not be the exclusive province of the organisation's top executives. Successful leaders will encourage participation in the formulation of a strategic vision that offers different perspectives and encourages commitment. It is also important to empower employees with the responsibility and authority to implement the vision. .

Empowering Employees.

Some people have proposed the view that the great leader is a great servant [2]. Certainly, many organisations believe that an environment based on trust will produce better results than one of rules, regulation and hierarchy. This means that leaders will increasingly have to respond to their employees' needs and take on some unaccustomed roles, such as coach, teacher, information provider, facilitator, listener or supporter. But for empowerment to work, organisations will have to share information and knowledge far more than they have done in the past. This will certainly include First Line Managers .

Challenging the status quo and enabling creativity.

There are a number of ways in which effective First Line Managers can challenge the status quo and enable creativity: .

  • Facilitate ‘constructive dissent', i.e. encourage people to question openly a manager's perspective without fear of retaliation. An interesting example of this is at Motorola, where employees can file a ‘minority report' and lodge a different point of view to their immediate First Line Manager on a business issue.
  • Foster a culture that encourages risk-taking.
  • Create a sense of urgency by producing a compelling picture of the risks of not changing.
  • To summarise, successful First Line Managers will be those that are proactive both in facilitating organisational learning and encouraging positive adaptation to external changes. .

    A 2 day First Line Manager Course will accelerate the process for Team Leaders and Supervisors to reach a high level of competence and confidence in the Leadership role they have .





    In-House & Classroom Courses Available Online

    Young woman working on a laptop

    We have developed an alternative to traditional face-to-face training that continues to provide a full learning experience, and allows delegates to learn effectively whilst self-isolating from home.

    This is how it looks:

    Delegates booked on Classroom and In-House courses will continue to have access to their trainer online throughout the days that the course is booked to run.

    Prior to a delegate's course start date, they will be enrolled on our e-learning platform (in partnership with BCF Group) for the course they are booked on to. They will also be given contact information for their trainer, and details of how to access the online workshops.

    A man learning at home online

    Delegates will not require any special IT equipment. A desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or a mobile phone with internet and audio capability is all that is required.

    Delegates taking ILM Qualifications will then proceed to the book review, video review and work based assignments with 12 months tutor support as appropriate, and in line with our previous arrangements. We hope you agree that this blended learning experience represents the safest way to continue supporting our clients and delegates during the Coronavirus disruption.

    If you have any questions about a course that is currently booked, please contact phil@dicksontraining.com.

    For new bookings please continue to book online as normal or telephone us on 01937 579649.





    In-House Courses

    This is our own management training course which has been developed and refined over the many years we have been providing it to delegates from organisations in virtually every industry.

    This means that the course syllabus is flexible and can be tailored to the specific requirements of a new first line manager or managers, making it ideal for companies or organisations who require an in-house first line management training course which is attended by a number of current or potential managers.

    If you would like to discuss how we can tailor this management training course for you and/or run it at your premises, please call us on 01937 579 649 or submit a brief description of your training requirements through an online contact form and we will get back to you.




    Scheduled Courses

    A one day version of this First Line Management course is available as an Open Course delivered at our partner, the BCF's Training suites in Nottingham and Reading from the following scheduled dates...


    Classroom Course - Nottingham (NG12 4DG)

    Classroom training courses enable you to benefit from having the tutor and other delegates right there in the room with you. Face-to-face training sessions are one of the best ways to learn, as it is easy to ask questions and have group discussions.


    Cost: £595 + vat


    • 17 March 2025
    • 23 June 2025
    • 08 September 2025


    Classroom Course - Reading (RG41 5QS)

    Classroom training courses enable you to benefit from having the tutor and other delegates right there in the room with you. Face-to-face training sessions are one of the best ways to learn, as it is easy to ask questions and have group discussions.


    Cost: £595 + vat


    • 28 February 2025
    • 02 June 2025
    • 15 September 2025


    Zoom™ Course

    Attending a course via Zoom videoconferencing gives you all of the benefits of classroom training without the need to leave your home or office. You still benefit from a real tutor facilitating the programme, and the content is exactly the same.


    Cost: £495 + vat


    • 14 May 2025
    • 12 August 2025
    • 17 November 2025
    Book Now
    Checkout issues? Book here.



    Also Consider...

    ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management

    As well as providing our own first line management courses, we also offer the ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management qualification.

    Accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), the ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management qualification is also aimed at managers who have had little or no previous formal management training.

    Along with core management skills and performance of management tasks such as project management, leading meetings and delegating, the course syllabus aims to develop managerial skills by covering many related subject areas including leadership, planning and managing change, communication skills and the management of people.

    We currently run this qualification as an open course in Nottingham through our partners The BCF Group, as well as offering it as an in-house programme for a group of your managers.

    To find out more information, please click here.



    Related Link:

    Project Management

    WHAT IS A PROJECT?

    Projects can cover many activities from small short-term ones to multi-million pound tasks that last for many years. However, they all have common elements. The main characteristics of a project are:

    A fixed timescale

    Clear Objective (s)

    A temporary team of people

    No Practise or rehearsal

    They carry risk and uncertainty

    Has a clearly identifiable start and finish

    An instrument of change

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    Results in something being delivered/provided

    Is unique

    Is the responsibility of a single person or body

    Includes costs, reources and time

    Has a clearly identifiable start and finish

    Uses a wide variety of resources and skills

    No Practise or rehearsal

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