Harvard Business Publishing Announces the Launch of New Leader Program, Which Accelerates Management Development and Leadership Mindset for Frontline and New Managers

BOSTON – October 14, 2014 –   Harvard Business Publishing (www.harvardbusiness.org) today announced the launch of New Leader Program, a leadership development program organizations can use to quickly and effectively build management skills and leadership capabilities among new managers. A virtual, cohort-based experience delivered across 14 weeks, New Leader Program is specifically designed to accelerate the transition of those soon-to-be promoted or recently promoted into first-time manager roles. Different from most new manager programs, New Leader Program places significant emphasis on building leadership capability and mindset early among managers.

Frontline managers need core management skills, like planning, budgeting, and delegation to be effective in the daily demands of their roles, and, importantly, they need to think and act as leaders. This means gaining an understanding of their connection to the organization’s overall strategy and being able to convey that to their teams, being equipped and empowered to make decisions, and being prepared to implement strategy and act in the face of changing market conditions.

The program brings groups of managers across an organization together through live, virtual discussions and has a strong focus on application of learning through on-the-job activities within each module. With the capacity to effectively reach organizations’ large new manager populations, New Leader Program can ultimately help organizations strengthen their leadership pipelines.

This new program is particularly suited to millennials, who are holding management roles in organizations at younger ages than Boomers and Gen Xers were (“Big Demands and High Expectations”: The Deloitte Millennial Survey). Organizations need young talent to step into management roles sooner, but they must be ready to lead first.

New Leader Program takes an organization’s new managers through a 14-week course, designed for them to participate without taking them away from their everyday work. This format allows them to stay engaged through the process and apply what they’ve learned through actual work on the job and with their teams.

– The five module program starts with Developing a Leader Mindset, and then builds management skills across modules covering Personal Adaptability, Talent Development, High-Performing Teams, and finally Driving Execution. –

– Participants gather for eight virtual cohort-based events during the course of the program. Led by a Harvard Business Publishing facilitator, managers explore the topic further, share their personal examples and explore what it means for them in the context of their organization.

– The program is designed to consistently draw in and engage busy learners – through video, competitive “points” tracking on a leaderboard, and small group activities that allow more personal interaction and sharing for a richer experience.

– Learning is connected to pre-defined on-the-job activities in each module, to help participants do the job they are already tasked with doing.  This is key for busy new managers, as this learning application won’t add to their workload, but help them do their work better and more efficiently.

– When the formal program concludes, participants identify areas for further development and have access to self-paced learning.

– Integrated assessments throughout the experience promote real behavioral change and offer organizations both visibility into the process and greater impact on the business overall.

“Traditional approaches to developing new managers are insufficient for today’s business environment, providing only part of what a manager needs to be successful. When an organization takes a more comprehensive approach to develop their frontline managers, the result is more focus and alignment around strategy at all levels, so the organization is able to quickly respond to market shifts and new opportunities,” said Ian Fanton, vice president, product management for Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. “This is an extremely important capability for our client organizations and one we are helping them build at scale.”

Availability and Services

The New Leader Program is immediately available. Harvard Business Publishing offers expertise to support and implement learning programs, including learning strategy and best practice insights, program and curriculum design, implementation advice and tools, program management, facilitation, and train the trainer options.

About New Leader

Harvard Business Publishing’s New Leader Program is a blended, cohort-based program that helps new managers make a successful transition to the managerial ranks while also honing their leadership potential. To learn more visit: ADD WEBSITE LINK

About Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning partners with clients to create world-class leadership development solutions for managers at all levels. We leverage the management insight, thought leadership, and expertise of Harvard Business School faculty and authors from Harvard Business Review to create tailored leadership development solutions. With more than 20 years of practical experience, our innovative, technology-enabled solutions drive meaningful and lasting business results. Corporate Learning is a market group within Harvard Business Publishing. For more information, visit www.harvardbusiness.org. Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/HBPCorpLearning and connect with other talent development leaders on LinkedIn through the Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning Group.