National Management Training Week: 5 ways to make it count

The third week of August is National Management Training Week. It’s a chance to spotlight, support and upskill your managers in ways that make a difference now and down the road.

Here are five low-lift, high-impact ways to actually use the week—without adding a ton of admin to your People team’s plate.

1. Run one high-impact session—live or virtual

Pick a session that ties to a key leadership skill: accountability, developmental feedback or clear communication.

• Keep it live if you want interaction.
• Keep it short (60-minutes) if you want attendance.
• Bring in an expert if you want people to show up.
• Partner with a platform (like Electives) that makes this kind of plug-and-play session delivery simple.

2. Spotlight manager wins across the organization

Use this week to show what good looks like.

• Highlight managers who give great feedback, support growth or build team trust.
• Share short testimonials or micro-case studies.
• Ask senior leaders to post or shout out strong managers in public channels.

Recognition reinforces the kinds of behaviors you want managers to replicate.

3. Offer just-in-time practice

Most managers don’t need more theory—they need a place to try.

• Use AI-based tools like AI Simulations to let them practice tough conversations in a safe space.
• Run a feedback lab or empathy workout in small groups.
• Let them fail in practice so they can perform under pressure.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about getting reps in.

4. Pair people up for peer learning

No team of internal facilitators? No problem.

• Pair managers for learning sprints or scenario discussions.
• Drop a prompt in Slack and encourage 20-minute peer coaching convos.
• Create a temporary channel for resource swapping or tip sharing.

Managers learn best from each other and it doesn’t have to be formal.

5. Make a plan for what happens after

Training week shouldn’t be a one-off.

• Use engagement data to spot interest areas you can build on.
• Set a follow-up cadence—monthly check-ins, quarterly sessions or self-paced challenges.
• Give managers a way to keep building the skills you spotlighted during the week.

The real value comes from momentum—not the moment.

Give your managers more than a shout-out—give them support

Support doesn’t have to be complex. It just has to be consistent. Start with a single move—and use this week to build something managers actually want to be part of.

That’s how you make the week count. And that’s how you help your managers lead better, every day after.

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