The Manager's Practice
A one-day workshop for new and experienced managers: the six everyday practices behind well-run teams, good results and people who stay.
The day at a glance
Six everyday practices. One day. A plan each manager starts on Monday.
Who
New managers, specialists stepping into management, and experienced managers
Length
One full day, plus a 20-minute call and scoping beforehand
Group
8 to 20 managers, as a peer group or an existing management team
Where
In person at your place, UK and international
Built on
Your managers' own teams and situations, not role-plays
You keep
A practice guide for every manager, and summary notes for whoever organised the day
What changes
Managers know what to do. Not in theory. On Monday morning, with their own team, they know what good looks like and what to do about it.
Teams know what's expected. Standards are clear, feedback happens on the day rather than at review time, and one-to-ones become conversations people look forward to.
Good people stay. Ask anyone why they stayed in a job, or left one, and their manager usually comes up. A manager who knows their people and their work is one of the best retention plans an organisation has.
Work moves towards results. Managers who understand what their team's work is for, and how it moves, spend less of everyone's time on things that don't matter.
The six practices
Good management isn't a personality type or a set of models. It's a handful of things done well, every week, until they become habit. That's why it's a practice.
01
Setting the bar
Making clear what good looks like, and holding it the same way every week.
Ask yourselfCould everyone on your team describe what good looks like, in the same words?
02
Giving feedback
Often, specifically, on the day, and in a way people can hear without bracing.
Ask yourselfWhen did you last tell someone exactly what they did well, the same day?
03
The one-to-one
A conversation about the person, not a status update about their tasks.
Ask yourselfDo your one-to-ones talk about the person, or only the work?
04
Knowing your people
What each person is working on, what they're good at, and where they want to go.
Ask yourselfDo you know what each person would like to be doing in two years?
05
Knowing the results
What the team's work is for, and making that link clear to everyone in it.
Ask yourselfCould your team say what their work is for, in one sentence?
06
Working on the system
Seeing how work moves through the team, where it waits, and changing that.
Ask yourselfWhere does your team's work wait, and who could change that?
Five of the six are acts of communication. That's deliberate, and it's where the day differs most from a standard course: it treats what a manager says, and how it lands, as the main tool of the job.
How the day works
Morning: the team in front of you. Setting the bar, giving feedback and the one-to-one. Each practice gets what good looks like, an honest look at where each manager is now, and a practical approach to try with their own team.
Afternoon: the bigger picture. Knowing your people, knowing the results, and working on the system. This is where managers connect the everyday work of managing to what the team is for, and to the people they want to keep.
Close: choose one. Each manager picks the practice that would help their team most right now, and leaves with a plan for the next month and a first step for Monday.
What your managers leave with
- An honest picture of where their practice is strong and where it could grow
- One priority practice, with a plan for the next month and a first step for Monday
- Practical approaches for all six, including what to do when it gets difficult
- A practice reference guide to keep on the desk
- For the organiser: summary notes on what the group found, and where support would help next
Why this isn't another management course
Most management training teaches models: a feedback framework, a situational leadership grid, a coaching acronym.
This day teaches habits and communication skills, connected to the two things organisations care about most: results, and keeping the people who get them.
It's built from four things that rarely sit in one person.
Delivery
Twice a VP of Engineering. I've promoted specialists into management and seen the jump from the manager's side.
People
VP of HR, in the same business where I'd led engineering. I've seen the jump from HR's side too, and what keeps good people.
Meaning
A background in Media Science and journalism. Five of the six practices are communication, so that's where the day puts its weight.
Making
Hands-on all day, with no hours of slides. Managers work on their own teams, not invented case studies.
6 → 200+
an engineering organisation I grew, and the managers who led it
Both sides
of the management jump: VP of Engineering and VP of HR
60%+
delivery effectiveness across a 1,000-initiative portfolio, with morale rising alongside
Who it's for
It works best for:
- New managers in their first couple of years, who weren't taught the basics
- Specialists stepping into management: engineers, analysts, designers, consultants and others promoted for being good at the work
- Experienced managers who want to look at their practice honestly, with peers
- Management teams who want a shared standard for what good management looks like in their organisation
It works well as a standing day for each new group of managers, so everyone who steps up gets the same start.
It isn't an executive leadership programme, a certificate course, or a one-off session on a feedback model.
Make something you keep (optional)
Turn the day into something that outlasts it: a printed set of your organisation's management standards for every manager's desk, a short film for future cohorts, or a podcast episode for the wider business. It's priced separately and agreed on the call.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost?
It depends on the size of the group and where we're working, so we agree the price on the 20-minute call.
Is it for new managers or experienced ones?
Both. New managers get the basics nobody taught them. Experienced managers usually find the value in seeing the six practices together, and in noticing which one they've let slide.
Can we run it for an existing management team?
Yes. It works for a peer group from across the business or for one management team together. With one team, the day also gives them a shared standard to hold each other to.
Is this leadership development?
No. Leadership programmes tend to focus on vision and influence. This is about the everyday work of managing a team well, which is where most managers spend most of their week.
Can it run remotely?
It works best in person. If that isn't possible, ask me about a remote version.
What happens after the day?
Every manager leaves with a plan and a guide, and the organiser gets summary notes. Managers who'd like a fresh pair of eyes on something specific afterwards can book Office Hours.
Start with a 20-minute call.
Tell me about your managers and what you'd like to be different. There's no pitch and no follow-up sequence. If it isn't the right fit, I'll say so.
Or email info@cultivatednotes.com. I usually reply within 48 hours.
For whoever holds the budget
The Manager's Practice is a one-day workshop for our managers on the six everyday practices behind well-run teams: setting the bar, feedback, one-to-ones, knowing their people, knowing the results, and improving how work moves. Each manager leaves with a plan they start the following Monday. It's run by Rob Lambert, former VP of Engineering and VP of HR, so it's built around results and keeping good people together. One day, 8 to 20 managers, in person.