First Time Manager
From Expert to Leader: Build Your Leadership Skills
Have you recently taken on your first managerial role, or are you about to lead a team for the first time? Are you eager to become a leader who inspires and motivates, but unsure where to start? Stepping into a leadership role can be challenging, but with the right guidance, you can thrive.
The First Time Manager training program is designed to help professionals transitioning from an expert role to a leadership position.
What you will achieve:
- Define your leadership style: Discover what type of leader you are and how to leverage your strengths to inspire and guide your team
- Develop key management skills: Master essential leadership practices — from effective decision-making and communication to motivating your team to achieve their best
- Drive team success: Learn how to support your team’s growth and ensure everyone is aligned with your vision.
- Improve practical skills: Build on your existing expertise by applying new leadership techniques to real-world challenges
This six-month program will consist:
- Five 3-hour interactive online workshops: Each session focuses on critical leadership topics and provides actionable insights
- Personal reflection and interim tasks: Reinforce your learning through guided reflections and hands-on tasks between workshops
- Small-group peer learning: Collaborate with fellow new leaders to solve common challenges, share experiences, and grow together
You can complete the program from anywhere in the world, learning directly from Aalto University’s top educators.
Are you ready to take the next step in your career and become a confident, effective leader? Enroll in the First Time Manager program to secure your place and gain the skills you need to thrive.
For
Is This Program Right for You? This program is designed specifically for:
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New Supervisors: Whether you've just stepped into a management role or you're about to, this program will prepare you with the skills to lead confidently and effectively from day one. |
Aspiring Leaders: If you're preparing for your first management position, this program will give you the knowledge and practical tools to hit the ground running. |
The program is suitable for new supervisors, team leaders, and project managers. From any industry, anywhere in the world, if you are stepping into a leadership role for the first time, this program will help you excel.
Meet our educators:
Contents and Schedule
The program will help you deepen your personal leadership and influencing mindset and construct your leader identity.
Learning outcomes:
- You will better understand your own leadership and operational context.
- Your personal leadership practices and sense of authority will be stronger, more concrete, and more defined.
- You will have an established routine and practices for continuously developing your leadership skills and authority.
Program Structure
Workshops
Five three-hour online workshops include lectures as well as discussions
Assignments
Through four personal assignments, you will reflect the themes of the training for your own work
Peer-to-peer work
Five peer group meetings in small groups serve as support between workshops
Core Modules
Participant Feedback from the First Time Manager Training Organized for Aalto University Alumni
(The feedback is translated from Finnish)
“I highly recommend the FTM training as an introduction to managerial work. Over the training, I have learned a lot about myself and my working methods. Not only have I learned to question my habits, but I have also been able to adapt completely new methods. The duration of the program is over six months, which helps in adopting new practices. Changes don’t happen overnight, but the support provided by the training helps you develop as a manager. The training doesn’t offer direct answers about how to be a great boss, but it gives you the tools to develop yourself towards that goal. If you participate in the training with an open mind and curiosity, you will surely find the program invaluable.”
“First Time Manager turned out to be a well-built training program with high-quality content. Managerial work is quite different from expert work. It is very useful for a new manager to have a comprehensive overall view of the different aspects and areas of management. Especially valuable in the training is the peer support from others in the same situation and the opportunity to discuss even difficult issues confidently. To get the most out of the training, it is advisable to reserve sufficient time for assignments, small group meetings, and independent reflection between training days.”
“The training provides a good basis for the beginnings of managerial work. The training provides peer support and contacts. It gives you tips on how to develop yourself as a leader. The best advantage of the training is gained by following the schedule of the assignments while making concrete small changes in your working environment. FTM training also highlights the importance of well-being and recovery and the emphasis on other areas of life to be able to keep up with work.”