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Performance management training for managers

Performance management training for managers

Learn how to manage performance, run effective 1-2-1s and support employee development in your team

Course overview

Performance management often gets a bad rap - but done well, it's one of the most powerful ways to build trust, improve employee performance and support your team's professional development.

This performance management course is built to help line managers tackle real-life challenges - from awkward feedback and inconsistent 1-2-1s to a lack of time for career development. You'll learn how small changes can help employees grow, build confidence and gain new skills.

Whether you're new to managing or looking to improve how you support your team, this course will give you practical tools to rethink performance for good - in under 30 minutes.

What's inside this course:

Led by Managing Director, Donna Obstfeld from HR consultancy, D O H R, this course includes three short modules:

  • Giving and receiving feedback - Discover how to build a culture of supportive feedback in your team that's clear, constructive and honest.

  • Leading effective 1-2-1s and performance reviews - Learn to lead focused check-ins that support employee development, performance goals and open communication.

  • Supporting your team's learning and development - Find simple ways to support career development, close skills gaps, and build personal development plans - without a big budget.

The course is designed to be short and practical, so you can take the modules in any order, revisit when needed and use the included resources to put your learning into action.

What you'll walk away with:

By the end of this performance management course, you'll have the essential tools to support your team’s professional development - from giving constructive feedback to encouraging everyday career development. You'll feel confident helping your team take actionable steps that support their individual objectives and align with wider business goals.

Start this course
Module 1

Giving and receiving feedback

How to give and receive constructive feedback

Feedback doesn't need to be formal, uncomfortable or avoided. In this module, Donna shares how to use feedback to strengthen working relationships, encourage self reflection and support employee development.

You'll learn how to give feedback that's specific, fair and kind - and how to receive it well, even when it's tough to hear. You'll also explore how and why regular feedback and self-awareness play a central role in effective performance management.

And in the resources section, you'll find a simple 360-degree feedback exercise you can run with your team, plus a handy infographic to help you respond to difficult feedback in the moment.

Useful resources:

Module 2

Leading effective 1-2-1s and performance reviews

How to structure performance appraisals and set clear performance goals

1-2-1s are a chance to connect - not just catch up. In this module, Donna shows you how to run structured, meaningful performance management conversations, so that you can support continuous improvement across your team and help them shape their individual performance goals.

You'll learn how to prepare, what to ask, how to document key points and why regular conversations beat one-off check-ins and annual reviews every time.

Then, in the resources section, you'll find a 1-2-1 document template that you can use to structure and record check-ins and performance reviews, as well as an appraisal checklist, a performance progress checklist and a guide on how to have smarter performance conversations.

Useful resources:

Module 3

Supporting your team's learning and development

How to support your team's development goals and provide them with a clear career development plan

Learning and development doesn't need to be costly - it needs to be consistent. In this module, Donna shares how you can support your team's growth and development goals through curiosity, conversation and everyday opportunities.

You'll learn how to start professional and personal development discussions and create meaningful career development plans that reflect individual aspirations.

And in the resources section, you'll find a toolkit full of easy ways you can support employee development - from shadowing and stretch tasks to peer learning and informal mentoring - plus a simple career development template to use with your team.

Useful resources:

Managers lack power and authority at work, study reveals

 

London, UK - New research has revealed an “authority gap”, which could prevent line managers from performing their roles effectively.

The survey of over 500 UK line managers, commissioned by HR software provider for small and scaling businesses Breathe HR, found that while line managers are tasked with responsibility, they often lack authentic power and authority within their organisation. 

This phenomenon, which experts are calling the “authority gap”, might include lacking the power to influence and make key decisions autonomously, control budgets, and shape team  objectives, despite having a managerial role. 

“Authority gap” creates cohort of “fauxthority” line managers

Overall, nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents admitted that, although they are responsible for one or more direct reports, they lack genuine power and authority within their organisation. 

Surprisingly, it’s not the newest managers who feel the “authority gap” most acutely:

  • Managers with 1 - 3 years of experience were most likely to feel like “fauxthority figures”, with 72% admitting they are responsible for people but feel powerless

  • By contrast, just 66% of managers with less than six months’ line management experience - and 63% of those with 6-12 months’ line management experience - said the same

 

Lack of training fuelling “authority gap”

When line managers were asked about factors that could be deepening the “authority gap”: 

  • More than 8 in 10 (83%) said they believe that authority increases in line with tenure 

  • Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) said more training would help them feel more confident and authoritative at work 

  • 43% said they don’t think their personality lends itself naturally to line management or leadership

  • Over a third (36%) said they feel people doubt their authority because of their age 

 

While factors like personality and tenure of line managers are largely beyond employers’ control, providing training and support to managers is within the organisation’s power. Yet, the findings suggest that this crucial area is being overlooked by organisations: 

  • Around 1 in 5 (18%) respondents said they received no formal training before becoming a line manager.

  • 17% said they have never been formally trained to handle tricky or unexpected workplace situations. 

  • A further 15% said they hadn’t been given any training to boost their confidence, authority and leadership skills. The lack of this type of training was most pronounced among experienced managers, with a third (33%) of those with 5+ years of line management experience reporting they had received no such support.

The findings suggest that a lack of training is fuelling the “authority gap”, leaving line managers ill-equipped to handle the everyday challenges of their roles. 

In response to the findings, Breathe HR is calling on employers to recognise line managers‘ pivotal role in workplaces, and invest in more support, training and resources to empower these key players to lead effectively and close the “authority gap”. 

To help, Breathe HR has launched the Breathe Growth Academy – a free skills hub designed to close workplace knowledge gaps in SME businesses, which often lack the time and funds to offer formal training in such areas. The Academy’s first course - Line Manager Essentials Training - recently launched with a series of bitesized interactive modules which will empower line managers with the skills to lead with confidence, authority, and impact. 

 

Phil Coxon, Managing Director at Breathe HR said: 

 “Line managers are business powerhouses. Yet they’re being overlooked – often tasked with a list of different responsibilities without any real power or authority to drive genuine impact. It’s a huge misstep. People drive business performance, and who understands your people better than their line managers?

 “With everything being thrown at businesses right now – from tax hikes to new workers’ rights – employers cannot afford to overlook those key players who keep teams well, engaged, and delivering results. 

 “We must recognise line managers as changemakers, who play a vital role in organisations. We must invest in their training and help them fully realise their skills, confidence, influence and authority. That’s how we create stronger, more resilient teams and unlock the full potential of our people - a must in challenging times.“

 

Charlie O’Brien, Head of People at Breathe HR said: 

 “Line managers are the glue that knits organisations together. They’re the ones on the front lines, who support and drive team performance, engagement and success. 

 “But they can only do this properly when they are empowered with tools, training and support. 

 “Employers who invest in and listen to their people managers – giving them real authority to make decisions, influence policy and shape outcomes – will see stronger, more confident managers, and teams that truly thrive.”

 

For all press inquiries, please contact Helena Forsberg helena@crestcomms.com

Congratulations, you've completed Breathe's performance management course for line managers

You’ve completed Breathe’s performance management course for line managers and learned how to turn performance management into something meaningful – not a tick-box exercise. You now know how to set clear expectations, have regular, open performance conversations, give constructive feedback and support each person’s professional development in a fair, consistent way.

Now, you’ve got the confidence and tools to make feedback feel normal and helpful, run 1-2-1s that people look forward to, and use everyday conversations to drive real performance and growth across your team.

Ready to test your knowledge?

Take the end-of-course quiz and earn your downloadable certificate when you score 80% or above.

Once you’re done, keep building your confidence with the rest of our expert-led Line Manager Essentials training in the Breathe Growth Academy – covering everything from communication skills to boundary setting.

If you’re a Breathe customer, don’t forget you can track your learning under ‘My training’ in your Breathe account.

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