Your business may be filled with talented, enthusiastic, and hard-working employees, but without a great general manager, it can be tough to get everyone working as a team. You may have heard this analogy before, but a general manager is like the captain of a ship: everyone knows what they’re doing, but when waters get choppy the ship can lose course. By having a good manager, they can ensure your ship navigates safely through the storm to the other side.

Even when there isn’t a storm, a general manager should be able to lead a team from one success to another. A business owner needs to have confidence that a manager is going to get the most out of their team so they can deliver results and maximize profits.

To do this, one of the most effective ways of ensuring a general manager is at the top of their game is by providing them with access to general manager training courses.

Why having a good general manager benefits your business

Moving away from the ship's captain analogy, a general manager benefits your business for a number of reasons. A solid general manager has skills and qualities that benefit all aspects of your business, some of which may not be initially obvious. 

1. Bring a team together

A good general manager isn’t a boss, but a leader. A leader brings a team together in ways a boss can’t, by using compassion, empathy, transparency, and trust. When a team works well together, they’re as productive and efficient as they can be.

2. Implement improvements

Just because something works, it doesn’t mean it couldn’t work better. A good general manager will strive to make improvements across all areas, therefore increasing outputs and saving costs.

3. Offer knowledge and insight

A good general manager doesn’t keep knowledge to themselves, they share it with their team, and provide training to bring everyone up to the same standard. This allows for more progression, which prevents the need to hire and saves recruitment costs.

4. A point of escalation

While accountability within a team is important, so is knowing when a problem or issue needs to be escalated. A good manager will want to let their team shine, but know when they need to get involved to make sure the relationship with customers and clients remains strong.

How to recognize a great general manager

A great general manager has many qualities that make them respected within your organization, which helps drive your team to success. But how do you recognize whether a general manager has strong leadership skills?

• Are they a visionary thinker? Do they passionately plan and visualize the future of their team? A great manager will always be thinking ahead, looking for opportunities to develop both their teams and your business.
• Do they lead by example? Do they get stuck in, or delegate important tasks? Great managers set the standard and lead by example.
• Are they good motivators? Managers get the most out of their teams by motivating them so they always produce their best work.
• Do they follow through on promises? By keeping promises, managers gain the trust of their team.
• Are they good negotiators? Good negotiation skills are more than just money-related, they also help with conflicts. Strong communication - including listening - is vital for a manager.

While a general manager may not have all these qualities at present, general management courses can help them to get there. Leadership training programs for managers provide all the skills and knowledge they need to become well-rounded, confident, and respected managers.

What is manager training?

General manager training helps managers, trainee managers, and employees looking to develop and upskill get all the necessary skills needed to lead a team. Manager training and development courses are suitable for anyone who manages other employees, including general managers, team leaders, HR personnel, and business owners.

Many people have management skills, but general manager training helps refine those skills, so employees can put them to good use. With better managers comes happier employees and happier clients - which in turn results in more money for your business.

What should new managers be trained in?

New managers have less experience compared to seasoned managers who may have been overseeing teams for a while. Because of this, those new to the role may lack confidence or the relevant skills. However, new manager training will equip them with everything they need to hit the ground running.

Training for new managers should include:

• People management
• Conflict resolution
• HR basics
• Personal development
• Collaboration
• Working with remote teams
• Diversity
• Emotional intelligence

These topics are also useful for existing managers looking to develop their current skills and focus on something they may be less confident in. They’re also useful refresher topics that should be offered to ensure managers have current knowledge, especially in important areas such as diversity, HR, personal development, and conflict resolution.

Other topics covered in general manager training courses

As well as the above, there are many courses that all managers would benefit from receiving. Online manager training can focus on the fundamentals of management, or they can focus on a specific topic.

Topics covered in general management courses include:

• Inclusivity
• Cyber security
• Recruitment
• Employee retention
• Industry-specific topics
• Fire safety, first aid, and emergency response
• Training and development
• How to identify skill gaps

How to train general managers

General manager training programs can be conducted in person, such as at external training seminars or one-to-one sessions in-house, however, these can be time-consuming and expensive. Attending face-to-face training also means taking time away from the business, which can potentially be disruptive.

One of the most convenient, cost-effective, and non-intrusive ways to upskill employees is online manager training. Online training is undertaken as and when an employee has time, meaning it doesn’t interfere with daily responsibilities. Because the training material has already been produced by leading experts, it’s instantly accessible - anytime and on any device. That means managers can learn during quieter periods, or take a crash course to learn a specific skill quickly.

Great general manager training courses

Both new and existing managers would benefit from a range of important topics, including:

• What you Need to Know as a New Training Manager
• The Respectful Workplace: Champion Civility
• The Respectful Workplace: Manage for Respect - Expect the Best
• A Co-Worker Has an Embarrassing Problem
• Teaching Civility in the Workplace
• Equality & Diversity Introduction Module
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
• Manager Zen: Acceptance

Organize general manager training courses today

General manager training courses are a solid step toward ensuring your teams deliver the very best results, and are cost-effective and convenient. Go1 has a wide range of management courses - for more information, book a demo today.