SocialTalent New Content Release: Leadership Training

Described as “the most transformative function within an organization” by the renowned Pat Wadors, leadership is always a top priority in today’s workplace. Strong leaders define vision and culture – they connect every stage of the employee lifecycle, develop talent, and drive results. They are the linchpin of success.

However, according to research conducted by Gallup, as many as 50% of employees have left their job to get away from a manager at some point in their careers. Poor leadership is an endemic feature within almost every organization, and the cascading impact this can have is huge. Employees are becoming less and less tolerant of inefficient management and will quickly seek out companies with leaders who prioritize elements like well-being, career mobility, trust, and development.

We cannot understate the importance of effective leadership. But that brings up the question – how can organizations ensure that their managers are up to the task? It’s simple: leadership training. And SocialTalent is thrilled to unveil a treasure trove of fresh, empowering content on our learning platform that’s been tailor-made to ignite your leadership journey. Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking to refine your leadership skills or a budding manager taking your first steps into the world of leadership, we’ve got you covered.

Why is leadership training important?

In a poll we ran during our SocialTalent Live event earlier this year, we asked our audience if they regularly undertake leadership training, and the results were eye-opening. 64% said they didn’t and over a quarter had never received any training whatsoever. 

In an ever-changing work environment, having effective leaders is like having a permanent north star. Equipping your managers with the right insights and tools will help you build work-smart teams who perform and are innovative – and this in turn directly impacts business success. But great leaders don’t just happen. And this is where SocialTalent’s new leadership training course can help bridge the gap.

Our expert-led content is split across four pillars and ensures that leaders and managers can Hire, Manage, and Engage top talent, while they also Grow their own careers. Here’s what we mean: 

• Hire: Learn all the skills needed to make better hiring decisions that foster diversity, eliminate bias, and drive work-smart teams.
• Manage: The nuts and bolts of management – here you’ll learn all about adapting to hybrid leadership, communication, feedback, and productivity.
• Engage: Discover the secrets of employee engagement. Learn how to create inclusive, psychologically safe, trust-driven teams.
• Grow: Your development is important too. Grow the skills and learn the behaviors that will result in long-term leadership success.

Let’s dig into each pillar and explore some of the amazing new content now LIVE on the SocialTalent platform!

1. Hire

Aimed at both new managers and experienced hiring managers, this content is all about learning the skills that help you find, hire, onboard, and engage the best talent. 

For our new manager content, we’ve teamed with recruiting leadership experts Kachi Okoronokwo and Aubrey Blanche to deliver learning paths that help familiarize users with hiring procedures and processes. They share best practices on everything from creating job descriptions and working with recruiters, to setting out hiring strategies and conducting quality interviews. 

Kachi and Aubrey dig into the behaviors of the most successful hiring managers. They help you understand what good looks like and how you can benchmark against this. You’ll also learn about proven strategies and tactics for different hiring scenarios like hiring for growth, for replacement, or for temporary assignments.

For seasoned hiring managers, John Vlastelica’s “Licensed to Hire” learning path remains the definitive training within this space. Designed to bring Hiring Managers to that next level, it teaches you how to make great hiring decisions that prioritize speed, diversity, and quality all while ensuring the perfect candidate experience.

2. Manage

Focused on the practical elements of management, this content provides a playbook of the skills needed to lead teams whether in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid setting. 

Firstly, we join Jason Lauritsen and Linda Jonas for a comprehensive set of missions that demystify the world of hybrid leadership. Now the new-normal, managing hybrid teams requires a unique toolkit and mindset shift in order to leverage this working style efficiently. Jason and Linda have been coaching in this sphere for years and offer their actionable insights into:

• How to Communicate Effectively as a Hybrid Leader
• How to Manage Hybrid Team Performance and Motivation
• How to Foster Connection in Hybrid Teams 
• How to Master Employee One-on-Ones and Feedback

Renowned leadership coaches David Dye and Karin Hurt, Founders of Let’s Grow Leaders, and Makeda Andrews, Founder of the The Impactful Leader, have also created some exciting leadership content under this pillar. Focusing on common mistakes new managers make (think: communication issues, accountability, and people pleasing!) and how to avoid them, and strategies on how to truly thrive as a manager, these missions are about helping both fledgling and seasoned leaders to become the best versions of themselves.

Along with all these brand new missions, you’ll also find some of SocialTalent’s best foundational inclusive leadership content. Learn from some of the industry’s most important DEI experts, like Joe Gerstandt and Mo Abdullah, about how to create psychological safety in your organization and how to manage cross-cultural teams.

3. Engage

Our Engage pillar takes leadership skills to that next level – this content delves deeper into some of the situations and challenges that managers will face throughout their careers.

Centering on building connection and gaining trust, this content aims to create inclusive workplaces that are powered by authentic, agile, and empathetic leaders. David and Karin’s training on managing conflict and difficult conversations is the perfect example of this, teaching leaders how to de-escalate tricky scenarios, communicate appropriately, and guide teams through tough conversations.

Fostering an engaged team is no simple feat and requires managers to be well versed in a variety of other topics. From understanding inclusive language and racial awareness, to onboarding new hires, mentoring, and career coaching, leaders must wear many hats in order to succeed. And luckily for you, SocialTalent has a wealth of content that covers all these bases also!

4. Grow

Being a successful leader is as much about your own development as that of your team. How you evolve and navigate through this changing world is pivotal – but through regular training, you’ll uncover and transform the behaviors that impede your long-term progress.

Learn from award-winning executive coach and author, Marshall Goldsmith, about the habits that hold you back from achieving your career goals. Next, the enlightening Lianne Weaver and Debbie Danon focus on your emotional wellbeing as a manager. Lianne gives practical steps for dealing with stress, particularly early in your management career, while Debbie digs into tackling imposter syndrome and the inner critic.

And finally, learn the skills needed to become a master networker from the incredible Kingsley Aikins. His new content, specifically aimed at managers, will teach you all the practicalities of networking and how this action is vital for your development as a leader.

Check out SocialTalent’s leadership training solutions today

The leadership training space has a tendency of being somewhat fragmented and focuses on outdated methodologies. SocialTalent’s learning paths flip the script – we provide a holistic, curated learning experience that caters to any leadership level. Our expert-led content has been designed to inspire and inform, giving leaders the skills and tools that are rooted in the realities of modern organizations.

This latest content release provides a comprehensive update to our leadership solution. With over 22 hours of new learning paths to explore, each broken up into manageable, bite-size missions, SocialTalent’s leadership training is accessible to everyone.

Interested in learning more about our Leadership Training Program? Contact a member of the SocialTalent team today.