Professional Development

Manager's Academy — Part One

Step-In Ukraine  ·  Cadet GO  ·  June 2026  ·  Matthew Jones
A full-day management training covering leadership style, delegation, and communication — grounded in Situational Leadership (Hersey & Blanchard), McGregor's motivation theory, and structured frameworks for negotiation and delivering difficult messages. Applied to a multi-site humanitarian health programme managing doctors and nurses across four cities.
Diagram 1 — Managerial tasks: overview
MANAGERIAL TASKS FOR SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP OF SUBORDINATES Cadet GO · Hersey & Blanchard Building Team Cooperation Evaluation of Subordinates Communication Personal Appearance Change Management Motivation Setting Up Objectives Leading Towards Objectives Development of Subordinates Planning Resource Management Leading of Meetings
1

Goal Leadership

How to adapt leadership style to the individual and the task, rather than applying a single approach across the team. Motivation theory as a foundation for management decisions.

Frameworks covered
  • S1–S4 Situational Leadership — four styles (Directing, Coaching, Supporting, Delegating) matched to the person's competence and commitment for the specific task
  • D1–D4 Development levels — diagnostic framework: Can they do it? Will they do it? Diagnosis is task-specific, not person-general
  • Theory X/Y McGregor's motivation model — the assumption you hold about people shapes the management culture you create
  • SMARTER Goal-setting with Evaluation and Review built in — a SMART goal without a scheduled review is an intention, not a commitment
  • Feedback Eight feedback types (direct, coaching, mentoring, evaluating, descriptive, positive, appreciation, appraisal) — matched to purpose and developmental stage
Diagram 2 — The specialist–manager transition
SPECIALIST MGR Shifting into management means changing the ratio — not discarding specialist expertise
Diagram 3 — Productive work analysis: HOW / WHY / WHAT
HOW? Skills Knowledge ~60% WHY? Motivation ~90% WHAT? Expectations · 40–80% Goals / Tasks Behaviour / Results
Diagram 4 — Situational leadership: S1–S4 model
MOTIVATION RESPONSIBILITY / COMPETENCE → low high S3 — SUPPORTIVE Ask for opinion Ask how you can help Create conditions for performance Let them decide · Give advice High competence, variable commitment S2 — MENTORING Assign tasks Ask for opinion · Give hints Teach and explain Decide and hold responsibility Growing competence, low commitment S4 — DELEGATING Ask for opinion Set direction, vision, intention Assume autonomy Low communication needed High competence, high commitment S1 — DIRECTIVE Assign tasks · Head toward goal Command, little tolerance Communicate directly Low competence, high commitment
Diagram 5 — Positive criticism: 3-step model
1 CRITICISM 2 UNDERSTAND root cause 3 SOLUTION
Positive criticism — how to do it

Criticism is directed at the activity, behaviour, or approach — not at the person.

Delivering the criticism
  • Private, immediate — alone and as soon as possible
  • Proportional to the seriousness of the mistake
  • Specific and clear — describe the impact and context, not just what happened
  • Backed by evidence
  • Request acceptance — the person acknowledges it before moving on
Moving to solution
  • Agree a new goal and how to reach it — frame it positively
  • Show trust in the person
  • Use Win-Win form
  • If relevant: clarify the consequence if behaviour is not corrected
  • Close on a positive conclusion
Common mistakes to avoid
  • Criticising in front of others
  • Comparing to other team members
  • Delaying — give feedback promptly, not stored up
  • Stacking multiple criticisms in one conversation
  • Using irony or sarcasm
  • Speculating on the person's motives
  • Exaggerating — avoid "you always…" / "you never…"
  • Body language that contradicts the message
2

Delegation

Delegation as a staff development tool, not workload transfer. The question is not who can do this task, but who will benefit most from doing it.

Frameworks covered
  • 7-Step Delegation process — decide, choose, prepare, motivate, set (SMART), hand over, give feedback. Steps 6 (responsibility transfer) and 7 (positive feedback) are the most commonly skipped
  • Task matrix Four task categories by frequency and difficulty — determines delegation approach: immediate, with preparation, systematise, or invest in training
3

Manager's Communication

Controlled, purposeful communication — choosing the right channel, reducing information loss through layers, negotiating for durable outcomes, and delivering difficult news without avoidance or bluntness.

Frameworks covered
  • Channel hierarchy SMS → chat → phone → video → face-to-face. Default to the highest-fidelity channel the situation permits
  • Dilution Each management layer loses ~50% of the original meaning. In a 4-layer hierarchy, 12.5% of the message arrives intact
  • Win-Win Four outcomes: L-L, L-W, W-L, W-W. Only W×W is durable. Separate intention from method; discover the other person's interest, not their position
  • Fisher-Ury Getting to Yes — separate people from problem; focus on interests not positions; generate options before settling; anchor on objective criteria
  • Difficult news 7-step protocol: open door → state it plainly → name what would have happened otherwise → honest upside → first step → resources → appreciate the team
  • Managing up Anticipate what senior leaders need; adapt to their communication style; bring solutions not just problems; flag issues early
Diagram 6 — Communication channel hierarchy
PERSONAL FACE-TO-FACE VIDEO CALL PHONE CHAT / WHATSAPP SMS / EMAIL ← most effective ← least effective
Diagram 7 — Information dilution through management layers
Source Layer 1 Layer 2 Layer 3

Personal Development Commitments

Stop

  • Defaulting to a supportive style when it isn't appropriate When a team member lacks competence on a task, supportive style delays development. Match style to readiness for that specific task, not to overall capability or personal comfort.
  • Using "why?" defensively to delay rather than understand In difficult conversations, "why?" can function as a challenge rather than a question — pushing the other person into justification mode. Notice when it's buying time rather than gathering information.
  • Defaulting to low-fidelity channels for nuanced conversations Sensitive feedback, complex instructions, and emotionally loaded messages lose critical context when sent as text. Upgrade to phone or face-to-face when the message requires it.

Start

  • Giving feedback more explicitly — positive and negative Name the specific behaviour and its effect, and say it clearly. Vague positive feedback doesn't reinforce; vague corrective feedback doesn't change behaviour.
  • Weekly planned communication review (six questions) A structured weekly check: who needs to hear from me? Who haven't I spoken to? What am I not saying? What messages am I sending unintentionally? Are key relationships maintained? Is anything at risk of silence?
  • Applying Win-Win preparation before upward conversations Before conversations with senior management, clarify: what do I need, what do they need, and where is the overlap? Entering without this tends to produce advocacy without alignment.

Change

  • Shift responsibility to team rather than holding it centrally Retaining responsibility for tasks that belong to the team creates bottlenecks and prevents development. Outcomes ownership should sit with the person doing the work.
  • Delegate operational tasks more actively Time on operational execution is time not spent managing. Identify which tasks others can own, create clear handoffs, and resist the pull back toward individual contributor work.
  • Shift communication balance toward preventive Most communication time currently goes to fixing misunderstandings. Invest upfront in briefing, expectation-setting, and checking understanding before problems emerge.

Post-Training Survey

Three short questions — takes about 2 minutes. Your answers help shape what comes next.