🌟 Exciting News: Our New Manager Training is Now Available Online!

At the Frontline Management Institute (FMI), we’re always listening to the needs of our clients—and we’re excited to share something new!

We’re launching our New Manager Training Program in an accessible, live online format. The course runs over 8 weekly sessions of 90 minutes each, making it easier than ever for busy professionals to build their leadership skills without taking full days away from the workplace.

This new option was developed in response to organisations who wanted a flexible, affordable way to support individual new or emerging managers—and we’re thrilled to now offer it.

The first 90 days in any management role set the tone for long-term success. For new managers, this period is critical: it’s when your team forms first impressions, when you establish your leadership style, and when you build the foundations of trust and performance.

Mastering the right skills early makes the transition smoother and positions you for lasting impact. Here are five essential skills every new manager should focus on in their first three months.

Why New Manager Training Reduces Staff Turnover and Boosts ROI from Team Performance

Stepping into a management role is one of the biggest transitions in a professional career. Yet many organisations underestimate how critical the first few months of leadership are — not just for the individual manager, but for the team they lead.

Research consistently shows that managers play a defining role in employee engagement and retention. Poorly prepared new managers can quickly become a key driver of staff turnover, low morale, and reduced productivity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just for tech experts or large corporations. At Frontline Management Institute, we know that AI for managers is already built into many of the systems and apps frontline managers use. When applied in a practical way, AI can save time, reduce stress, and make managing teams more effective — even if you’re not tech-savvy.

These practical AI tools for frontline managers are easy to implement and can quickly improve your daily workflow.

Stepping into management is one of the biggest transitions in any career. Moving from being part of the team to leading the team brings new responsibilities, expectations, and challenges. For first-time managers, it’s normal to feel both excited and a little overwhelmed.

The good news? With the right strategies, you can overcome these challenges and thrive in your new role.

A practical certification program for frontline managers to showcase their competencies and advance their role and career. The key components of the certification include:

• Current Achievements: Highlighting your current role, responsibilities and 3 key accomplishments as a manager.

• Future Improvement Plans: Outlining 2 strategies for enhancing management skills to benefit the candidate’s organisation.

• Personal Development Plans: Outlining the most important area of personal management skills and identifying steps for boosting individual performance.

Christy Smith is a dynamic and engaging Senior Trainer and Coach at the Frontline Management Institute (FMI), specialising in leadership development, frontline management, project management, communication and people skills. With extensive experience across multiple industries—including hospitality, health, education, government and construction—Christy brings real-world expertise, relatable stories, and actionable insights to her training sessions.

Challenge: Improve access to project management skills development for professionals across rural and regional South Australia.

Solution: A series of interactive face to face workshops delivered to groups in three different locations across South Australia with a focus on project management.

Outcome: Engaging sessions that enabled attendees to collaborate with others, and develop confidence in managing projects and making strategic decisions.

Challenge: How to implement a consistent management approach that would drive performance and help nurture a positive company culture.

Solution: Tailored program for new managers focusing on equipping new managers with the skills and strategies necessary for effective leadership.

Outcome: The program successfully provided new managers with the tools and techniques required to manage their teams and enhance performance.

Challenge: Standardised graduate development program to ensure consistency in training and to support the growth of its new hires.

Solution: Tailored graduate development program that combined expertise from both the company and FMI delivered over a three-year period to graduates across Australia.

Outcome: Over the course of 15 years, many of the initial graduates progressed into senior positions within the company, demonstrating the long-term value of the program. The initiative also contributed to higher employee retention rates and played a significant role in fostering a strong, cohesive company culture.

Challenge: The client, an international supplier of industrial gases, faced the challenge of ensuring, across the entire organization in Australia and New Zealand, from general managers to new supervisors, spoke a unified language when it came to leadership.

Solution: Tailored program that catered to managers and supervisors at every level spanning two years, fostering a cohesive approach to leadership across the company.

Outcome: The program not only unified leadership practices but also delivered substantial, measurable business value. Over a five-year period, team members implemented initiatives that delivered an AUD $108 million return on investment, as validated by senior management.

Challenge: Employee who was on a performance management plan due to complaints about intimidation and bullying.

Solution: Tailored coaching program

Outcome: A clear understanding of why these behaviours were taking place, a clear strategy for addressing them, significant improvements to workplace behaviours and improvement to quality of life for the employee.

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Just like an athlete uses a coach to improve their performance, so too can a manager engage a coach to improve their effectiveness and efficiency as a manager by changing their behaviours.

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Move over Myers Briggs, these six behavioural traits have been linked to high potential personalities for successful careers.