Managing managers training supports leaders moving from managing individual contributors to managing other managers. It covers the shift in role and values, leading through others, selecting and coaching team leads, calibrating performance across teams, building bench strength and managing across boundaries. Bodhih designs it with ADDIE and customises it to your structure and talent processes.
- Recommended: 2 days in person plus a 90-day coaching circle, or 6 × 3-hour live virtual sessions
- Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: manager of managers training, leading managers program, second-line manager training, leading leaders training
Where and how: managing managers training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why the manager-of-managers step matters more in 2026
Flatter structures mean fewer rungs and bigger jumps. A leader promoted today may go straight from running one team to overseeing several team leads, with less time to grow into it and fewer peers to learn from.
This is the transition where many strong managers quietly stall. They stay the go-to problem-solver in the room, bypass their team leads and become the bottleneck. Managing managers training addresses that shift head-on.
CNBC analysis cited by Forbes found the number of managers at public companies fell 6.1% between May 2022 and May 2025.
DDI reports high-potential talent is 3.7 times more likely to leave if managers do not provide growth opportunities.
What participants will be able to do
Redefine their own value
Describe how their success now depends on the capability of their team leads rather than their personal expertise.
Lead through, not around
Route decisions and escalations through their team leads instead of stepping in directly with frontline staff.
Coach managers, not tasks
Hold monthly development conversations with each team lead focused on judgement, people decisions and growth.
Calibrate fairly across teams
Run a calibration discussion that applies consistent standards to performance ratings across several teams.
Build bench strength
Identify and stretch at least one potential successor for each team lead role within six months.
Connect teams to strategy
Translate business priorities into aligned goals across teams and resolve conflicts between them early.
Who should attend
- Managers recently promoted to lead two or more team leads or first-line managers
- Delivery heads, practice leads and account managers in IT services and GCCs
- Operations managers leading shift managers or supervisors in BPO, manufacturing and logistics
- Area and regional managers overseeing branch or store managers
- Experienced managers of managers who want to stop being the bottleneck
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01The managing managers passageModule 1 · 90 min+
- The leadership transition: shifts in skills, time and work values
- What to stop doing: the tasks that now belong to your team leads
- Self-audit: where you still act as a super team lead
- Setting a personal 'let go' list for the next 30 days
02Selecting and setting up team leadsModule 2 · 2 hours+
- What great team leads do differently at your organisation
- Spotting leadership potential, not just technical excellence
- Clear decision rights for each team lead
- Onboarding a new team lead in their first 60 days
03Coaching and developing your managersModule 3 · 2 hours+
- Coaching a team lead through a people problem without taking it over
- Skip-level conversations that inform without undermining
- Giving feedback on a manager's leadership style
- Triad practice with real cases
04Calibration and fair performance decisionsModule 4 · 90 min+
- Common rating biases across teams
- Running a calibration meeting with evidence, not advocacy
- Handling a team lead who protects an underperformer
- Linking outcomes to development plans
05Building bench strength and successionModule 5 · 90 min+
- A simple nine-box conversation for your own unit
- Stretch assignments that grow future team leads
- Retaining high-potential people who want faster growth
- Bench plan for every critical role
06Aligning teams and managing acrossModule 6 · 2 hours+
- Cascading goals so teams pull in the same direction
- Resolving conflict between two of your team leads
- Managing peers and senior stakeholders across functions
- 90-day leadership plan and coaching circle set-up
Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design
This two-day design helps leaders who now oversee team leads stop being the bottleneck. Participants use their own org chart as the case. They audit where they still act as a super team lead, set decision rights for each team lead, coach a team lead through a people problem without taking it over, run a calibration meeting, build a bench plan and resolve conflict between two of their leads. The capstone is a facilitated calibration and conflict simulation. A 90-day coaching circle follows.
Participants can let go of team-lead work, set decision rights and coach a team lead without taking over.
- 09:30–10:00The bottleneck bottleEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Am I a super team lead?Diagnostic
- 11:15–12:15Decision rights on my org chartBuild sprint
- 12:15–13:00Spotting potentialCase clinic
- 13:45–14:15Coach the manager, not the taskConcept burst
- 14:15–15:30Triad practice with real casesReal-play
- 15:45–16:45Feedback on a leader's styleRole-play
- 16:45–17:30My first hand-backReflection
Participants can run a fair calibration, build a bench plan and align and resolve conflict across teams.
- 09:30–10:00Rate the drawingEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Calibration practiceSimulation
- 11:15–12:00The protected underperformerRole-play
- 12:00–13:00My bench planBuild sprint
- 13:45–14:30Cascade the goalsGroup challenge
- 14:30–15:30Capstone: two leads at warSimulation
- 15:45–16:30Set up the coaching circlePeer coaching
- 16:30–17:30My 90-day leadership planAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30) plus a 90-day peer coaching circle, or 6 × 3-hour live virtual sessions. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is managing managers training?
The recommended design is two days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, followed by a 90-day peer coaching circle. It also runs as six live virtual sessions of three hours each. A longer blended journey with assessment and coaching is available for leadership pipeline cohorts.
What activities are included in managing managers training?
Participants audit where they act as a super team lead, map decision rights on their own org chart, coach a team lead through a real people problem in triads, chair a calibration panel, build a bench plan and lead a joint meeting between two team leads in open conflict.
How we deliver it
Your own org chart as the case
Participants map their real team leads, bench and decision rights, so every tool produces something usable on Monday.
Peer coaching circles
Small circles of four to five managers of managers meet after the program to work through live challenges using a structured format.
Practice on hard conversations
Facilitators play team leads who resist feedback, defend weak performers or feel bypassed, so participants rehearse realistic scenarios.
HR and sponsor alignment
We align the program with your existing performance, calibration and succession processes rather than introducing a parallel system.
Tailored versions
For IT services and GCC delivery heads
Cases focus on managing project and delivery managers across accounts, onsite-offshore models and technical leaders who want to stay hands-on.
For operations and multi-site managers
Content suited to area, regional and plant managers leading supervisors across shifts or locations, with site visits built into the plan.
Leadership pipeline cohort
A 90-day blended journey that pairs this program with assessment and coaching for managers identified for the next level.
How we measure impact
Evaluation follows the ADDIE model. Participants take a pre and post assessment of leading-through-others competencies on AssessAll, and their team leads can give a short 360° pulse at the start and at 90 days. Sponsors join check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days to review let-go lists and bench plans. We then review agreed indicators with HR, such as team lead retention, internal promotion rates and decision cycle times.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What changes when you start managing managers?
Your job shifts from getting work done through individuals to building managers who get work done. You spend more time selecting, coaching and aligning team leads, and less time solving problems yourself. Your measures of success change too: the strength of your team leads and their benches matters as much as this quarter's numbers.
How do you coach a manager who reports to you?
Focus on their judgement rather than the task. Ask how they are thinking about a people problem, what options they see and what support they need, then let them own the decision. Give feedback on their leadership, not only their results. Our managing managers training includes practice with facilitators playing team leads in realistic situations.
How do you build bench strength in your team?
Identify one or two potential successors for each key role, give them stretch assignments with support, and review their progress regularly. Talk openly with them about their growth. In the program, participants build a bench plan for their own unit and learn how to retain high-potential people who are eager to move faster.
Why do senior managers struggle to let go of hands-on work?
Hands-on work is where they built their reputation, and it feels productive and safe. Under pressure, jumping in seems faster than coaching someone else. The cost is hidden: team leads stop growing and the senior manager becomes a bottleneck. The program uses a 'let go' list and peer accountability to break this habit.
How many direct reports should a manager of managers have?
There is no single right number. It depends on how experienced the team leads are, how standardised the work is and how much coaching they need. Fewer, newer team leads need more support. The program helps leaders look at their own span honestly and decide where to invest coaching time.
Is this program only for large organisations?
No. Any organisation where a manager leads other managers can benefit, including fast-growing mid-sized firms and GCCs building their first senior layer. We customise the depth and duration after a needs analysis. Bodhih has worked with more than 2,000 companies since 2008, across a wide range of sizes and structures.
How does this relate to succession planning?
Succession planning is an HR process for identifying and developing future leaders across the organisation. Managing managers training equips the line leaders who make that process real, by coaching team leads and growing their benches. The two work well together, and we align the program with your existing talent review cycle.