How to Prepare New Managers Before They’re Promoted

Promoting a high-performing employee into a management role doesn’t automatically make them a good leader. Without preparation, many new managers struggle to adjust. The result? Micromanagement, poor delegation, team friction or burnout.

As Forbes puts it: “Although first-time managers know they are expected to delegate, they check and double check everything that every team member is doing.”

To avoid this, you need to start developing your future managers before they’re promoted.

As a senior leader you can manage this in-house if you have the resources. You know your staff and you see talent as it comes through.

An alternative is to partner with a training firm who will adapt the training to your exact needs.

You may also have found – through trial and error – that off-the-shelf training rarely meets your needs – and therefore given up on the idea of preparing your new managers in advance.

What you’re looking for is bespoke training. Because this is what sticks and gives you the ROI you need in order to justify the investment.

At Keystone, we partner with you to do just that – through structured, practical training that builds confidence and capability in advance.

However, you may feel you’re not yet ready to go that route. So, in the meantime, we’re happy to share how you can help prepare your new managers before you promote them.

1. Build Confidence Through Delegation and Autonomy

Micromanagement limits growth. If your goal is to create capable future leaders, new managers need space to learn how to own outcomes, make decisions and take responsibility.

Start by:

• Setting goals that align with your employee’s aspirations and business needs

• Giving them room to work out how to achieve those goals

• Providing feedback at agreed check-in points

Training can help managers learn to delegate with trust, not just instructions, and understand when to step in and when to step back.

2. Offer Structured Mentoring and Coaching for Possible New Managers

Mentoring shows employees that you’re invested in their growth. It also builds self-awareness and helps them understand what management really involves.

You can support this by:

• Pairing aspiring managers with experienced leaders

• Including coaching-style conversations in one-to-ones

• Using training to develop internal mentoring capability

At Keystone, we help organisations embed coaching and mentoring into their learning culture to accelerate leadership development.

3. Recognise and Reward Early Wins for Aspiring New Managers

When aspiring managers contribute to success, highlight it. Recognition builds confidence and motivation – and encourages the behaviours you want to see more of.

Whether it’s in team meetings, appraisals or public praise, make sure credit is given where it’s due. It sends a clear message: we notice leadership behaviours and we value them.

4. Provide Structured Management Training

Most employees don’t learn how to manage through instinct alone. They need guidance, support and structured input.

Invest in training that covers:

• Leading people and managing performance

• Communication, feedback and conducting difficult conversations

• Time and priority management

• Emotional intelligence and self-awareness

Our programmes at Keystone are tailored to the context and goals of each organisation. We don’t just teach theory. We equip people dynamically with the experience of how to apply it straight away in their own context. In this case, your context. If this sounds what you’re looking for, let’s talk.

5. Let New Managers Step Up in a Safe Environment

Experience is the best teacher – when it’s supported. Give your future managers the chance to lead parts of a project, represent the team in meetings or take on delegated tasks from their own manager.

Then debrief together. What worked? Which things didn’t? What would they do differently?

This gradual exposure helps them adjust to leadership expectations and builds resilience.

Why This Matters to Your Organisation

When you prepare people properly for leadership, you reduce risk and increase retention. You build a pipeline of capable, motivated new managers who already understand your values, culture and strategic goals.

You also avoid the costly consequences of poor management: low engagement, high turnover and inconsistent performance.

Keystone Training Can Help Prepare Your New Managers

Our experience in many organisations in different fields has proved that developing new managers before they’re promoted is a strategic investment in your future leadership team.

That’s why we create bespoke training programmes tailored to your unique business needs. Tailored training supports your future leaders, improves your internal development pathways and increases winning performances in all your teams through excellent leadership from your managers.

Contact Keystone Training today to find out how we can help.