Becoming a manager is a common career aspiration. But what happens when you get there? For someone new to managing a team, there are a lot of unknowns. At NextRoll, we don’t expect new managers to learn independently. 

Our New Manager Program is designed for Rollers hired or promoted into a People Management position for the first time. The program includes live workshops with a cohort of fellow managers, peer-to-peer coaching, relevant LinkedIn Learning courses, and other resources to help managers ramp up in their new roles.

The blended learning program benefits all Rollers – as it helps new managers identify specific skills they must have as managers and adapt to their new roles. It ensures their teams have prepared leaders to support them. 

Through the New Manager Program, we give managers the tools and the personalized support to be more effective – without getting in their way. The training helps managers adapt to their new position within NextRoll and develop the unique skills needed to manage a team.

Our team launched the six-month program in 2021 and has since hosted four cohorts of new managers at NextRoll. 

What is unique about this cohort-based program is the aspect of peer-to-peer learning. We divide the group into triads and assign accountability buddies. After live trainings, the groups meet to discuss the content and then work on an assignment together to apply what they learned. This helps them retain new knowledge and build skills needed as new managers, creating a lasting support group amongst new managers.

We chatted with some recent graduates of the New Manager Program and people on their teams to show how both benefit from this training at NextRoll. Here’s what they had to say!

Tannin Pease, Manager II, Channel Account Management

“The networking alone helped open my ability to communicate outside of my normal paths and utilize resources I never thought to look for. I’ve been through many different manager training programs across various companies, and they all have similar styles and feels but with different names and titles. This program is different. It forced me out of my comfort zone. It allowed me to take what I had learned previously, layer on these additional levels of skills, and focus on how I can personally implement them in my actual scenarios with my team.”

Andrew Merino, Sr. Platform Success Manager, said he feels very lucky to work on Tannin’s team. 

“He genuinely cares about developing his team members and strikes the perfect balance of being a boss, mentor, and friend. He leads from a place of empathy and empowers his team to solve problems, hit their goals, and grow professionally.”

Molly Rhodes, Manager II, Talent Acquisition

“As a human, it's instinctual to want to fix problems when they are shared with you. As a manager, it's important to help team members learn to solve problems themselves. During the New Manager Program, I learned that by taking a step back and asking the right questions, we have an opportunity to teach critical thinking skills, which in turn empowers team members to approach their challenges with solutions. It was a good reminder that we are here to facilitate success by helping remove roadblocks, but not to try to take them all down ourselves.”

Wei Kelly, Sr. Manager, Revenue Enablement

“My biggest takeaway from the New Manager Program is learning a good manager doesn’t just have strong knowledge and experiences in that particular subject. More importantly, it's about being able to handle difficult situations and ensure the success of each team member.”

Will Yeo, Sr. Customer Onboarding Manager

“The main aspect of this program that has benefitted my team so far has been the Feedback Skills session. Being able to accurately and effectively give and seek feedback is crucial to the ongoing growth and development of a team."

Ngozi Okeh, Director of DEI

“I've been able to utilize my learnings around coaching skills to ensure I bring and keep my coaching hat on at all times in 1-1s with my team. This has helped us grow since we're better able to turn complex issues into opportunities to create clarity as I initiate playbacks and split tracks. I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program to gain the skills I need to lead my team more effectively.”

If you’re interested in joining a company that will give you the tools to grow personally and professionally, check out the NextRoll Job Board!