Emerging Leader Training for Future Managers
Emerging Leader Training for Future ManagersBuild Your Leadership Pipeline Before the Promotion
Growing companies often promote great employees into management because they know the business and get results. But being great at the job does not automatically prepare someone to lead people.
The Crossroads Series helps emerging leaders, team leads, shift leads, and employees with supervisory responsibilities build foundational leadership skills before stepping into a formal people management role.
Participants learn how to communicate effectively, give and receive feedback, train others, strengthen emotional intelligence, navigate changing peer relationships, and understand what successful people management actually requires.
For employers, Crossroads provides a practical way to develop your leadership pipeline, prepare high potential employees for greater responsibility, and help future managers decide whether people leadership is the right next step.
Have five or more emerging leaders? Turning the Corner HR can bring Crossroads to your organization as a private training program. We also offer live virtual cohorts for individual participants.
2027 Crossroads Live Virtual Class Dates
This class runs for 10 weeks, 1 hour every week.
Tuesdays 11:00am – 12:00pm MT
3/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18, & 5/25
Crossroads prepares emerging leaders for the transition from individual contributor to people manager. It is designed for team leads, shift leads, supervisors, and high potential employees who have leadership responsibilities but do not yet manage direct reports.
Participants build practical leadership skills they can use immediately while exploring whether people management is the right next step in their career. During the Crossroads Series, participants learn how to:
What You’ll Learn in the 10 Week Crossroads Leadership Program
Crossroads gives team leads, supervisors, shift leads, and emerging leaders practical skills they can use immediately while preparing for future people management responsibilities.
Session 1: Leading Former Peers
Learn the essential dos and don’ts of training new employees and how to navigate the transition from peer to leader. Participants explore how to lead friends and team members who previously held the same role.
Session 2: Training and Onboarding New Employees
Learn how to assess an employee’s readiness to perform assigned tasks and adjust your training approach accordingly. Participants gain a practical framework for supporting new employees and team members who may be struggling.
Session 3: Feedback Skills
Develop skills for giving, receiving, and requesting constructive feedback. Participants learn how to reduce defensiveness and make feedback conversations more productive.
Session 4: Communication Skills for Emerging Leaders
Learn practical communication tools that help team leads and emerging leaders create clarity, build trust, and make sure everyone is working from the same understanding. Participants practice these skills during the session.
Session 5: Difficult Conversations
Challenging conversations can be intimidating, especially for new leaders. Participants learn a practical preparation tool for approaching difficult conversations with greater clarity and confidence.
Session 6: Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
Explore Emotional Intelligence and its role in effective leadership. Participants learn about the four primary components of EQ: Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management, along with practical ways to strengthen their emotional intelligence.
Session 7: Is People Management Right for You?
Explore what it takes to successfully manage and supervise direct reports. Participants assess their own interests, strengths, and goals to determine whether becoming a people manager is the right next step in their career.
Session 8: Career and Professional Development
Create a career map and use SMARTER goals to build a practical path toward future professional goals. Participants also explore how to become a stronger partner to their current manager.
Session 9: Time Management and Avoiding Burnout
Learn practical strategies for managing time, priorities, attitude, and wellbeing. Participants explore when and how to say no, how their mindset affects their wellbeing, and how to reduce the risk of burnout.
Session 10: Moving Forward as an Emerging Leader
Review the skills developed throughout Crossroads and identify how to apply them moving forward. Participants reflect on the progression from new employee to competent employee and emerging leader, address remaining questions, and identify their next steps for continued growth.
Frequently Asked Questions About Crossroads Leadership Training
Crossroads is designed to help emerging leaders build practical leadership skills before they step into a formal people management role. Here are answers to the questions we hear most often.
Who is Crossroads leadership training designed for?
Crossroads is designed for team leads, shift leads, supervisors, and high potential employees who have leadership responsibilities but do not yet formally manage direct reports. It is especially useful for organizations that want to prepare future managers before promoting them into people leadership roles.
Do participants need to have direct reports?
No. Crossroads is specifically designed for emerging leaders who may train employees, lead shifts, delegate work, support coworkers, or supervise projects without yet having formal responsibility for managing direct reports.
What is the difference between Crossroads and Fast Track Management Training?
Crossroads prepares emerging leaders before they become people managers. Fast Track Management Training is designed for current managers who already have direct reports and want to strengthen their management, communication, accountability, coaching, and performance management skills.
How long is the Crossroads program and how is it delivered?
Crossroads is a 10 week leadership development program that meets for one hour each week. Live virtual cohorts are offered throughout the year, giving participants the opportunity to learn, practice new skills, and apply what they are learning between sessions.
Can a company bring Crossroads training to its own team?
Yes. Organizations with five or more emerging leaders can bring Crossroads to their team as a private training program. This can be a strong option for companies that want to build a more consistent leadership pipeline and develop several future managers at the same time.
“I learned so much in the Turning the Corner HR Crossroads class. I have been helping out at one of our plants training new Op Coordinators, which was in fact my old role three years ago. The information I learned in this class has helped so much in training and engagement with these new employees.”
— Lenora Marks, Lignetics
“Whether I am having my staff join a public cohort, or we coordinate an in house group session, or I set up a one on one session, the results are without a doubt a great value that far outweighs the price.”>—Garth Geer, CEO & President, Palace Construction
“This class allowed me to identify my own personal shortcomings, and things I was doing right, as a supervisor and gave me the tools I needed to adapt to today’s changing workforce and hopefully excel in any future supervisory roles.”
— Troy Duncan, Manufacturing Systems Administrator, Lignetics