What Great Managers Do Differently [6-Week Online Certificate Program]

Management is one of the toughest jobs in the world because people issues are never easy to solve. Whether it’s navigating challenging personalities, inspiring high performers, or holding your team accountable without creating resentment, leadership can feel like a constant battle.

That’s why What Great Managers Do Differently program is here to transform your leadership approach. 

In this 6-week online program, led by New York Times Bestseller and Forbes Senior Contributor Mark Murphy, you’ll gain the tools, scripts, and step-by-step strategies that the best leaders use to get 100% performance from every employee. And you’ll only spend about 90-minutes per week.

This award-winning program is built on groundbreaking research, including insights from over 100,000 managers and executives. Through practical, science-backed techniques, you’ll master:

• How to deliver tough feedback without making people angry
• Motivate and retain your best employees
• Manage difficult personalities like narcissists and blamers
• Get everyone on your team to understand and exceed expectations
• Unlock the science of delegation to develop your team while freeing yourself for higher-value activities
• Unlock your employees' hidden potential

With these proven strategies, you’ll not only elevate your team’s performance but also set yourself apart as a leader who knows how to inspire, empower, and drive results.

NOTE: For leaders who previously took “The Science and Practices of Managing People,” this program includes three of the same topics (constructive feedback, difficult personalities, and high performers), alongside three new topics (Word Pictures, Coaching, and Time/Delegation). And overall, the entire program offers updated fresh and revised content designed for 2025.

Here's The Program Curriculum:

Each course in the program includes approximately 1-hour of video presentations. In addition to the video modules, each week will include one assignment and one brief quiz to ensure you learned that week's content. Participants can expect to spend around 1.5-2 hours per week on viewing the video modules and coursework. Here is a listing of all the courses in the What Great Managers Do Differently program.

Week 1: Setting Crystal-Clear Expectations: The Power of Word Pictures

Are your employees unclear about what it takes to succeed? With Word Pictures, you’ll gain a powerful tool to set crystal-clear expectations and eliminate ambiguity in performance standards. This system equips managers to distinguish between good and great performance with vivid, relatable examples, fostering accountability and inspiring excellence. By mastering Word Pictures, you’ll be able to ensure every team member knows exactly what’s expected, creating a culture of transparency and high performance. 

Leaders will learn how to:

• Teach employees the difference between meeting expectations and truly exceeding expectations.
• Create vivid Word Pictures that clarify expectations and reduce miscommunication, leading to higher team alignment.
• Drive measurable improvements in productivity and morale by making expectations clearer and easier to achieve.
• Improve self-awareness in team members by providing relatable and actionable scenarios for reflection and growth.
• Break down complex behaviors like accountability and communication into manageable steps, fostering more effective team interactions.
• Address performance issues constructively by illustrating the gap between current and desired behaviors, reducing defensiveness.
• Build a shared language that ensures everyone understands and works toward the same goals, increasing team cohesion.
• Apply Word Pictures to enhance coaching conversations, leading to more engaged and motivated employees.

WEEK 2: GIVING FEEDBACK WITHOUT MAKING PEOPLE ANGRY

Giving tough feedback doesn’t have to result in defensiveness or conflict. This session will teach you the proven I.D.E.A.L.S. feedback script to deliver constructive criticism with confidence. You’ll learn how to remove emotional baggage from conversations, focus on facts, and turn difficult feedback into opportunities for growth. With these techniques, you’ll help your employees make real improvements while preserving trust, respect, and team morale.

Leaders will learn how to:

• Use the I.D.E.A.L.S. script to structure feedback in a way that reduces tension and encourages cooperation, strengthening team relationships.
• Provide feedback that focuses on facts rather than emotions, leading to faster resolution of performance issues.
• Avoid the "compliment sandwich" and other ineffective feedback methods, ensuring that feedback is clear and actionable.
• Deliver tough messages in a way that maintains trust and respect, improving long-term employee engagement.
• Encourage employees to take ownership of their performance improvements, fostering a culture of accountability.
• Tailor feedback to individual personality types, ensuring that each employee feels understood and valued.
• Turn feedback sessions into opportunities for growth and development, increasing employee loyalty and retention.

WEEK 3: MANAGING NARCISSISTS, BLAMERS, DRAMATICS, AND MORE

Every workplace has its share of challenging personalities—whether it’s a narcissist, a blamer, or someone who thrives on drama. This session equips you with the tools to manage the Big Four Difficult Personalities effectively (Narcissists, Blamers, Dramatics, and Negatives). You’ll learn specific scripts and strategies to de-escalate conflict, maintain professionalism, and foster a more collaborative and productive team environment. Turn these challenges into opportunities to strengthen your leadership skills and enhance team cohesion.

Leaders will learn how to:

• Identify and understand the behaviors of challenging personality types like dramatics, blamers, and narcissists, minimizing their impact on team dynamics.
• Redirect unproductive behaviors into constructive actions, fostering a more positive and collaborative work environment.
• Handle emotionally charged situations with calm professionalism, reducing workplace conflicts and distractions.
• Set clear boundaries with difficult individuals, preserving energy and focus for higher-priority tasks.
• Use scripts and strategies to navigate challenging conversations, avoiding escalation and maintaining control.
• Recognize and mitigate the root causes of disruptive behaviors, preventing future issues from arising.
• Foster a culture of accountability by focusing on facts and solutions rather than emotions and drama.
• Build stronger, more resilient teams by managing difficult personalities effectively and maintaining high morale.

WEEK 4: DO MORE COACHING AND LESS MANAGING

The best leaders don’t just manage—they coach. In this session, you’ll discover how to transition from directing tasks to empowering your team through coaching conversations. Learn how to engage employees in meaningful ways, uncover their potential, and guide them toward long-term growth. By focusing on coaching, you’ll not only enhance individual performance but also build a more inspired, motivated, and high-performing team.

Leaders will learn how to:

• Shift from overly-directive management to a coaching mindset, inspiring employees to take initiative and perform at their best.
• Ask powerful questions that encourage self-reflection and problem-solving, leading to more independent and capable team members.
• Build trust and rapport with employees through supportive and developmental conversations, improving overall engagement.
• Empower employees to take ownership of their goals and results, driving higher performance and accountability.
• Address performance challenges in a way that fosters learning and motivation rather than fear or resistance.
• Identify hidden strengths in team members and help them unlock their full potential, boosting team capacity.
• Use coaching to improve retention and morale by showing genuine investment in employee development.

WEEK 5: SOLVING THE HIGH PERFORMER CRISIS

High performers are the backbone of your organization, but in many companies, they’re less engaged than their peers. This session reveals the psychology of high performers and equips you with strategies to keep them motivated, fulfilled, and loyal. You’ll learn how to align their goals with organizational needs, provide meaningful recognition, and create opportunities for growth. Retaining and inspiring your top talent has never been more critical, and this program will show you how to do it effectively.

Leaders will learn how to:

• Understand why high performers may become disengaged or burned out, and proactively address these issues to retain top talent.
• Align high performers with challenging and meaningful goals, ensuring their work remains fulfilling and impactful.
• Provide personalized recognition that resonates with high performers, reinforcing their value to the organization.
• Design career paths that keep high performers engaged and motivated to contribute at a high level.
• Balance the needs of high performers with team dynamics, ensuring harmony and shared success.
• Create opportunities for continuous learning and development, helping high performers stay energized and innovative.
• Address burnout risk by managing workloads and providing the right level of support and autonomy.
• Build a reputation as a leader who values and nurtures top talent, making your team a magnet for high achievers.

WEEK 6: THE LEADERSHIP TIME HACK: PRIORITIZE, DELEGATE, AND EXCEL

Time is every leader’s scarcest resource, yet most spend it on tasks that don’t move the needle. In this session, you’ll learn how to reclaim your time by identifying your Green Light Work—the tasks that deliver the greatest results. Master the art of delegation to develop your team while freeing yourself for high-value leadership activities. These strategies will help you maximize productivity, prioritize effectively, and focus on what truly matters.

Leaders will learn how to:

• Identify time-wasting activities and eliminate them, freeing up hours for higher-priority leadership tasks.
• Delegate tasks effectively to develop team members' skills, improving overall team capacity and efficiency.
• Use time-blocking and rhythm analysis to maximize productivity, ensuring that every hour is spent on what truly matters.
• Prioritize tasks in a way that aligns with strategic goals, increasing personal and organizational effectiveness.
• Set clear boundaries to reduce interruptions and stay focused on high-impact work, improving work-life balance.
• Overcome doubts and ego barriers to delegation, empowering employees while reducing leadership stress.
• Develop employees through delegation by assigning tasks that challenge and grow their capabilities.
• Spend more time on leadership activities like strategic planning and team development, driving better results for the organization.

LOGISTICAL DETAILS:

STARTING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 3RD, you’re going to take 1 course per week for 6 weeks. (You are not required to login at any set time, so each week you may work on the courses at times that work best for your schedule).

Each week, you’ll watch approximately 1-hour of a video course, and then complete one assignment to hardwire your learnings and take one brief quiz to ensure you learned that week’s content. You can expect to spend around 1.5-2 hours per week between the videos and the coursework.

You may work ahead and you will not be penalized for falling behind, but ALL MODULES, ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 PM (PST) ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE PROGRAM. The final day of the program is Sunday, March 16th, 2025. This is a 6-week program and certificates will not be issued if all coursework is not completed by the deadline.

WHAT IF MANY LEADERS WANT TO ATTEND?
If your colleagues want to participate, that's great! We offer GROUP DISCOUNTS for groups of 5 or more leaders from the same organization. Simply contact Jill Sutherland (Director of Client Services) at 800-814-7859 or jill@leadershipiq.com

WHY A CERTIFICATE?
To advance your career, and inspire the confidence of your team, you need proof that you’ve learned What Great Managers Do Differently. (And it looks GREAT on your LinkedIn profile and resume). And if you’re going to train multiple leaders in your organization, you want to know which leaders have progressed through the necessary training and have the skills to lead successfully. To get your certificate, you'll take a test following the 6-week program (and because you watched all the program modules, it will be easy for you to pass with flying colors)!

NO FLUFF. YOU GET SCIENCE, SCRIPTS & TOOLS.
We don’t offer fluffy platitudes. This program will teach you the latest science and specific scripts to handle dramatic and narcissistic personalities, deliver constructive feedback, motivate high performers, successfully lead teams, resolve conflict, and so much more.

HOW THIS PROGRAM WORKS:
The program is set up at a pace of 1 course per week. You are not required to login at any set time so you may work on the courses at times that works best for your schedule. You may work ahead and you will not be penalized for falling behind, but ALL MODULES, ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 PM (PST) ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE PROGRAM. The final day of the program is March 16, 2025. This is a 6-week program and certificates will not be issued if all coursework is not completed by the deadline.

HOW DO I REGISTER?
Simply click the red "Register" button to purchase your registration and secure your spot in the course. Each registration is for a single user only. Please contact Jill Sutherland at jill@leadershipiq.com if you are interested in registering multiple participants. THE PROGRAM START DATE IS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD. On Friday, January 31st, each participant will receive an email with their login information to access the course.

DO I GET CEU'S?
While we don't formally offer a specific accredited CEU/PDU (because there are so many different state & professional associations), many of our attendees will send the program description to their particular accrediting body and apply to have that training hour(s) counted. We hear that many of our attendees have been successful with that approach. THIS PROGRAM DELIVERS 6 CONTACT/COURSE HOURS.  

READ THE REVIEWS

"This is one of the best trainings, with practical application techniques, that I have ever attended in my 30 year career!"
Rhonda Billman, Assistant Director

"Mark is an exceptional teacher with world-class insight into how to become a great leader. Every leader will benefit from his lessons."
Joseph Willett, Chief Operating Officer EMEA

"Mark is a genius at his craft. The tools he provides give me energy and excitement to go back to my team and put it into play. Best leadership seminar I have ever attended!"
Dania Reynoso, Director Client Services

YOUR PRESENTER: MARK MURPHY

Mark Murphy is the founder of Leadership IQ, a New York Times bestselling author, Senior Contributor to FORBES. and rated as a Top 30 Leadership Guru.

Mark's reputation as Leadership training expert is also why he's lectured at The United Nations, Harvard Business School, Microsoft, IBM, MasterCard, Merck, and more.

Mark has written some of the most practical and insightful leadership books ever, including Hundred Percenters, Hiring For Attitude, Truth At Work, HARD Goals, and more.

And his Leadership techniques and research have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Inc., CNBC, CBS MarketWatch, Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and more.

He has also appeared on ABC's 20/20, CBS News, Fox Business News, CNN and NPR.