If you're an HR or L&D leader looking for a practical way to develop your managers—without launching a formal leadership program—this is a system you can build and lead yourself.

It’s practical. It’s peer-driven. And it works.

How I Built a DIY Manager Development System That Actually Worked

The best investment I ever made in manager development wasn’t a polished program or outside consultant.
It was a one-hour session I created and ran in-house—every month.

No slides. No LMS. No guest speakers.

Just a room full of managers (on Zoom), one compelling topic, and a conversation they actually wanted to show up for.

We didn’t call it leadership training. We called it what it was: Manager Meet-Ups.

Why Most Manager Training Doesn’t Stick—And What to Do Instead

You’ve seen it before:

A well-designed workshop gets rave reviews.
People leave energized.
Two weeks later… nothing’s different.

That’s not because your managers don’t care. It’s because nothing reinforced the behavior change.

Managers don’t grow from what they hear. They grow from what they:

Talk about often
See modeled by others
Try, reflect on, and do again

That’s what this one-hour system was built to deliver: real reinforcement in real time.

How to Design a Monthly Leadership Session That Reinforces Behavior

This is a session you can run in-house—no outside vendor required.

But getting it right takes thoughtful prep. Here’s the structure I used:

✅ Choose one real, high-stakes leadership behavior

Skip the obvious. Go deeper:

“What to say when someone shuts down in a meeting”
“How to disagree without undermining trust”
“What leadership looks like when you’re not the expert”

✅ Anchor the session with a strong point of view

Give managers something to debate, like:

“Authority doesn’t come from having the answer—it comes from how you handle not knowing.”

You only need a paragraph or two of research or context—but it should challenge the room.

✅ Use 2–3 real scenarios (not hypotheticals)

Keep them short. Make them feel lived-in:

A senior leader contradicts you in a meeting
A direct report keeps resisting feedback
The team isn’t aligned, and everyone’s looking at you

Let them talk it out. That’s where the insight lives.

✅ Facilitate a real conversation—not a lecture

This is not about delivering content. It’s about:

Listening
Probing
Creating space for reflection and honesty

✅ End with action

Close by asking:

“What’s one thing you’ll try differently this week?”

That’s how reflection turns into behavior.

How I Tested and Refined This at TCR²

I built this system at TCR², a fast-growing biotech company where we didn’t just need managers to manage—we needed them to lead.

I’d been Chief Learning Officer at Biogen, so I’d seen a lot of leadership programs up close. I knew what worked. More importantly, I knew what didn’t:

If it doesn’t lead to behavior change, it’s a waste of time and money.

We didn’t have budget for a fancy program. So I built one myself—on nights and weekends.

Every month, I asked:

What behavior do we need to reinforce?
How do I make this feel relevant, not theoretical?
What will get people talking—and keep them coming back?

Some months, I was tweaking content the night before. But it was worth it.

Our managers:

Stopped escalating every issue
Started solving problems together
Grew more confident in the messy middle of leadership

And my job? Got easier. Because our managers were leading.

Can One Hour a Month Really Make Managers Better Leaders?

Yes—if you design it well.

You don’t need an LMS. You don’t need a third-party partner.
But you do need:

A clear point of view
Topics that go beyond surface-level “skills”
The commitment to keep it engaging, month after month

It takes time. It takes judgment. And it takes someone willing to try, tweak, and try again.

But if you do? You’ll see it.
Not just in feedback scores—but in real conversations, better decisions, and stronger teams.

TL;DR: The DIY Manager Development System in 5 Steps

Pick a real behavior to reinforce
(e.g., navigating disagreement, leading when you’re not the expert)
Frame 2–3 scenarios that spark reflection and discussion
(short, real-world situations—not hypotheticals)
Ground the session with a strong thesis
(backed by research, experience, or behavioral science)
Facilitate peer learning, not passive consumption
(this isn’t a lecture—it’s a conversation)
End with action:
What will you try this week?

This system is especially useful for HR and L&D leaders at small to mid-sized companies looking for a scalable, behavior-focused manager development strategy.

You can run it in-house. You just have to build it.

P.S.

If you love this approach but don’t have time to create it every month, that’s exactly what the Leadership Lab delivers.
Each month, I send HR and L&D leaders a ready-to-run Manager Meetup: topic, research-backed structure, facilitator guide, and support.
You can run it your way—without starting from scratch. Learn more about the Leadership Lab for monthly manager development →

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