Twelve weeks of practical management for owners, managers and supervisors: the lists, meetings, one-to-ones, measures and plans that turn a busy boss into a manager whose team delivers. A 30-minute video lesson from ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars each week, an hour with your coach and the group, and tools you use the same day.
Bring your managers, or join an open batch. Small groups, so everyone is heard.
The superhero trap
The best doer in the team. The busiest boss in the building.
You were promoted because you were great at the work. So when something needs doing right, you do it yourself. Your team waits, your day disappears, and the business can only grow as fast as you can run. ActionCOACH has a name for it: Superhero-itis.
It isn’t a work-ethic problem. It’s a management system nobody gave you.
“If you want it done right, do it yourself.
“I’m first in, last out, and still behind.
“One-to-ones only happen when something goes wrong.
“Our meetings run long and change nothing.
Symptoms of Superhero-itis
You redo work your team has done
Every problem lands on your desk
Nobody plans the week ahead
Goals live in your head
Reviews happen once a year, if at all
A week off means a phone full of calls
A word worth rescuing
Management isn’t a dirty word. It’s how results happen.
Somewhere along the way, everyone wanted to be a leader and nobody wanted to be called a manager. But you can only lead people well when you can manage them: systems that track output, goals with action plans behind them, and a weekly rhythm that gets results.
Great leaders come from great managers.
Brad SugarsFounder and CEO, ActionCOACH
Step 1 · This MasterCLASSManageLists, meetings, measures, plans and reviews.
These are the six areas the MasterCLASS measures every week. Score your team from 1 to 10 on each and see your shape, your strongest area and where the twelve weeks would help most. Your scores stay on this page.
Your scorecard
Move the sliders to score your team today
Your shape updates as you go, with the weeks that work on your lowest area.
Four weeks each, every week building on the last: from the way you work with your team to the results it delivers.
1
Weeks 1–4
Ignite
How you work with your team and other managers: the management mindset, your competencies, and the daily and weekly lists that make a team productive.
1What is Management?
2Management Competencies
3Managing Daily Lists
4Managing Weekly Lists
2
Weeks 5–8
Empower
Your growth as a manager: meetings and one-to-ones that move people, measures that matter and a plan for the quarter.
5Managing Weekly Meetings
6Managing 1-2-1 Meetings
7Goals & Measures
890-Day Planning
3
Weeks 9–12
Achieve
Super-achiever results: develop people through reviews, communicate with the right tools, build the team on systems and step up from manager to leader.
9Annual Reviews, Personal Development & Discipline
10Communication & Tools
11Building Effective Teams through Systems, Training & Recruiting
12Transitioning from Manager to Leader
How each week works
Learn it on Monday. Use it by Tuesday.
The same simple rhythm every week for twelve weeks. About ninety minutes of learning, and a tool you put to work with your team straight away.
30 minutes, any time
1Watch
This week’s video lesson from ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars, one week at a time. Note your BFOs: your Blinding Flashes of the Obvious.
1 hour, with your coach
2Meet
Your coach and the group: what you applied last week and how it went, your top five learnings, your actions and your questions.
All week, at work
3Apply
Use this week’s tool with your team straight away: a daily FROG list, a LION sheet, a better one-to-one.
Every week, from week 2
4Report
Your management numbers, shared with the group. You pick about five you want to improve before you start.
Then again, twelve times. About six hours a month: less than one working day.
The 12 weeks
Twelve weeks. Twelve management habits.
From what management really is to the move from manager to leader. Pick a week to see what it covers and what you’ll try at work.
Ignite · Week 1 of 12
What is Management?
What management really is, how it differs from leadership, and the mindsets that make a manager effective.
What you’ll cover
Management versus leadership
The leadership, customer and growth mindsets
Eliminating blind spots
Six keys to a winning team
Try this at workWrite down three blind spots you suspect you have, then ask someone you trust.
Ignite · Week 2 of 12
Management Competencies
The competencies every manager needs, an honest look at your own, and the cure for Superhero-itis.
What you’ll cover
The management competencies
Assessing your own skills
Building people into future leaders
Superhero-itis: why doing it yourself holds everyone back
Try this at workPick one task you always redo and hand it over with a clear standard.
Ignite · Week 3 of 12
Managing Daily Lists
The most important list for a productive team member, and how to make it a daily habit.
What you’ll cover
What a daily list is, and why it matters
The daily list process
Prioritising: must do, need to do, should do, delegate
Rating the day’s progress
Try this at workStart tomorrow with a daily list, the most important task first.
Ignite · Week 4 of 12
Managing Weekly Lists
Plan the week before it plans you: a proactive manager, not a reactive one.
What you’ll cover
What a weekly list is
The weekly list process
Introducing the LION
Focusing your people on what matters this week
Try this at workPlan next week before this one ends.
Empower · Week 5 of 12
Managing Weekly Meetings
Turn the weekly meeting into your team’s communication and training session.
What you’ll cover
The weekly meeting process
Starting with a WIFLE
Group discussions and individual lists
Finishing on time, with actions
Try this at workRun your next team meeting to a fixed agenda and finish on time.
Empower · Week 6 of 12
Managing 1-2-1 Meetings
The weekly one-to-one: where performance and personal development happen.
What you’ll cover
What a weekly one-to-one is for
The one-to-one process
Coaching performance, not just checking it
Development that people own
Try this at workBook a short one-to-one with each person in your team this week.
Empower · Week 7 of 12
Goals & Measures
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Set the numbers that drive activity, results and culture.
What you’ll cover
Activity, performance and behaviour indicators: KAI, KPI, KBI
The 6×6
Stretch goals
SMART goals
Try this at workChoose one activity number and one result number for each person.
Empower · Week 8 of 12
90-Day Planning
Plan the quarter, and teach your team to plan their own.
What you’ll cover
The 90-day plan process
Making dreams come true
IVVM
Reviewing and adjusting every quarter
Try this at workDraft your team’s three most important objectives for the next 90 days.
Achieve · Week 9 of 12
Annual Reviews, Personal Development & Discipline
The performance cycle: reviews that develop people, and handling problems fairly.
What you’ll cover
The performance management cycle
Annual reviews and career development plans
SWOT
Performance issues, discipline and conflict management
Try this at workSketch a development plan with one person in your team.
Achieve · Week 10 of 12
Communication & Tools
The communication toolkit: feedback, questions, styles and the art of delegating.
What you’ll cover
360-degree feedback
The modalities and tools of communication
DISC profiling and the four steps to learning
The art of delegating
Try this at workDelegate one task with a clear brief: the outcome, the deadline and the standard.
Achieve · Week 11 of 12
Building Effective Teams through Systems, Training & Recruiting
Systems run the business and people run the systems: build a team that doesn’t depend on you.
What you’ll cover
The 80:20 rule and systemising the business
The keys to a winning team
Recruiting and induction
Training and recognition
Try this at workWrite one task down as a simple system someone else can follow.
Achieve · Week 12 of 12
Transitioning from Manager to Leader
Graduation week: from managing well to leading, and your plan for what comes next.
What you’ll cover
How management and leadership fit together
Making the transition
Your numbers and goals, reviewed
Your next steps as a leader
Try this at workShare your three biggest BFOs and your next goals with your team.
The language your managers will speak
FROG
LION
WIFLE
1-2-1
KAI
KPI
KBI
6×6
SMART
IVVM
BFO
80:20
Sounds like jargon today. By week 8, it’s simply how your team runs.
The manager’s toolkit
Twelve tools they’ll use on Monday morning
Not theory to file away. Every tool is introduced in a session, practised that week and kept for good.
Daily FROG listPlan the day around what matters most.
LION weekly sheetA weekly focus for every team member.
Weekly meeting agendaShort, structured meetings that end in actions.
1-2-1 meeting formatWeekly performance and development conversations.
SMART goal templateGoals your team can measure.
90-day action planThe quarter, on one page.
Competency and blind-spot assessmentsAn honest view of strengths and gaps.
Personal development planA growth path for each person.
Performance improvement planA clear, fair way to fix performance issues.
360° feedback formHow your manager, peers and team see you.
The art of delegationHand work over without losing quality.
Recruiting and induction processHire well and get new people productive fast.
Plus your 12-week workbook, and a certificate of completion when you graduate.
Measured, not hoped for
What gets measured gets managed
Before week 1 every participant picks about five numbers to improve. From week 2 they report them to the group, every week, across six areas.
1Feedback from your teamFeedback meetings, surveys and performance evaluations
2Team satisfactionEngagement, retention and how many want to leave
3Team productivityTasks completed, quality of work and efficiency
4Handling conflictNumber of conflicts and how fast they are resolved
5CommunicationListening, explaining ideas and giving feedback
6Decision-makingSpeed and accuracy of decisions, and what others say
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Before week 1BaselineSMART goals for the twelve weeks and a starting survey of what you track today.
Week 5Midpoint checkA survey on progress: what’s working and what to focus on next.
Week 12ResultsA final survey of confidence, decisions and team relationships, your numbers reviewed, and graduation.
Every week from week 2: management numbers reported to the group.
Twelve weeks from now
Your week, before and after
What we work towards with every manager. How far each one goes depends on using the tools between sessions.
A manager’s week today compared with what the MasterCLASS works towards
Area
Today
What we work towards
Your day
Firefighting from the first message
Planned, with the most important task first
Your week
Reacting to whatever lands
Planned ahead on a weekly list
Team meetings
Long, and nothing changes
Short, structured and ending in actions
One-to-ones
Only when something goes wrong
Every week, for performance and growth
Goals
Vague, or only in your head
Measured weekly and owned by each person
Problems
Brought to you
Brought to you with a solution
You
The team’s superhero
The manager who builds the team
Who it’s for
For anyone responsible for other people’s work
New supervisor or experienced manager, the system is the same. And when every manager in the business learns it together, the whole company runs on one rhythm.
Managers and supervisorsNew or experienced, responsible for a team and its results.
Business ownersWho want the business run by managers, not by heroics.
Growing companiesBuilding management strength across teams, departments and locations.
Two ways to join
In-house group
Bring your managers
A private group for your managers and supervisors, learning one system together: the same lists, meetings and measures across the business. Best run in person.
Every hour a manager spends redoing work or chasing updates is an hour not spent building the team. One fee per participant covers the whole program.
12 video lessons from Brad Sugars, one a week
12 one-hour sessions with your ActionCOACH coach and group
Your 12-week workbook and the manager’s toolkit
A welcome call, and dates for all twelve weeks before you start
Weekly management numbers and accountability
Surveys at the start, in week 5 and in week 12
Recommended reading each month
A certificate of completion when you graduate
Investment per participant: On request · Ask about the next batch and we’ll share the fee with its dates, format and coach · Bringing several managers? Ask about an in-house group.
Your coaches
The coaches who run it
Every ActionCOACH TNPY coach runs the 12-Week Management MasterCLASS. Each batch names its coach.
How is this different from the Leadership MasterCLASS?
Management is the system: lists, meetings, one-to-ones, measures, plans and reviews. Leadership is the art: passion, focus, culture and communication. Most managers start with Management and move on to Leadership.
How much time does it take each week?
About ninety minutes: a 30-minute video you watch when it suits you and a one-hour session with your coach and group. Then the real work, using the week’s tool with your team.
Is it in person or online?
The video lessons are online. The weekly sessions work best in person, and online sessions suit teams spread across locations. Each batch states its format.
Who should attend?
Managers and supervisors, new or experienced, and owners who want their business run by managers. If you are responsible for other people’s work, it is for you.
Can I send several managers?
Yes. Send a few to an open batch, or bring them together as a private, in-house group so every manager uses the same lists, meetings and measures.
What should I bring to week 1?
A good notebook, about five numbers you want to improve and your goals for the twelve weeks. Your workbook comes in your welcome kit, and you watch the first video before the session.
What if someone misses a week?
The video lessons stay available, so nobody misses the content. Let your coach know, and catch up on the week’s actions before the next session.
How will we know it worked?
Goals are set before the start, your management numbers are reported every week from week 2, and surveys at the start, in week 5 and in week 12 show what changed.
How much does it cost?
The fee is per participant and on request. Ask about the next batch and we’ll share the fee with its dates, format and coach.
12-Week Management MasterCLASS
Stop being the superhero. Start building the team.
