These free courses can help managers lead in the new normal

In a post-COVID-19 world, business leaders and managers are facing unprecedented challenges that require them to upskill quickly to adapt to new challenges that arise particularly in managing teams.

In response to these challenges, Lancaster University’s business school is offering two free online programmes designed for business leaders and managers.

These programmes will help equip managers and senior leaders with the tools and strategies to lead their teams in the new normal.

The courses that will be available for free are the Leading Well Under Pressure and Managing Teams in Uncertain Times courses.

The duration of both courses is eight weeks and will delve into the issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that will continue in the new normal.

These work-based courses will launch in October and will blend independent digital learning with live webinar sessions.

The blended learning approach will give programme participants the opportunity to interact with tutors from the university and with fellow participants, enabling discussion on issues affecting businesses.

According to the university, the Managing Teams in Uncertain Times course is meant for “team leaders and managers, and addresses issues faced by many companies, where COVID-19 has shaken the foundation of effective team working with a rapid enforced move to working outside traditional norms,”

It adds that this course is aimed to tackle the issues that have impacted team cohesiveness, communication, leadership, and purpose.

The course will provide practical tips for recreating the positives of face-to-face interaction in the remote working environment.

It will also be largely based on theory and shared experiences from leaders on the university’s work-based learning programmes that will facilitate high-level team collaboration and performance in ambiguous times.

The other course on offer is the Leading Well Under Pressure for managers in strategic and operational functions.

This course is designed to prompt managers to develop consciousness on the effects of the pressures on their own emotional regulation.

The goal of the course is to give them the confidence to make the right decisions under pressure while supporting and motivating their teams.

This course aims to provide the tools and strategies for managers to spot the warning signs that generate negative emotion and poor decision-making, and impact workplace relationships.

The school’s postgraduate scheme director, Paulette Swindell, “For many leaders, pressures such as those we have experienced during the pandemic produces positive productive energy to thrive and make creative decisions,”

Swindell added, “But it needs to be managed so this pressure does not turn into excessive stress, affecting health and well-being, relationships, and effective decision-making.”

Prospective students who meet the entry requirements will be allocated slots on a first come first serve basis.