5 first-rate management courses that are worth your time

‘Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.’

— Judy Garland, actress and professional manager of scarecrows, tin men and lions

Your time is precious. You need first-rate courses to help you be the first-rate manager you’re destined to become. It can be easy to deprioritise your own development needs when you’re training other people, improving processes and worrying about business targets.

Rather than wading through the sea of management courses out there, here are five tried and tested courses guaranteed to help you make the most of your time.

Developing executive presence

Course provider: LinkedIn Learning

Instructor(s): John Ullmen, Executive Coach, Professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management

Cost: On an annual plan, access to the platform costs £203.88 per year (£16.99/month); on a monthly plan it is £29.99 per month (£359.88 annually)

Duration: 1 hour and 12 minutes

Level: Intermediate

Rating: 4.8/5 (based on 4200 reviews)

Review: Tingting gave this course five stars, alongside 3300 others, which shows just how popular the course really is.

‘This course delivers powerful leadership practices by sharing real-life stories of world leaders. These stories provide valuable insights into the beliefs and principles that these leaders lived and breathed by, making the practices not only relevant but also convincing!’

Skills: Self-confidence, executive leadership, decision-making

Outcomes: Stronger self-image as a leader. Improved confidence in your skills and allegiance from your team. More efficient meetings and decision-making.

Click here to access the ‘Developing executive presence’ course.

Leadership communication skills for influence and impact

Course provider: Udemy

Instructor(s): Kain Ramsay, Teacher of Modern Applied Psychology and Personal Development and Jason Cask, Key Note Speaker in Innovative Leadership and Influence

Cost: £44.99 (but Udemy often runs site-wide sales, so we suggest waiting for a better price) with a certification of completion

Duration: 6 hours and 19 minutes

Level: Intermediate

Rating: 4.6/5 (based on 4100 reviews)

Review: Tempra Miller, a Communications Lead at a startup, said, ‘This presentation lends credence to the type of leader I aspire to be! Loved the "Operation of Hearts and Minds" and, "Establishing Your One Main Thing" reference. One pass through is definitely not enough... I have to watch it again!’

Skills: Communication, persuasion, giving and handling criticism

Outcomes: Learn your communication style and how that interacts with other styles. Discover how to persuade people across business functions. Be an inspiring presence in your business.

Click here to access the ‘Leadership communication skills’ course.

(Bonus - we also recommend this short course on communicating with empathy.)

People management skills

Course provider: CIPD via Future Learn

Instructor(s): Various instructors from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Cost: Free with limited access, otherwise £19.99 per month subscription to the platform or £99 one-off payment for this course, plus a fee to receive a certification of completion

Duration: 15 hours

Level: Intermediate

Rating: 4.7/5 (based on 630 reviews)

Review: Sharon, a Marketing Manager at a tech company and one of the one hundred thousand people who have enrolled in the course, gives it a rave review.

‘This course is informative, practical, very detailed and presented in a sequential manner that allowed for greater understanding of the content. I also loved that we were given a chance to interact with other learners (some with prior management experience), further enhancing the learning experience. I highly recommend taking this course!’

Skills: Wellbeing at work awareness, listening, managing difficult conversations, managing employee absence

Outcomes: Ability to manage and assess workplace performance. Better understanding of diverse employee requirements for good work. Knowledge about benchmarking what ‘good’ looks like.

Click here to access the ‘People management skills’ course.

Project leadership

Course provider: LinkedIn Learning

Instructor(s): Cyndi Snyder Dionisio, Author, Consultant, and Project Management Expert

Cost: On an annual plan, access to the platform costs £203.88 per year (£16.99/month); on a monthly plan it is £29.99 per month (£359.88 annually)

Duration: 43 minutes

Level: Beginner

Rating: 4.7/5 (based on 2170 reviews)

Review: Articulate’s former Chief Happiness Officer, Liz, recommended this one, saying it is, ‘Easy and quick as an interesting introduction to project leadership.’ Mohammad, a Senior Program Coordinator, says, ‘It clearly explains how a leader creates a vision, guides the team towards achieving the outcome and how defining a goal gives motivation to project staff.’

Skills: Project management, allocating resources, strategic planning, collaboration

Outcomes: The ability to motivate your team even in tough times. An improved capacity to implement activities based on a clear vision or goal.

Click here to access the ‘Project leadership’ course.

Project management simplified

Course provider: LinkedIn Learning

Instructor(s): Chris Croft, Lecturer and Project Manager

Cost: On an annual plan, access to the platform costs £203.88 per year (£16.99/month); on a monthly plan it is £29.99 per month (£359.88 annually)

Duration: 1 hour and 44 minutes

Level: Beginner

Rating: 4.8/5 (based on 15000 reviews)

Review: Articulate’s Chief Financial Officer, Mirela, describes this course as ‘exceptional’ and praises the content as being ‘super condensed’ and packed with information. Several members of our team took this course and have since implemented these ideas into our ways of working, measurably improving how we manage teams and organise projects for clients.

Skills: Practical project management, allocating resources

Outcomes: A guideline for how to deliver more efficient and effective projects, on time and on budget. Pragmatic and philosophical advice that you can implement right away.

Click here to access the ‘Project management simplified’ course.

Learn, grow, inspire

From developing your presence as a leader to managing the day-to-day, the secret to being a great manager is to elevate your skills on an ongoing basis. That way, you hone your craft and improve both your standing in the business as well as the work-lives of your team. Lead by example, and you will reap the benefits. So, don't waste time. Sign up to one of these courses, today.