Leadership Essentials:
Getting Started as a Program Manager

Program Managers play a critical role in supporting and leading staff and ensuring the successful operation of child and youth programs. Leadership Essentials: Getting Started as a Program Manager highlights the critical knowledge and practices Program Managers need to be successful in managing and leading programs, including the important skills to develop in their first 30, 60 and 90 days in this role. This five-lesson course guides program leaders in reflection about their leadership and management style and encourages them to think intentionally about their program's vision and how it is communicated to staff, families, and the community. Lesson One of this course features the Program Manager Competency Reflection which engages Program Managers in reflection about their current leadership practices and supports them in establishing goals for professional growth. Additionally, this course provides Program Managers with important tools and strategies to establish and maintain relationships with staff and the organizational systems to support staff and program operations. For example, the Staff Observation Tool in Lesson Five of this course was developed to support Program Manager’s in their observation and evaluation of staff members’ performance. This Focused Topics course shares the critical knowledge and practices that help Program Managers operate high-quality programs for children and families.