Not every manager is trained for her role. Many are promoted to this position without formal instructionsand are forced to do so handle the job alone– for the Disadvantage of her direct reports. But one company has a popular crash course program that teaches supervisors how to lead.
Canva launched its own company internal learning and development strategy called “Leadership Academy” in April 2023. The 12-week “Coach Essentials” course is available to all middle managers in the 5,000-employee company and teaches skills such as provide actionable feedback, Leading hybrid teamsAnd Build trust among employees. There are various ways for managers to learn, from virtual courses to peer-to-peer sessions with Canva’s leaders. So far, Coach Essentials has been well received by managers with a sky-high 92% NPS score: a type of user approval rating.
Sarah Nanclares, Global Head of People at Canva, tells us Assets The idea for the Leadership Academy came about Listen to employees. During one of the company’s semi-annual pulse surveys, they found that managers needed much more concrete help in this regard leading teams. When creating the course materials, Canva made sure to cover the entire talent cycle –from onboardingall the way through End of an employee’s stay in the company.
One of the biggest concerns Canva initially heard from managers was how to implement change—whether or not Beginning of AI or navigating in one changing DEI climate. People also had difficulty managing different generations; for example the supervision of a Generation Z employees is different than managing a boomer. It is particularly important for younger employees “that they don’t just feel like a cog in the machine, but that they are a truly integral part of what the company is building.”
Nanclares says the Leadership Academy is the heart of Canva Talent strategy. After all, managers have one outsized impact on employee experienceand therefore commitment and retention.
“The [Leadership Academy] ensures everyone has all the context and information they need to truly lead their teams incredibly effectively,” she says. “Information can create bottlenecks unless you’re really intentional about it.”
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
Today’s edition was curated by Brit Morse.
Around the table
A roundup of the most important HR headlines.
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Doniel Sutton, Chief People Officer at Pinterest, explains why forcing employees back to the office doesn’t work for most companies. Fast company
According to a new report from LinkedIn, demand for sustainability-related jobs, skills and talent is still high in the U.S., and experts say that’s unlikely to change. Inc.
Water cooler
Everything you need to know Assets.
A little advice. At Fortune’s Global Forum conference in New York City on Monday, Target CEO Brian Cornell discussed it cultural glue As a result, the huge one-stop shop chain continues to grow. —Natalie McCormick
Income differences. Abby Joseph Cohen, former chief US investment strategist at Goldman Sachs, believes that wage inequality “become more and more problematic“ since the pandemic. —Orianna Rosa Royle
Post-military battles. Despite historically low unemployment rates among veterans, many are still struggling Retirement from public service and in the private sector. —Jonathan Due