Weavr wanted to level up their managers—and fast. With a mix of experienced and first-time managers, they knew a one-size-fits-all training wasn’t going to cut it. That’s where we came in. For six months, we worked with Weavr on a range of initiatives—org design, performance reviews, leveling—but here we zoom in on how we helped them develop their managers.
We kicked things off by surveying Weavr’s managers to get the lay of the land: What were they good at? What did they struggle with? And, most importantly, how did they prefer to learn? It turned out that their needs were as diverse as their experience levels. About 60% had been managing for 5+ years, while 35% were just starting out. The survey also revealed a clear preference for two formats for learning:
- Whole group training for broader learning
- Small focus groups for hands-on practice, with role plays and real-world scenarios
With those insights, we created a four-part training series. Each session was a mix of these two formats, intentionally designed to let more experienced managers mentor the newer ones. We also focused on the topics managers were most eager to tackle, based on their feedback:
- Growth and development: How to have meaningful conversations about career growth.
- Performance management: Handling both underperformance and star players.
- Difficult conversations: How to make tricky, uncomfortable chats with direct reports about sensitive subjects a success. (This was so impactful we were requested to do two sessions on this!)
Every session was practical, engaging, and rooted in the real challenges Weavr’s managers faced. We didn’t just teach theory; we gave them tools they could use right away like feedback frameworks and scripts. And because the training was built on managers’ feedback, it felt less like a one-to-many “training” and more like something they genuinely were part of.
Managers said they walked away with a clear understanding of how to navigate growth, development, performance, and tricky conversations with confidence. Even better, several managers shared that the sessions “didn’t feel like training”—and honestly, we couldn’t ask for higher praise. Empowered managers, engaged teams, and a stronger culture all around.