Technical experts often find themselves managing teams without formal leadership training. This course bridges that gap. Participants will learn how to set meaningful goals, build empowered teams, manage performance, and communicate with clarity. With real-world strategies and practical exercises, this course helps transform technical managers into effective, people-centered leaders.

Effectively Managing Technical Teams focuses on the practical mechanics of setting up, running, and optimising high-performance teams, including creating a team charter, team dynamics, decision-making, and day-to-day leadership practices.

• Experienced managers seeking to refine their leadership skills and enhance team performance.
• Newly appointed managers or team leaders who are guiding technical teams and professionals in dynamic environments.
• Engineers and technical professionals aspiring to transition into management and leadership roles.

• Create a team charter and vision with aligned goals, measures, outputs and team culture.
• Balance operational control with team autonomy to drive innovation and execution.
• Understand personality differences to motivate high-performing, collaborative teams.
• Manage time and operations effectively using structured planning, prioritization, and meeting strategies to avoid team burnout.

Introduction to Managing and Leading technical teams

• Understand why managing technical work and collaboration in teams differs from general management
• Recognize a leadership mindset and how to cultivate it with team members
• Understand what is unique and desirable about operating in teams

Operational Processes

• Understanding the importance of 'team operating procedures' to build efficiency
• Discover the power of understanding and sharing 'the why'
• Setting team goals and measures that align with the business
• Creating a team charter with objectives and meaningful measures

Establishing and evolving teams

• Understanding the real meaning of a team
• Managing virtual and remote teams effectively
• Developing team capability and resilience
• Understanding the importance of psychological safety in building team performance
• Establishing operational governance and a healthy team culture
• Decision-making in a team environment

Motivating teams for high performance

• Understanding what drives technical professionals and how team dynamics affect performance
• Handling top performers in a team
• Dealing with poor performers in a team
• Balancing personal performance metrics with team metrics

Operational Efficiency

• Getting things done through teams
• Running effective meetings using the PPPP method
• Managing the work of technical teams without slowing them down
• Dealing with the non-linear nature of technical progress
• Applying radical time-management techniques, demonstrated with a real-world inbox exercise

Team Development

• Developing team capability and resilience
• Team leadership development survey

"Great use of real world experiences… Would highly recommend."
—Robert Kolar, DuPage County, Illinois DOT

"The best management course I’ve attended. Materials and examples were excellent."
—Martin Beranek, MSA Professional Services, Inc.

Trevor Manning

Trevor Manning is an accomplished author, leaderhsip consultant, and trainer with extensive international experience leading technical teams. He has held roles such as chief engineer, technical director, Chief Operating Officer, and board advisor.

With a diverse background spanning various companites including a large government-owned utility, a US-headquartered manufacturer, an international London headquartered start-up, and a privately owned telecommunications operator, Trevor offers valuable insights into real-world business operations.

Trevor leads three training courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focusing on practical insights derived from his wealth of experience.

Effectively Managing Technical Teams

Leadership Beyond Your Team: Managing Up and Across

Critical Conversations: Results-based Communication

Trevor has published several technical and leadership books and lives in Brisbane, Australia.