Personalised leadership development for new and emerging managers

Being promoted into a team leader or management role is a big step. Suddenly, you’re responsible not just for your own work, but for guiding, supporting and getting things done through other people.

And if you’ve had little or no management training, there’s a good chance you’re figuring things out as you go.

Our One-on-One Team Leader Coaching Programme helps aspiring, new and existing team leaders develop the skills and confidence to manage people effectively.

Unlike a traditional training course, the programme is tailored to you. We combine structured leadership development with personalised coaching, focusing on the skills you need and the challenges you’re facing in your workplace.

Whether it’s learning to delegate, having difficult conversations, managing competing priorities or making the transition from team member to team leader, we’ll help develop the skills to tackle these situations with greater confidence.

Delivered live online over six or eight weeks, this is leadership development that fits around the individual, rather than the other way around.

Developing several team leaders? Our full team leader development programme may be a better fit.

Enquire about one-on-one team leader coaching

Team leader coaching at a glance

Who’s it for? Aspiring, new and existing team leaders, supervisors and managers with little or no formal leadership training.

Format: Live, one-on-one online coaching and training. Delivered over Zoom or Teams.

Duration: Six or eight weeks, depending on content; one one-hour session per week.

Personalisation: Content is selected and tailored following an initial consultation about the learner’s experience, needs and goals. 

Location: Available throughout NZ and Australia.

Investment: Six-week programme $1,500+GST; eight-week programme $2,000+GST.

How the one-on-one coaching works

1. We start with a conversation

Before we design the programme, we’ll discuss the participant’s current role, previous experience, development goals and the challenges they’re encountering.

This helps us identify their learning priorities and decide whether a six- or eight-week programme is the best fit.

2. We create a personalised development programme

We draw on our established leadership training content to select the topics, tools and techniques that are most relevant to the individual.

The programme provides structure while allowing room to address workplace situations and questions as they arise.

3. We meet online each week

We have one-hour, online, individual session each week.

Sessions combine learning new skills with discussion, reflection and coaching. We use practical examples, conversation frameworks and activities to help participants understand how to apply what they’re learning.

4. We put the learning into practice

Between sessions, participants are encouraged to practise new skills in their workplace.

This might involve delegating a task differently, trying a new questioning technique, preparing for a feedback conversation or changing the way they run their one-on-ones.

5. We reflect and build on progress

Each week provides an opportunity to discuss what’s working, what’s proving difficult and what could be approached differently.

By the end of the programme, participants should have a stronger understanding of their leadership responsibilities and a practical set of tools they can continue using.

Why choose one-on-one team leader coaching?

Not everyone needs the same leadership training.

One person might be struggling to delegate because they’re used to doing everything themselves. Another might be confident managing workloads but uncomfortable giving constructive feedback. And someone who’s just been promoted might need help establishing their credibility with former colleagues.

A standard training programme covers a planned range of topics. Individual coaching allows us to concentrate on the areas that will make the biggest difference to that particular person.

There are several advantages to this approach.

Learning that's relevant to the individual

We start by understanding the your experience, strengths, challenges and development goals. From there, we select the most relevant content from our comprehensive Team Leader Development Programme.

A confidential space to explore challenges

Managing people can be difficult, especially when you’re new to it. Individual sessions create space to ask questions, discuss workplace situations and explore different approaches without having to share those experiences in a group.

A chance to put new skills into practice

When learning is spread over several weeks, you have time to try new techniques at work, reflect on what happened and discuss your experiences at the next session.

Individual attention and feedback

There’s no competing for time in a busy classroom. We can spend more time on areas the participant finds challenging and move more quickly through topics they’re already confident with.

What could your one-on-one team leader coaching programme include?

Our one-on-one programme draws on the content of our full Team Leader Development Programme, but we don’t expect every participant to cover every topic.

Following the initial discussion, we’ll agree on the areas that are most relevant to their development.

Making the transition into management

Becoming a team leader involves a change in mindset. The skills that made someone a successful employee aren’t necessarily the same skills they need to lead others.

We can explore different leadership approaches, managing former peers, establishing credibility, setting expectations and taking responsibility for team performance.

For newly appointed managers, we can also work on a 90-day leadership plan.

Effective communication is central to managing people. We can work on active listening, asking better questions, recognising assumptions and reducing misunderstandings.

Participants learn techniques that help them understand others, communicate expectations and have more productive conversations.

One of the biggest challenges for new team leaders is learning to stop doing everything themselves.

We explore how to delegate effectively, avoid micromanagement and use coaching techniques that help employees think through problems and take greater responsibility for their work.

Giving constructive feedback can feel uncomfortable, particularly for someone who has never been shown how to do it.

We introduce practical conversation frameworks that help managers address issues early, explain their concerns, listen to the other person’s perspective and agree on what needs to happen next.

Team leaders often find themselves caught between completing their own work and responding to the needs of their team.

We can explore techniques for prioritising, managing interruptions, making better use of meetings and finding time for the leadership responsibilities that are easy to overlook when things get busy.

Leaders need to manage their own responses to setbacks and change while helping others navigate uncertainty.

We can focus on developing resilience, adaptability and a growth mindset, and explore how a leader’s behaviour influences the way their team responds to challenges.

Regular conversations with employees are an important part of good leadership.

We can explore how to run productive team meetings, structure individual catch-ups, encourage employee participation and use meetings to support performance and development.

People are more likely to raise concerns, share ideas and acknowledge mistakes when they believe they can do so without being embarrassed or punished for speaking up.

We explore the everyday leadership behaviours that encourage trust, openness, constructive debate and a willingness to learn.

The aim isn’t to squeeze every leadership topic into six or eight weeks. It’s to focus on the skills that will make the greatest difference to you and give you the opportunity to apply what you’re learning.

Who is one-on-one team leader coaching for?

This programme is particularly suitable for:

  • Aspiring team leaders who want to prepare for their first people-management role.

  • Newly promoted managers who have been given responsibility for a team without much formal preparation.

  • Experienced supervisors and team leaders who have learned through trial and error and want to strengthen particular management skills.

  • Technical specialists moving into leadership, such as engineers, accountants, tradespeople and other professionals whose expertise has led to a management role.

  • Organisations with one person to develop, where enrolling an individual in a group programme isn’t the preferred option.

It’s also a good choice when a manager needs help with particular leadership challenges and would benefit from a more individual approach.

 

When might this programme not be the right fit?

Our one-on-one Team Leader Coaching Programme focuses on developing foundational people-management skills.

It may not be the best option if:

  • You’re looking for advanced executive leadership coaching or strategic management development.

  • Your main goal is to develop technical, project management or financial management skills.

  • You’re dealing with a serious or ongoing employee performance issue that requires formal HR intervention rather than leadership development.

  • You have several managers who would benefit from learning together and developing consistent leadership practices across your organisation.

In these situations, we can discuss alternative training, coaching or HR support options.

Why choose Epic People?

With more than 30 years’ experience in human resources and learning and development, we understand the realities of managing people in New Zealand workplaces.

Our coaching draws on that experience, combining established leadership development approaches with the everyday situations that team leaders face.

We’re not interested in filling sessions with management theory that sounds impressive but is difficult to apply.

Instead, we focus on helping people understand what effective leadership looks like in practice, develop new skills and become more confident in their ability to manage others.

We also understand that leadership development doesn’t happen in isolation. Managers need opportunities to practise, reflect and receive support as they build their capability.

That’s why we spread the learning over several weeks rather than trying to cover everything in a single intensive workshop.

Feedback from past learners

"I had a fantastic experience with the Epic People Team Leadership Program. Working one-on-one with Stephanie over six weeks was incredibly valuable. Stephanie brings great energy to every session, and her passin for developing leaders made each one-hour class engaging, practical and enjoyable. She shared relatable examples, thoughtful insights, and actionable advice for handling challenging leadership situations with confidence."

Guillaume G.

Frequently asked questions about one-on-one team leader coaching

What is one-on-one team leader coaching?

One-on-one team leader coaching is a personalised leadership development programme for aspiring, new and existing managers. It combines structured training in essential people-management skills with individual coaching and discussion.

Epic People’s programme runs over six or eight weeks, with one live online session each week. The content is selected to reflect the participant’s experience, development needs and workplace challenges.

Team leader training usually follows a planned curriculum and may involve several participants learning together.

One-on-one team leader coaching provides a more personalised approach. Although it draws on the same leadership training content, the topics and activities are selected to suit the individual. Sessions also provide opportunities to explore specific workplace situations, ask questions and reflect on progress.

Epic People offers both individual coaching and a full group Team Leader Training Programme.

Yes. Our coaching programme is designed for people who are preparing for their first leadership role, have recently been promoted or have little formal management training.

We can start with the fundamentals of managing people, including the change in mindset required when moving from being responsible for your own work to leading a team.

Yes. Some team leaders have years of practical management experience but have never received formal leadership development.

Individual coaching can help them reflect on their approach, strengthen particular skills and explore new ways of handling situations they find challenging.

Because the programme is tailored, we can concentrate on their development priorities rather than covering topics they already understand well.

Yes. Delegation, coaching, communication and constructive feedback are among the core skills we can develop through the programme.

Individual sessions allow us to examine particular challenges, explore practical techniques and prepare for real workplace conversations.

However, where a manager is already subject to formal performance management, appropriate HR processes should be addressed separately.

We start with a discussion about the participant’s role, experience, development needs and goals.

From there, we select relevant topics from our full Team Leader Development Programme and agree on an appropriate six- or eight-week structure.

The individual sessions also allow us to respond to questions and workplace situations that arise during the programme.

Epic People’s one-on-one Team Leader Coaching Programme runs for either six or eight weeks, with one 60-minute online session per week.

Spreading the sessions over several weeks gives participants opportunities to practise their new skills between sessions, reflect on what happened and continue building their capability.

A six-week individual coaching programme costs $1,500 + GST, while an eight-week programme costs $2,000 + GST.

We’ll discuss the participant’s needs and goals before recommending which option is most suitable.

Yes. Epic People’s one-on-one team leader coaching is delivered live online, making it available to participants throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Sessions are interactive and tailored to the individual, rather than prerecorded lessons or self-paced learning modules.

Yes. We encourage participants to discuss their development goals and progress with their manager, particularly where the organisation is funding the programme.

A manager can help reinforce the learning by providing opportunities to practise new skills, offering feedback and supporting the participant’s development.

We can discuss appropriate involvement during the initial planning stage, while maintaining clear expectations around the confidentiality of individual coaching conversations.

Yes. The programme draws on our established leadership training content, including conversation frameworks, coaching techniques, delegation approaches and other management tools.

The emphasis is on giving participants techniques they can practise immediately and continue using after the programme finishes.

Neither approach is automatically better. It depends on the individual and what the organisation wants to achieve.

Individual coaching is particularly valuable when development needs are specific, confidential discussion is important, or only one manager requires training.

Group training is often more suitable when several managers need the same foundational skills and would benefit from shared learning and discussion.

We can help you decide which approach is the best fit.

Personalised leadership development starts here

    Let's build better bosses together.

    Whether you’re preparing someone for their first leadership role or helping an existing team leader develop their management skills, our one-on-one coaching programme provides support tailored to their needs.

    Tell us a little about who you’re looking to develop and what you’d like them to achieve. We’ll help you decide whether individual coaching is the right fit.

    Let’s have a chat.

    Stephanie McKee Wright, founder of Epic People NZ