Isn’t it time for

managers like you

to get the training and support you need to be

great from the start?

You’ve been promoted to a manager position — or you hope to be soon. Congrats!
But now what?

In many organizations, you’re promoted to manager because of your success in prior roles.

But managing people requires a completely different set of skills that you probably never learned in school or on the job.

That’s why we hear a lot of the same questions from new managers.
Questions like:

  • How do I motivate my team to achieve our shared goals?
  • How do I manage former colleagues or people who are older than me?
  • How do I lead people who have very different personalities or working styles?
  • How do I help the people on my team grow?
  • What do I do when someone on my team makes a mistake?
  • What do I do when I’m the one who made a mistake that affected my team?
  • How do I get my own job done while managing my team’s work?
  • What does my boss want from me in this new role?
man holds head in hands as he looks at laptop screen
Most organizations don't provide any training or support for new managers...
woman biting pencil in frustration as she stares at the laptop on her desk
They assume you can figure it out on your own. In fact, the Harvard Business Review found that many managers wait up to 10 years before they receive the leadership training they need.

And who wants to wait 10 years to feel good at their job?

Sure, you could read a pile of books on leadership and try to apply them to your own work. Or observe the other leaders in your organization and try to mimic their strengths.

The trouble is, that kind of DIY approach leaves a lot of room for frustration and mistakes.

After all, you need to figure out your leadership style, not someone else’s. And your team deserves better than trial and error.

Managers are essential for keeping projects moving, keeping people motivated, and keeping leaders in the loop — all things that help organizations achieve their ambitious missions.

So why isn’t anyone prioritizing managers’ development?

Isn't it time for managers like you
to get the training and support you need to be great from the start?
We think so. That’s why we created…

Foundations of Management

The training program for new and aspiring managers
who want to learn how to lead nonprofit teams that get results

You and 9 other nonprofit professionals who recently stepped into manager roles (or want to) will work with a coach for 5 weeks to learn the foundations of leadership.

This course is laser-focused on concrete, actionable material that will help you become a confident, competent manager.

We’re not going to tell you how to lead. Instead, you’re going to read, discuss, collaborate, practice, and experience leadership for yourself. That’s how you truly learn how to be a great manager in a way that sticks with you for the rest of your career.
man and woman wearing suits smile at the camera
Thankfully, you won’t get any of these things in the course:


xNo abstract, theoretical readings
xNo long, droning lectures
xNo unrealistic, step-by-step “do this, do that” that doesn’t fit your organization or role
xNo busy work that feels like a waste of time
xNo leaving you to figure out the takeaways or application on your own

Instead, you’ll get:

check5 weekly virtual sessions on the foundational skills of what it means to be a great manager
checkShort, concrete presentations that you can apply as soon as you walk into the office the next day
checkRelevant, practical articles written by researchers and leadership experts that help you understand the concepts
checkGroup discussions that help you unpack the key content and figure out how it applies to real workplaces and teams
checkHands-on practice using case studies and role plays to help you figure out how you’ll apply the course material to your work
checkOngoing dialogue about how things are going in your new role and how to navigate any challenges
checkAccess to a group of like-minded peers who are learning right alongside you
checkAn expert, empathetic coach who guides you through the course material, helps you figure out how to apply the concepts to your own situation, and challenges your thinking when needed

After 5 weeks, you'll be ready to lead a team to get results
a group of 5 people wearing suits smiles at the camera while gathered around a table; 4 are sitting and 1 is standing
You’ll feel competent in the foundational skills of how to lead others.

You’ll feel consistent in how you communicate and work with your team.

You’ll feel more committed than ever to being a great manager, even as you continue learning and growing.

And — perhaps most importantly — you’ll feel confident in your ability to lead others.
It’s time you invested in yourself — and your team
Need all the details before you commit?

The next round of this course is not scheduled yet. Contact coaching@talentedadvisors.com if you’re interested in joining.

We encourage you to attend the sessions live, but you’ll also have access to recordings in case work or life gets in the way at any point.

Here’s the syllabus:

  • Session 1: Setting Vision and Direction: We’ll explore the foundational leadership skill of setting an empowering, inspiring vision of success and developing the road map to get there.
  • Session 2: Communication & Setting Clear Expectations: Now that you have a vision and direction, we’ll dig into the key mindsets and skills necessary to effectively communicate them in order to drive team members to take meaningful action. We’ll also explore how clear expectations and communication lay the foundation of a strong team culture and an effective, high-functioning team.
  • Session 3: Building Trusting Relationships: The initial stages of relationships are built on a strong foundation of clear expectations and productive communication. But maintaining those relationships is built on trust. We’ll dig into the science of trust, including how to be more trustworthy and how to leverage the superhuman skill of empathy.
  • Session 4. Project Management: Work gets done to a higher level of quality when people know where they are going and what is expected of them. Building upon the first 3 sessions, we’ll dive into the nuts and bolts of keeping everybody moving in the right direction to ensure that you and your team are able to create high-quality deliverables that you all can be proud of.
  • Session 5. Feedback & Developing Others: Now that you’ve got a team that trusts you and a clear plan to follow, what happens when somebody makes a mistake? Mistakes are a beautiful thing. In this final session, we’ll explore both the mindsets and the skills around delivering effective feedback.

Haven’t you already waited long enough to feel good at your job?
Don’t wait any longer

Meet your coach
“When I was promoted to my first leadership role, my enthusiasm for our mission and the work carried my team forward for about 3 months. Then things started to break down seemingly overnight. We weren’t meeting or even setting goals. Everybody was doing their own thing, and we had no direction. We started bickering and being unkind to each other during meetings. We were a broken team, and I was at the helm. Every day, I felt like I was failing, and I almost walked away. I know now that it’s because I wasn’t prepared to lead my team.

So trust me, I understand where you are right now and what you’re feeling. I know how badly you want to turn things around, and I know that it’s absolutely possible to do so. 

Thankfully, nine months later, we were a high-functioning team, meeting and exceeding nearly any goal we set. We had a shared purpose. We trusted each other. We knew our responsibilities and when to ask for help. We provided feedback openly and honestly. We learned together and grew together.”

Today, DJ is an experienced, IHI-trained performance improvement coach who specializes in coaching to support new and aspiring managers, career transitions, developing project and program management skills, planning and executing change management, and building social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies.

As a TalentED Advisors coach, he coaches all kinds of education and nonprofit professionals just like you. In previous roles, he coached school and network leaders, teacher coaches, and teachers.

DJ lived the pain of being the manager of a failing team, and he turned everything around. Let him help you do the same.

“I felt inspired and uplifted”

DJ is incredible at mindful listening. In our short conversation, he uncovered a lot about me and my career goals that I had either forgotten myself or that were unclear to me. I felt inspired and uplifted after speaking with him.
Ysa Yu, coaching client of TalentED Advisors
Ysa Yu

By this point, you're probably wondering just how much this course costs...

Normally, we charge $1250 for 5 individual coaching sessions.

But we want to make sure this course is affordable enough for all new and aspiring managers.

So Foundations of Management costs just $500 total.

That’s less than $2 per work day for a year. Less than your daily coffee — and wildly more valuable because it’ll set you up for success in the rest of your career.

There are only 10 spots in the course. Once they’re gone, you’ll have to wait several months to enroll in the next cohort. So enroll today!

mug that says "world's best boss" sits on desk

Right now, you have two options...

You can continue trying to figure out how to be a manager on your own — hoping that the next leadership book you read will be the key, trying your best to hide your own uncertainty and inexperience, overthinking every conversation and decision, beating yourself up for any mistakes…

Or you can join Foundations of Management and get a strong foundation in leadership that will help you feel competent and confident, practice the right mindsets and skills, build a professional network of other nonprofit professionals who are at the same point in their careers, and work with an expert coach who has been exactly where you are.

Isn't it time you got the training and support you need to be a great manager?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much time do I need to devote to the course?
You should plan to devote approximately 2 hours per week. That’s 1 hour for each session and up to 1 hour of prep work per session. We know you’re working full-time, so our goal is to ensure that any time you spend on this course is more than worthwhile.

What if I need to miss a session?
No problem. You’ll be able to send any questions to DJ in advance. And you’ll also be able to watch the session recording on your own schedule.

After the course is done, will I be able to access all the resources that were shared?
Of course. We’ll give you access to a Google Drive folder so you can access all the session recordings, articles, exercises, presentations, and anything else used in the course.

What happens if I want to continue this work once the course ends?
After you’ve mastered the foundations in this course, we recommend moving onto 1:1 coaching so we can tailor our support to exactly what you need. If you’d like to hear more about this option, let us know by sending an email to coaching@talentedadvisors.com.

I really like the course. Can a colleague or friend join after the course has started?
Unfortunately, no. It’s important that everyone goes through all the material in order and gets the full benefit of the group conversations, so all participants need to start from the beginning of the course. However, we plan to open the course up to new registrants every 2 to 3 months, and we’d love to invite your colleague or friend to join us in the next cohort. If you send an email to coaching@talentedadvisors.com with your colleague or friend’s name and email address, we’ll send a personal invitation to the next cohort.

I think my colleagues need this training too. Can you train them?
Absolutely, we’d love to figure out how we can support your colleagues. Email us at coaching@talentedadvisors.com, and let us know how we can help.

I’ve got another question. Can you help? Great! Email us at coaching@talentedadvisors.com, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.