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Supervisor Training for Your Clients' Managers

Offer your clients' new managers supervisor training in coaching, delegation, difficult conversations and workplace conduct. This leadership training for managers comes through the Curated Collection, Bigger Brains and Inspired eLearning in Empath Grow.

Not an MSP? Ask your IT provider about Empath Grow.

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Emmy the elephant in a diving mask

1,200+

Leadership Courses and Lessons in the Curated Collection

40+

Leadership Courses and Lessons with AI Roleplays

7

Bigger Brains Course Examples Shown Below

9

Supervisor and Manager Courses in Inspired eLearning

Start Here: A New Client Supervisor's First Three Courses

Offer this sequence to a client promoting a staff member into supervision; it begins a longer first-90-days plan.

  1. New Supervisor Fundamentals Curated Collection, 51 min Learn the core job.
  2. Managing Former Peers Curated Collection, 33 min Handle the role transition.
  3. Coaching Crash Course Curated Collection, 30 min Practice one-to-one coaching.

Continue with Months 2 and 3 of the sample supervisor plan for performance conversations and change.

A New Supervisor Starter Program You Can Offer This Week

For a client employee moving from peer to supervisor. The client sets the pace and adds conduct topics that fit its location.

  1. New Supervisor Fundamentals (Curated Collection, 51 min): learn the supervisor role.
  2. Managing Former Peers (Curated Collection, 33 min): reset team expectations.
  3. Coaching Crash Course (Curated Collection, 30 min): prepare a one-to-one conversation.
  4. Expert Insights: Effective Delegation with Brandon Smith (Curated Collection, 62 min): practice handing off work.

Total course time: 176 minutes. This is a sample your MSP and the client can change; the longer first-90-days plan continues below.

Assign it as a pathway in Empath Grow; Grow Lite cannot assign or report progress.

Choose manager courses from the client's base catalog, then add Inspired eLearning for supervisor compliance topics.

Leadership Training for Managers: What Should New Supervisors Learn?

Start with the move from coworker to supervisor, coaching and delegation. Add reviews, hard conversations, hiring and workplace rules. These nine areas help an MSP choose training for the job.

Nine skill areas from a much bigger library:

SkillCourses and Lessons
Stepping up from peer to supervisor100+ new-manager courses and lessons in the Curated Collection; also Bigger Brains
Coaching and one-on-ones90+ coaching courses and lessons in the Curated Collection; also Bigger Brains
Delegation20+ courses and lessons in the Curated Collection; also Bigger Brains
Feedback and performance reviews30+ leadership titles on feedback or reviews in the Curated Collection; also Bigger Brains
Hard conversations and conflict20+ leadership titles on conflict or difficult conversations in the Curated Collection; also Bigger Brains
Hiring and interviewing70+ hiring and recruiting courses and lessons in the Curated Collection; also Inspired eLearning
Leading remote or hybrid teams30+ remote-leadership courses and lessons in the Curated Collection
Leading change80+ courses and lessons in the Curated Collection; also Bigger Brains
Supervisor conduct and compliance20+ supervisor harassment-prevention courses and 9 ADA/FMLA titles in the Curated Collection; 7 Bigger Brains supervisor editions; also Inspired eLearning for discrimination and wage and hour

This is a sample. The Curated Collection also has more than 100 leadership-communication courses and lessons and over 90 on engagement and motivation. See the full course list.

Some harassment courses have state editions. Match the edition to the client's location and check current requirements separately. Course completion alone does not establish compliance.

A Sample First 90 Days for a New Supervisor

Give this sample pathway to a client in Empath Grow. It uses the Curated Collection plus optional Inspired eLearning. Set the pace and conduct topics with the client.

  1. Month 1

    Weeks 1-2: Take the Lead

    • New Supervisor Fundamentals (Curated Collection): learn the supervisor role.
    • Managing Former Peers (Curated Collection): reset expectations with former coworkers.

    Coach and Delegate

    • Coaching Crash Course (Curated Collection): prepare for one-on-ones.
    • Expert Insights: Effective Delegation with Brandon Smith (Curated Collection): hand off work and practice the conversation.

  2. Month 2

    Handle Performance Conversations

    • Painless Performance Conversations (Curated Collection): prepare for a review.
    • Performance Review Calibration (Curated Collection): practice a review conversation.
    • Handling Anger from Your Employees (Curated Collection): respond to an upset employee in an AI roleplay.

  3. Month 3

    Lead Change and Address Conduct

    • Expert Insights: Change Management for Leaders with Dr. David Burkus (Curated Collection): plan a team change.
    • Preventing Workplace Discrimination for Supervisors (Inspired eLearning add-on): recognize discrimination concerns.

This sample is not a required sequence. The full course list has more options.

Manager AI Roleplay Scenarios

Practice four Curated Collection scenarios: Handling Anger from Your Employees, Performance Review Calibration, Expert Insights: Effective Delegation with Brandon Smith and Expert Insights: The Art of Accountability Conversations with Karin Hurt & David Dye. Learners get instant, personal feedback on what went well and what to change. See AI roleplays for more examples.

Courses You Can Offer, by Premium Catalog

These are samples for your clients' managers, not the whole list. Choose the Curated Collection or Bigger Brains for each client, then add Inspired eLearning for more supervisor compliance topics.

Assigning courses and tracking progress need Empath Grow; Grow Lite is watch-only.

Courses for the Work a New Supervisor Does

From leading former peers to reviews, hiring, change and conduct. Several of these courses have AI roleplays with instant, personal feedback (what went well and what to change).

  • Course

    Stepping up

    New Supervisor Fundamentals, BizLibrary Productions. Start supervising former coworkers and practice new responsibilities. 51 minutes.

  • Course

    Managing Former Peers, The Jeff Havens Company. Set expectations after a promotion. 33 minutes.

  • Course

    The Rookie Manager, BizLibrary Productions. Build a first manager routine. 118 minutes.

  • Course

    Coaching and reviews

    Coaching Crash Course, BizLibrary Productions. Prepare a coaching conversation. 30 minutes.

  • Course

    Painless Performance Conversations, Prositions. Prepare a one-on-one before a review. 45 minutes.

  • Course

    Performance Review Calibration, BizLibrary Productions. Practice a performance-review conversation. 15 minutes.

  • Course

    Delegation

    Expert Insights: Effective Delegation with Brandon Smith, BizLibrary Productions. Hand off work and practice the conversation. 62 minutes.

  • Course

    Effective Delegation: Shifting from Author to Editor, BizLibrary Productions. Practice delegating without taking the task back. 5 minutes.

  • Course

    Hard conversations

    Difficult Conversations, The Jeff Havens Company. Prepare for a direct talk; this title has no AI roleplay. 44 minutes.

  • Course

    Handling Anger from Your Employees, BizLibrary Productions. Practice responding to an upset employee in an AI roleplay. 7 minutes.

  • Course

    Expert Insights: The Art of Accountability Conversations with Karin Hurt & David Dye, BizLibrary Productions. Practice holding a colleague to a commitment. 47 minutes.

  • Course

    Hiring

    Conducting Exceptional Interviews, The Jeff Havens Company. Ask and assess interview questions. 38 minutes.

  • Course

    Remote teams

    Managing Remote Teams: Keys to Supporting a Hybrid Workforce, SoftSkillsU. Support staff working remotely or in a hybrid team. 63 minutes.

  • Course

    Leading change

    Expert Insights: Change Management for Leaders with Dr. David Burkus, BizLibrary Productions. Plan and explain a team change. 48 minutes.

  • Course

    Supervisor compliance

    A Harassment-Free Workplace for Supervisors (California), BizLibrary Productions. Review conduct duties in a state edition; check current requirements. 125 minutes.

  • Course

    HR Law: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), BizLibrary Productions. Review ADA basics; verify workplace obligations separately. 20 minutes.

  • Course

    HR Law: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), BizLibrary Productions. Review FMLA basics; verify workplace obligations separately. 28 minutes.

  • A sample of 17 titles. The Collection has more than 1,200 leadership courses and lessons, plus other state editions and 90+ engagement titles. See the full course list.

A learning pathway in Empath, with courses and progress

A Shorter Manager Course Set

A client on Bigger Brains can start with its manager starter kit, then add reviews, delegation, conflict and change. These are Bigger Brains titles, not Collection titles.

  • Course

    Stepping up

    New Manager Starter Kit, Bigger Brains. Start the first manager role. 49 minutes.

  • Course

    Coaching and reviews

    Managing Employee Performance, Bigger Brains. Set expectations and address performance. 43 minutes.

  • Course

    Giving Feedback, Bigger Brains. Make feedback specific and useful. 38 minutes.

  • Course

    Delegation

    Stronger Together: Delegation & Task Management, Bigger Brains. Hand off tasks and follow through. 24 minutes.

  • Course

    Hard conversations

    Managing Conflict: Interpersonal Conflict, Bigger Brains. Work through conflict between people. 34 minutes.

  • Course

    Leading change

    Change Management for Strategic Initiatives, Bigger Brains. Plan a change initiative with the team. 54 minutes.

  • Course

    Supervisor compliance

    Awkward at the Office (Workplace Harassment) v2 - Supervisor Edition, Bigger Brains. The supervisor edition; state editions are also available, so check current requirements. 110 minutes.

  • A sample of seven titles. Bigger Brains also has adaptive-leadership courses and six more supervisor editions. See the full course list.

An Empath onboarding path with assigned courses

Supervisor Compliance Topics to Add

Add short supervisor courses on hiring, discrimination, complaints and wage and hour basics. Inspired eLearning can sit beside either base catalog in Empath Grow.

  • Course

    Supervisor role

    The Special Role of Supervisors, Inspired eLearning. Understand what changes when you supervise staff. 15 minutes.

  • Course

    Hiring

    Lawful Hiring (Supervisors), Inspired eLearning. Review hiring questions and decisions. 13 minutes.

  • Course

    Supervisor compliance

    Preventing Workplace Discrimination for Supervisors, Inspired eLearning. Recognize discrimination concerns. 12 minutes.

  • Course

    Handling Complaints for Supervisors, Inspired eLearning. Respond when an employee raises a concern. 12 minutes.

  • Course

    Wage and Hour for Supervisors, Inspired eLearning. Review pay and hours basics. 15 minutes.

  • Course

    Ethics & Code of Conduct for Supervisors, Inspired eLearning. Apply workplace conduct rules. 40 minutes.

  • Course

    Preventing Workplace Violence for Supervisors, Inspired eLearning. Recognize and respond to workplace violence concerns. 60 minutes.

  • A sample of seven titles. Inspired eLearning also has a California wage and hour edition and security awareness for managers. See the full course list.

A progress view in Empath for assigned learning

Curated Collection or Bigger Brains?

In Empath Grow, each client has the Curated Collection or Bigger Brains, not both.

The Collection has more than 1,200 leadership courses and lessons, AI roleplays and 20+ supervisor harassment-prevention courses. It includes Bigger Brains courses, but not the manager starter kit or seven supervisor editions shown in the Bigger Brains tab.

Inspired eLearning can be added with either choice for supervisor compliance topics. Premium catalogs work the same on Grow and Grow Lite, but Grow Lite is watch-only and cannot assign courses.

Training Your Own Team Too?

The Curated Collection is included with every Empath Learn seat for your MSP's own staff. Empath's own MSP leadership courses, such as Hiring For Great Teams and Running Efficient Meetings for MSPs, are in Learn; they are not courses in the Grow premium catalogs. See leadership training and service manager training for your team.

Training for Your Clients' Other Teams

For an all-staff baseline, see training for every client employee. For managers responsible for policy and records, see HR and compliance training. For supervisors who handle customers, see customer-facing staff training. You can also browse the Curated Collection and Inspired eLearning catalogs behind these courses.

Questions About Supervisor Training for Your Clients

Short answers for MSPs choosing training for their clients' managers.

What training should my clients' new supervisors take?

Start new supervisors with the move from coworker to manager, then add coaching, delegation, performance conversations and conduct training. In Empath Grow, the Curated Collection has New Supervisor Fundamentals and more than 100 new-manager courses and lessons. Bigger Brains has New Manager Starter Kit and other manager courses. Choose the Collection for a broader manager path with AI roleplays, or Bigger Brains for its shorter starter set.

Can my clients' supervisors practice hard conversations?

Empath Grow clients using the Curated Collection can practice hard conversations in AI roleplays about anger, accountability and delegation. A learner responds to a realistic scenario and gets personal feedback on what went well and what to change. The course titled Difficult Conversations covers the topic, but it does not itself have a roleplay. Choose the course and exercise for the client's supervisor role.

Are there supervisor editions of compliance courses?

Yes. The Curated Collection has more than 20 supervisor harassment-prevention courses, including state editions. Bigger Brains has seven supervisor editions, and Inspired eLearning adds supervisor courses on discrimination, complaints, wage and hour topics and workplace violence. A state name on a course does not establish that it meets today's legal requirements; the client should check the rules that apply.

Which catalog should I choose for my clients' managers?

Choose the Curated Collection when a client needs broad leadership coverage and AI roleplays; choose Bigger Brains when its shorter manager course set fits better. In Empath Grow, each client has the Curated Collection or Bigger Brains, not both. Inspired eLearning can be added to either for supervisor compliance topics. The full course list shows the exact titles in each catalog.

Does supervisor training work on Grow Lite?

Yes. Premium catalogs work the same way on Empath Grow and Grow Lite, so a Grow Lite client can watch the same manager and supervisor courses in its chosen catalogs. Grow Lite is a watch-only library: learners choose courses themselves, and assigning is not available. On Grow, the MSP can assign courses and track progress for a client.

Want to See It for Your Clients?

Book a demo and see how you can give each client manager training through Empath Grow. We will show you the catalog choices and supervisor course examples. Not an MSP? Ask your IT provider about Empath Grow.
Book a Demo
Get the Full Course List