PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Taking the lead All businesses should have a planned process of learning and personal growth, writes Nick Walsh When it comes to the day-to-day running of the business, do you as the business owner have time to carry out all the tasks you need to? It’s likely that the answer is no. This is just one reason to expand your practice leadership team to include a manager, and/ or to improve and extend the skills of the current manager. Whilst many management and leadership skills are acquired by 'doing the job', it is highly important that practice managers have a planned process of learning and personal growth. Formal training and qualifications prepare the individual to perform their current role better and readies them for more responsibility in the future. Learning programmes, such as the Association of British Dispensing Opticians' (ABDO) Management and Leadership Training (MLT) courses, provide new tools and theories that can be applied on the job to improve performance levels across the board. This enables changes in knowledge and in the learner’s behaviour in the workplace; they will want to try new ideas and do things differently if they can see opportunities for improvements.
BROADENING OUTLOOKS The aim of formal learning and self-development is to help broaden the outlook of the individual, make them more resilient, more able to develop others and see the differences they are making. As someone who has a line of sight on all areas of the business, a manager will be able to act to improve morale, knowledge, cross-team working and business productivity. Essentially, the manager will guide the growth and success of the business through their new skills and behaviours – helping the business to achieve its objectives. By enabling your manager to develop and grow, they will feel more valued and, in turn, add more value to your business. Being an employer who facilitates formal development and qualifications will help you to attract and retain skilled individuals to your team. ABDO offers Level 5 courses in Management and Leadership accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which also asseses and awards the qualification. The courses turn informal learning into a recognised qualification through online study and assessment, with a highly-recognised CMI qualification. Whilst studying, students benefit from CMI membership and access to support and materials including online portal, ManagementDirect. The training is 100 per cent online, removing the need for time away from the business to complete study. Online learning is backed up with support from tutors who are available for queries and guidance, and qualifications can be completed at either a diploma or certificate level.
ONLINE STUDY OPTIONS The diploma offers learning carried out over 10 months (approximately 12-15 hours per week) and consists of seven
22 Vision Now December 2021
ABDO MLT training is 100 per cent online units that must be completed: 1) Developing, managing and leading individuals and teams to achieve success; 2) Managing performance; 3) Managing the customer experience; 4) Principles of developing a skilled and talented workforce; 5) Managing quality and continuous improvement; 6) Principles of delivering coaching and mentoring; and 7) Managing finance. For the certificate, students may choose one of three options, each requiring the completion of three units. Learning is carried out over three months (again, approximately 12-15 hours per week). The courses and units are: 1) Management essentials (developing, managing and leading individuals and teams to achieve success; managing performance; managing the customer experience); 2) Continuing improvement (principles of developing a skilled and talented workforce; managing quality and continuous improvement; principles of delivering coaching and mentoring); and 3) Growing leader (managing conflict; managing finance; managing change). In summary, businesses that are serious about sustainable growth should invest in management training, just as they would invest in any other vital role or part of their business. Whether your employees are existing managers or aspiring to a role in management, make sure that they have a specific skill set, a good range of knowledge, understand and demonstrate appropriate behaviours, and can inspire others to achieve their goals. To find out more about ABDO's MLT courses and to apply, go to www.abdo.org.uk/mlt. There are discounted prices for ABDO members and payments can be made in instalments.
Nick Walsh FBDO is head of corporate development at ABDO.
