From Peer to Supervisor Training
In our From Peer to Supervisor training, newly promoted and first-time supervisors practice setting expectations with former coworkers, giving direction and feedback, and handling their first hard conversation as the boss.
We deliver it onsite at your location anywhere in the country, live online, or at our training center. Class size is typically up to 25 people, and live online sessions can take larger groups. Training one or two supervisors? They can join an open-enrollment class.
What New Supervisors Learn
Before training starts, we assess your group’s needs and recommend which of the course’s 12 modules training will focus on.
- Get through the first months in the role, from friendships on the team to the pull to keep doing the old job
- Set new boundaries with former coworkers and keep their trust
- Build credibility with a team that knew them as a peer
- Practice the habits that lead a team to trust its supervisor
- Work out which of those habits they already have and which to build first
- Get clear on what the organization expects from them in the new role
- Balance supervising with the hands-on work they still own
- Plan the team’s work and delegate it based on strengths and deadlines
- Follow up on delegated work without micromanaging
- Give clear direction and set clear expectations
- Listen actively in one-on-one conversations
- Tell what kind of conflict they’re facing and choose how to handle it
- Resolve conflict before it spreads to the rest of the team
- Hold themselves and the team to the same standards
- Address missed commitments early, every time
- Run performance conversations that lead to improvement
- Set realistic goals and help employees reach them
- Work through a problem step by step, from finding the cause to choosing a fix
- Make decisions under pressure that work for the team and the organization
- Explain a change to the team and lead them through it
- Help the team adjust when priorities shift
- Model the standards they expect from the team
- Keep conversations respectful across different personalities and backgrounds
- Recognize good work and support each employee’s growth
- Build a team people want to stay on
Formats, Length, and Group Size
Every session is taught live by an ERC trainer, in person or online.
Length
Courses start at a half-day or full-day and can be combined into a series of modules built around the skills your supervisors need most.
In person
At your location, a facility you choose, or our training center. Class size is typically up to 25 people.
Live online
Taught live by an ERC trainer. Live online sessions can take larger groups and supervisors spread across several locations.
For New Supervisors Moving From Peer to Boss
From Peer to Supervisor runs onsite or live online. For newly promoted supervisors, a one-day program can cover the move from coworker to supervisor, communication, accountability, and conflict, with practice scenarios from your industry.
Single course for your group
A half-day or full-day workshop for your supervisors, onsite, at our training center, or live online, with modules chosen for your organization.
Supervisor Series
Twelve modules cover the fundamentals your supervisors and frontline managers use every day. See the series.
Live Online Classes
We also offer live online open-enrollment classes for one or two supervisors. See our events calendar.
Who the From Peer to Supervisor Course Is For
Newly promoted supervisors leading former coworkers
They now have to correct a friend or hand work to someone who used to be an equal.
Supervisors promoted for their technical skill
Your best machinist, nurse, or account rep now runs the team, and no one has shown them how to delegate, coach, or follow up.
Supervisors without formal training
They learned the role by trial and error and want a clear method for the conversations they still put off.
Leads, foremen, and shift leads
They direct the work before they have the supervisor title. The employees you plan to promote next fit here too.
What Drives the Cost of From Peer to Supervisor Training
Pricing for this course depends on how many supervisors attend and how you set up the session. Tell us how many supervisors you’re training and what you want them to handle better, and we’ll send a quote.
Session length
Half-day or full-day. A full day covers more modules in one sitting.
Modules and sessions
The course can run as one session or as a series.
Delivery
Live online, onsite at your location, or at our training center.
Add-ons
A participant evaluation of the training is included. Pre- and post-tests are optional.
Who Teaches From Peer to Supervisor Training
Tom Ault
Senior Solution Consultant and Trainer. More than 30 years at Diebold in regional finance, controller, and organization development roles, where he also helped move Diebold’s service organization to team-based work. He has designed and led customized training for employers across industries.
Chris Powers
ERC Trainer and Keynote Speaker. 23 years in the U.S. Navy, including time as a training facilitator at the Naval Nuclear Power School, where he was named Instructor of the Year. He has also worked as a national sales manager, and as a trainer he has worked with more than 500 organizations, from CEOs to frontline staff.
Nada Djordjevich
ERC Trainer. Supervised a call center team and managed a training and development team during 17 years at Ohio Savings Bank and KeyBank. Certified to teach ERC’s supervisory training.
Damon Linder, PhD
ERC Trainer. Engineering, sales, project management, and quality roles in the automotive, medical device, and construction industries, with work in Germany, Japan, Korea, and China. Adjunct professor at the Tiffin University School of Business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Before training, we assess your organization’s needs, then choose the modules, scenarios, and examples that fit your supervisors and your industry. We also build the schedule around your operation.
As few as one. A one-day workshop covers the move from coworker to supervisor and a few core skills. Additional modules or sessions can be added.
Both. In-person training happens at your location, a facility you choose, or our training center in Beachwood, Ohio, with class size typically up to 25 people. Virtual training is taught live by an ERC trainer and fits larger groups or supervisors in several locations.
A needs assessment before training, materials customized to your organization, workbooks participants keep, and a participant evaluation of the training. Pre- and post-tests are available as an add-on.
Five factors set the price: the number of supervisors, session length, the number of modules and sessions, delivery (virtual, onsite, or at our training center), and add-ons such as pre- and post-tests. Each program is quoted separately.
Yes. A mixed group works well when everyone leaves with one shared approach to expectations, feedback, and accountability. We adjust the scenarios so a supervisor in their first month and a ten-year veteran both get something from every session, and the veterans’ own examples become part of the discussion.
We’ll email you with a few questions about your supervisors and what you want to change, then send a quote. If you’d like to talk it through, we’ll set up a short call. Otherwise we can handle everything by email.
Yes. They can join an open-enrollment class and train alongside supervisors from other organizations. For a newly promoted supervisor, Leadership Boot Camp: Foundations of Supervision covers the most ground, in one day at our Beachwood training center. If travel to Beachwood won’t work, The Role of the Supervisor is a 90-minute live online class. See our events calendar.
Yes. We can deliver the program onsite at each location or run one live online group that brings supervisors from every site together, so every site works from the same playbook.
Yes. If your new leader manages other supervisors or a department, our New Manager Training covers the move into management. For managers, directors, and senior teams, see our leadership development training.
From Peer to Supervisor Training at a Glance
| What it is | Training for employees promoted into their first supervisory role, built from 12 modules and customized to your organization. |
|---|---|
| Who it’s for | Newly promoted supervisors, often leading former coworkers; supervisors without formal training; leads, foremen, and shift leads. |
| What it covers | The move from coworker to supervisor, delegation, communication, conflict, accountability, performance conversations, change, problem solving, professionalism, and retention. |
| Format and length | A half-day or full-day workshop. |
| Where it happens | Onsite at your location, live online, or at our training center in Beachwood, Ohio. We train groups anywhere in the country. |
| Group size | Typically up to 25 per classroom session. Live online sessions can take larger groups, and one or two supervisors can join open enrollment. |
| What’s included | A needs assessment, customized materials, workbooks participants keep, and a participant evaluation. |
| Pricing | Priced per program, based on the number of supervisors, session length, modules and sessions, delivery, and add-ons. |
| Who teaches it | Tom Ault, Chris Powers, Nada Djordjevich, and Damon Linder, PhD. |
| About ERC | ERC has served employers since 1920. |
Let’s Plan Training for Your New Supervisors
Tell us about your new supervisors and what you want them to handle with confidence, and we’ll put together a program and a quote.
