Allies managers have access to specifically designed training to support and promote excellence in managerial style and ability.
Developing the Managerial Toolkit includes seven training modules offered on a monthly basis at Allies’ main office in Hamilton. The trainings currently being offered include topics that span the entire managerial experience for Allies managers. Trainings aim to help managers define their role, oversee key processes in their assigned programs, enhance safety, and much more.
“You need to know how to manage your staff, but you also need to know what tools your staff needs,” Ricky Alfaro, training and development specialist at Allies, said.
Allies currently offers two different trainings for managers that complement each other. Developing the Managerial Toolkit focuses on teaching skills needed to support individuals with intellectual and or developmental disabilities. The other course, New Horizons, focuses on teaching soft skills to make managers more effective leaders.
“There is something powerful about watching the managers shift their perspective, gain confidence, or connect policy and procedures to practice,” Alfaro said. “At the end of the day, knowing that the training may positively impact the way our managers support our individuals is an incredible feeling.”
Keitha Francis, a program manager at Allies, was one of the first to take the trainings offered as part of the Developing the Managerial Toolkit trainings.
“The classes taught me to have a little more patience and understanding, as well as really helped me to adjust to working as part of a team,” Francis said. One lesson that Francis has taken with her as she has grown as a manager at Allies is to give community support staff she works with grace and the opportunity to correct their techniques and improve outcomes.
In addition to the technical skills, the trainings helped to prepare Francis for difficult conversations she would have to have as a manager.
Some of the topics found in the Developing the Managerial Toolkit curriculum include safety practices, menu preparation, responsibilities regarding vehicle management, and strategies to handle management and supervision of staff.
The availability of these trainings signal Allies’ investment in employees of all levels.
“When we invest in our staff’s emotional well-being, leadership skills, and growth, we directly improve the quality of life for the individuals we serve,” Alfaro said. “For me, training is not a task; it is a responsibility and a privilege.”
Allies employees who take trainings go on to have success with Allies.
“I see that when managers come to these trainings, they stay with us longer and often move into higher positions throughout the organization,” Alfaro said. “Folks have gotten promoted, been able to pass licensing with no issues, the response has been amazing.”
The training modules available through Developing the Managerial Toolkit can be taken by managers at their convenience. For a full breakdown of available modules and schedules, please reach out to a representative of the Allies training department.