Manager Method
Strengthens Leadership to Support Youth Through Growth and Change
The Challenge: Building consistent leadership in a lean university environment
Viterbo University is a university environment with roughly 290 full time staff and faculty, plus a large adjunct population. Like many institutions, people move into leadership because they are strong contributors, not because they have had structured training to manage.
When Emily Weaver joined to lead HR, she quickly determined there was a need to implement consistent manager training.
The university needed practical fundamentals that managers would actually use, without creating a heavy lift for a lean HR team.
The Solution:
Manager Method
Practical, cohort based learning that managers actually complete
Viterbo rolled out Manager 101 using cohorts and in person sessions. Senior leaders were included within the manager cohorts, and managers were intentionally placed outside of their normal work circles to broaden relationships and learning across campus. Viterboâs president also participated in the training.
Managers engaged with the material and showed up ready to talk. Participation increased as the cohort sessions continued, and managers became more open and active in discussion.
âAt Viterbo University, we are committed to investing in our employees. Our partnership with Manager Method has allowed us to launch a manager training that is engaging, practical, and impactful.â
âAshley Herd and her team worked with us to customize a training program for our people managers, and we are already seeing the positive impacts of this investment in our people. Our managers are engaged, curious, and already applying knowledge and skills learned in the resource guide, online modules, and in person cohort sessions.â
â Emily Weaver
Vice President, Human Resources and University Counsel
The Results:
Engagement, application, and demand for whatâs next
Viterbo saw impact quickly in a few concrete ways:
Strong participation and completion. Managers logged in, consumed the content, and stayed engaged through the cohort cadence.
Higher quality peer learning. Cross functional cohorts helped managers learn from challenges outside their day to day context.
Immediate applicability. Managers pulled practical tools and language into real conversations with their teams.
The internal sentiment also cut through the typical âmandatory trainingâ fatigue.
âI have watched my fair share of âmandatory video trainingsâ with one eye on my inbox. But this one. The Manager Method training series Viterbo University invested in is worth watching. Practical, concise, and packed with things you can immediately apply.â
Erin Edlund, Ph.D.
VP for Marketing, Communications, and Enrollment
Whatâs next: Expanding from a course into a long term leadership system
After a strong Manager 101 rollout, Viterbo is planning the next phase of development, including Manager 201 for more strategic leadership and goal setting, plus options to extend growth opportunities beyond people managers.
They are also exploring reinforcement and measurement tools to help the learning stick over time, including manager toolkits, the AI Coach, an effectiveness diagnostic, and engagement tracking. The goal is simple. Make leadership development consistent, practical, and sustainable across the university.
