For New Leaders in New England
You’ve got people stepping into management for the first time. Maybe they earned the move through strong individual work. Maybe a planned succession track put them there. Maybe a team grew faster than expected and somebody had to step up.
Most new managers figure it out as they go. They’re often trying to lead the people who used to be peers.
Foundational Leadership 101 is the program built to develop the skills new managers actually use in the first 6 to 12 months: self-awareness, influence, communication, and decision-making.
What Your New Leaders Will Learn in 4 Modules
The program is anchored by the Everything DiSC® Workplace assessment, so participants walk in understanding their own communication style and how to read others. From there, the four modules build on each other:
Module 1: The Leadership Effect
Discover your communication style with the DiSC® assessment. Participants learn how their natural style helps and hinders them as a leader, and how to flex it for different team members.
Module 2: The Power of Influence
Build trust and gain buy-in through authenticity. The shift from “do this because I said so” to “do this because you understand why” is where most new managers stall. This module names that shift and gives them the tools.
Module 3: Influence in Every Interaction
Turn conversations into leadership opportunities. Practical work on the daily reality of managing: feedback, delegation, accountability, and the hard conversations that happen in the hallway, not the conference room.
Module 4: Leading Through Critical Thinking
Make confident decisions under pressure. New managers freeze at the decision point. This module teaches a framework they can lean on when there isn’t a clear right answer.
Everything DiSC® Workplace assessment: DiSC assessments are available in English and Spanish form. Everyone will get the English assessment to complete unless you contact us and request the Spanish form. The completed report will be sent in the language the assessment is completed in. Please note that the course will be delivered in English.
Who Should Attend
This program is built for people in or near their first formal leadership role. That includes:
- Newly promoted supervisors and managers (typically 0 to 6 months in role)
- Team leads preparing for a formal leadership position
- High-potential individual contributors identified for leadership development
- Anyone transitioning into their first people management role for any reason, whether through promotion, succession, organizational change, or stepping up when the team needed someone to
If you’ve got more than one new manager, we recommend sending them as a cohort. Shared language and shared experience after the program reinforce each other in ways that solo attendance can’t.
How Foundational Leadership 101 Is Delivered
In-person at EANE
2 full days, hosted at our training location in Agawam, MA
Virtual
4 half-days, live online with the same content and the same DiSC® assessment
In-person at your location
Flexible scheduling for your team at your location
Program Costs
EANE MEMBERS | $745 Per person for the series
FUTURE MEMBERS | $875 Per person for the series
Foundational Leadership 101 is typically eligible for the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Program (WTFP) grant. If your organization meets the eligibility requirements, the grant can offset most or all of the per-participant cost. Our Training Grant Services team can walk you through whether you qualify and help with the application.
For groups of 4 or more, or for organizations planning to send cohorts through repeatedly, talk to us about a custom plan. On-site delivery is often the most cost-effective option once you’re past the first few participants.
EANE’s Leadership Training Program Pathways
Foundational Leadership 101 is the entry point, but most of the organizations we work with on long-term manager development run their leaders through a pathway over two to four years:
See our full Leadership Training portfolio for how the pieces connect.
Why Employers Choose EANE for New Manager Training
A few things shape what we do that you won’t find in the national catalogs:
Local trainers, in-region cohorts.
Our facilitators work with employers in New England every week. They know the realities of managing teams in MA, CT, and RI.
A pathway, not a one-off class.
Foundational Leadership 101 is the start of a path that includes 102, Principles of Leadership, Lean Leader, and on-site reinforcement options.
90+ years of working with regional employers.
Manufacturing, banking, healthcare, mental health, nonprofits. We’ve built and refined this program around what’s actually working now.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Foundational Leadership 101 eligible for the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund grant?
Is Foundational Leadership 101 eligible for the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund grant?
Typically yes. The exact eligibility depends on your organization’s size, payroll, and a few other factors. Our Training Grant Services team can confirm whether you qualify and help with the WTFP application paperwork.
Can we run Foundational Leadership 101 on-site, just for our team?
Yes. On-site delivery is one of the most common ways our larger member organizations use this program. Same curriculum, same DiSC® assessment, scheduled around your team’s calendar. Contact us about an on-site cohort.
What’s the difference between Foundational Leadership 101 and Principles of Leadership?
Foundational Leadership 101 is built for people in or near their first management role. Principles of Leadership is for existing leaders and leaders of leaders, with deeper content over 4 full days (or 8 half-days virtual) and a more advanced DiSC® application. Most organizations send their first-time managers through 101, then send them to Principles of Leadership a year or two into the role.
How long is each session, and what’s the total time commitment?
The in-person format is 2 full days, starting at 8:30 am. The virtual format is 4 half-days, also starting at 8:30 am. Total program time is roughly the same in either format.
Will you accommodate a Spanish-speaking participant?
The DiSC® Workplace assessment is available in Spanish on request. Let us know when you register and we’ll send the Spanish form, and the report comes back in Spanish too. The course itself is delivered in English.
What happens after the 4 modules end?
Many participants either continue into Foundational Leadership 102 (the next program in the pathway) or, for organizations with broader L&D goals, into Principles of Leadership a year or two later. We can map a multi-year plan with you.
Do attendees earn HR credits like HRCI or SHRM?
Foundational Leadership 101 is built primarily as leadership development for new managers, not as an HR certification course, so it doesn’t carry HRCI or SHRM credits. If your team needs SHRM or HRCI-credit programming, our HR YOUniversity & Compliance Training catalog has those offerings.