Managing teams in advertising is tougher than ever—from remote work to burnout, mental well-being, and balancing performance with growth. AdSchool’s Manager Fundamentals course tackles these challenges head-on. This isn’t generic leadership training—it’s an eight-week deep dive into the realities of managing in today’s fast-paced industry.

Across eight weeks, you will:

• Master the essentials: Learn the fundamentals of managing people, from delegation and feedback to motivating teams under pressure.

• Navigate modern challenges: Address the realities of hybrid work, burnout, mental well-being, and how to foster a supportive, resilient team culture.

• Inspire and lead creatives: Unlock strategies to lead creatives and strategists to their best work, balancing vision with structure.

• Handle difficult conversations: Develop confidence and tools to address underperformance, conflict, and tricky situations effectively.
  
  
• Build high-performing teams: Learn the art of recognising strengths, empowering individuals, and creating a team that thrives together.

If you’re a new manager looking to sharpen your skills, or an existing manager who wants to refresh your approach and stay relevant in the modern workplace, this course is for you.

You might be:

• A newly promoted creative, strategist, account lead, or production manager
• A mid-level leader looking to get the best out of your team and drive performance
• A senior professional seeking practical techniques to manage teams more effectively

We welcome anyone with a desire to lead better, inspire growth, and create a positive impact in their teams and workplaces.

Oliver Ward

Managing Director, Team X Australia & New Zealand

Linkedin

Video lecturers (pre-recorded)

Tanya Vragalis

Managing Director, Greenhouse

Linkedin

Chiquita King

Founder & Managing Director, Cocogun

Linkedin

Cate Stuart-Robertson

Managing Director ANZ, Dentsu Creative

LinkedIn

Kathrina Nhan

WPP, People Lead, Business Partnering

LinkedIn

Lisa Houatchanthara

National Head of Operations, Saatchi & Saatchi and Team One

LinkedIn

Andy Wright

Co-Chair, Mentally-Healthy

Linkedin

Sarah Jones Palmer

Director, the human co

Linkedin

Over eight short weeks, you’ll be delivered bite-sized content designed to fit your schedule—anytime, anywhere. The best part? It takes no more than three hours a week.

Duration
Part-time.

Delivery
Pre-recorded video lectures for flexible learning combined with in-person tutorials to help you apply theory to practice. Weekly tutes for online courses will be delivered virtually.

Assessment
Practical projects, collaborative exercises, and a final capstone presentation to industry peers and mentors.

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Week 1: Finding your style
Presented by: Tanya Vragalis

We’ll explore different management approaches to help you better understand and develop your own personal style. Key topics:

• Managing versus leadership
• Building confidence
• Emotional intelligence
• Authenticity

Week 2: Motivating teams
Presented by: Chiquita King

We’ll explore some principles and ways to manage people which help empower and enable them to be at their best. Key topics:

• Vision and goal setting
• Empowering your team
• Importance of recognition
• Learning & development

Week 3: Performance management and development
Presented by: Cate Stuart-Robertson

We’ll cover how to get the best out of people’s performance at work by regularly keeping track of goals, recognition and feedback. Key topics:

• Goal setting
• Giving feedback /coaching
• Managing under performance
• Remuneration discussions

Week 4: An introduction to recruitment and onboarding
Presented by: Kathrina Nhan

This part of the course will explore the overall candidate and onboarding experience and why it is the most important part of building a strong team. Key topics:

• Unconscious bias
• Recruitment process
• Interview techniques / evaluating candidates
• Importance of onboarding

Week 5: Communication and conflict management
Presented by: Lisa Houatchanthara

This part of the course will look at different types of potential conflict and how to best handle confrontation at work in a timely manner. We’ll also look at several ways of fostering collaboration. Key topics:

• Difficult conversations/personalities
• Discipline process
• Conflict resolution
• Team collaboration

Week 6: Wellbeing
Presented by: Andy Wright

This session focuses on fostering wellbeing. Key topics include:

• Prioritising wellbeing for diverse teams
• Stress management & mental health support

Week 7: Creating Safe Spaces
Presented by: Sarah Jones Palmer

This session focuses on creating safe spaces in the workplace. Key topics include:

• Inclusivity in virtual/hybrid work environments
• Equal opportunity, allyship, and belonging
• Change management for a healthy, diverse workplace

Week 8: Assessment

This industry-certified course includes homework/assessments.