The Art of Managing People
About
You've been doing the work. You're good at it. Now you're getting asked to manage people and suddenly the rulebook has changed. You're probably wondering:
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How do I lead without being the person people avoid?
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How do I give feedback without crushing morale?
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How do I get people to actually care about the work?
Managing people isn't something you learn by osmosis, and it's definitely not a checklist. It's an art and like any art, it's learnable. This 1-day intensive is designed for emerging leaders in advertising who are stepping up for the first time. You'll work through real scenarios, find your own leadership style, and walk away with concrete tools you can use from day one.
Led by Julie Dormand, who's spent 25+ years navigating the complexity of leading teams in fast-paced, collaborative environments, you'll explore what it actually takes to build a team that's motivated, develops their craft, and wants to keep showing up and doing great work.
What you'll master
- Managing performance with nuance, moving beyond metrics to understand what actually drives your team's best work
- Delivering feedback that lands, giving honest feedback in ways that helps people to improve, not shut down
- Navigating difficult conversations, handling underperformance, personality clashes and conflict with empathy and clarity
- Building your leadership voice, understanding your natural style and how to adapt it to different situations
- Creating an environment where people thrive, the small moves that make a real difference in team culture
Key outtakes
- Your leadership style isn't fixed, self-awareness is your biggest asset
- Feedback is a skill you can learn and master
- Good management is about being clear
- One-on-ones is where the real work happens and trust is built
- Your team reflects you, how you show up sets the tone for everything
How it works
Led by: Julie Dormand, an advertising industry expert in management and team development.
Format: Full day, small cohort (intimate so you can actually contribute).
This is a highly interactive day. You'll work through scenario-based discussions, practical exercises, peer feedback, direct guidance from Julie and takeaway templates you can use straight away. You'll leave with a toolkit that's specific enough to use but flexible enough to work across different team structures and agency cultures.
The details
Who it's for
If you've recently stepped into a management role (or you're about to), you're managing peers or people you used to work alongside and you want practical skills to lead effectively, this course is designed for you.
2026 date & booking deadline
Course date: Wednesday 29 July 2026
Booking deadline: Wednesday 8 July 2026
Investment
$600 + GST (Comms Council members)
$750 + GST (non-members)
Frequently asked questions
Who is this course for?
This course is for people from all agency departments and disciplines who are starting to manage people for the first time. This could be from managing a shared resource to leading a small team.
How is this course delivered?
An interactive workshop with a mix of theory, group discussions and practical exercises. You will explore leaderships styles as a group creating a “mock team” and discuss team dynamics. You’ll learn collaborative strategies for problem solving and tips for resolving conflict.
The course will be led by Julie Dormand who has over 30 years of leadership and management expertise
Can I attend remotely?
No. This is an interactive workshop and in person attendance is essential.
What kind of certification will I receive?
Following completion of the course you will receive a Comms Council Labs Art of Managing People accreditation.
Who can I contact for more information?
Contact Lisa Motteram, Head of Talent and Training at lisa@commscouncil.nz or on 021 614 004.