10 Leadership Development Exercises for New Managers (With Exact Words to Practice)

Updated Oct 14, 2026 · Short solo drills for the conversations new managers face first: feedback, delegation, saying no, managing up and handling defensiveness. Each comes with exact words and the likely pushback.

The short version

• The best leadership development exercises for new managers are short, solo drills built around real conversations: the feedback opener, the delegation handoff, the "no", the hard news.
• Each exercise below takes 10–20 minutes, gives you exact words to start from, and ends with the pushback you're most likely to hear and a reply.
• Do one exercise a week for ten weeks, on a situation that's actually on your calendar. Practicing on real situations is what makes it stick.

You got the promotion, a congratulations message and a new calendar full of one-to-ones. Nobody showed you how to tell someone their work isn't good enough, how to hand off a project without hovering, or what to say when your old teammate says "you've changed." You're learning on real people, in real time.

These ten leadership development exercises are built for that situation. They aren't team-building games or personality quizzes. Each one is a drill you can do alone, in under 20 minutes, on a conversation you're actually facing this week.

How to use these exercises

• Pick a real situation. Every exercise starts with "think of a person and a moment from this week." Hypothetical practice is easy and forgettable.
• Say it out loud. Writing a script is half the work. Saying it is where you hear the hedges and the rambling.
• Practice the pushback, not only the opener. The opener is the part you control. The reply is the part that goes wrong.
• One a week. Ten weeks, ten exercises. Repeat any that felt hard.

Not sure where to start? The free Leadership Diagnostic points to the areas to work on first.

1. The 30-second feedback opener

Builds: giving feedback without a warm-up, a compliment sandwich or a label.

The drill: pick one piece of feedback you've been putting off. Write it as three sentences, what you saw, what it affected, what you need, and say it out loud until it takes under 30 seconds.

"In the last two sprint reviews, the demo wasn't ready when we started. That meant the client saw a broken build twice. I need the demo tested by end of day before each review."

| They say | You say | | --- | --- | | "That wasn't my fault, QA was late." | "That might be part of it. What would you need from QA to have it tested the day before? I still need it ready by then." | | "Okay." (and nothing else) | "I want to make sure that landed. What's your take?" |

Limitation: a 30-second opener is a start, not the whole conversation. For the full version, see the underperformance feedback playbook. When that feedback is part of a first performance review, use the review-specific script too.

2. The delegation handoff script

Builds: handing off work without either dumping it or hovering.

The drill: choose one task you're still doing that someone on your team should own. Write a handoff that covers the outcome, the deadline, the decisions they can make alone, and when you'll check in.

"I'd like you to own the monthly client report from now on. The goal is that the client can see progress against the three targets without asking us. It's due on the 5th. You decide the format and what to include. Check with me before sharing anything about pricing. Let's look at your first draft together on the 3rd."

| They say | You say | | --- | --- | | "I don't really have time for this." | "Fair. What's on your plate that this should replace? Let's decide together what moves." | | "How do you want it done?" | "I care about the result: the client sees progress without asking. How you get there is yours. Show me a draft and I'll tell you if anything's missing." |

3. The listening replay

Builds: listening to understand instead of waiting to talk.

The drill: straight after your next one-to-one, write down from memory the other person's main concern in one sentence, then what you said back. Did your reply address their concern, or move to your agenda? Next time, before replying, say their point back first:

"So what I'm hearing is that the handoff from sales is the real bottleneck, not the workload itself. Is that right?"

Why it works: saying their point back forces you to have actually heard it, and people tend to calm down once they hear themselves accurately summarized.

4. The "no" with a trade

Builds: protecting your team's focus when work keeps arriving.

The drill: think of the last request you said yes to and regretted. Rewrite your answer as a trade instead of a refusal, and say it out loud three times.

"We can take that on. If we do, the onboarding redesign moves from the 10th to the 24th. Do you want me to make that swap?"

| They say | You say | | --- | --- | | "Can't your team just absorb it?" | "Not without something slipping. I'd rather choose what slips with you now than find out later." | | "It's only a small thing." | "Then it should be easy to say what it replaces. Which of these two matters more this month?" |

Need more wording? The Boundary-Setting Script generates versions for your situation.

5. The expectation reset with a former peer

Builds: managing people who used to be your teammates.

The drill: write the one sentence you've been avoiding with a former peer, and practice saying it warmly but without apologizing.

"Our friendship matters to me. At work I need to hold everyone to the same standard, including you, and I'd rather say that now than have it be awkward later."

The full set of conversations is in managing your former peers.

6. The pushback-up rehearsal

Builds: managing up when a deadline or plan isn't realistic.

The drill: take a deadline that worries you. Write two options with honest trade-offs and practice presenting them without the words "I'll try."

"With the current team we can deliver the 15th with the two core features, or the 30th with all four. I'd recommend the 15th with two. Which do you want?"

| They say | You say | | --- | --- | | "I need all four on the 15th." | "Then I need two more people for two weeks, or we cut testing, which I don't recommend. Which would you like to explore?" | | "Just make it work." | "I want to. Making it work means choosing what gives. I'd rather we choose it together now." |

7. The bad-news-up briefing

Builds: telling your boss something went wrong without cushioning it into fog.

The drill: use a recent miss. Write a four-line briefing: what happened, the impact, what you're doing, what you need. Practice getting it out in under a minute.

"The launch will slip a week. A vendor integration failed in final testing. The client knows and has agreed to the 21st. I need you to approve two days of contractor time to make that date."

8. The defensive-reaction drill

Builds: staying calm when someone gets defensive or emotional.

The drill: list the three reactions that throw you most. Write and practice a short, calm reply to each that acknowledges the feeling and returns to the point.

| They say | You say | | --- | --- | | "You never say anything when others do this." | "If others are doing it, I'll deal with that separately. Today I'm talking about your work." | | They start crying. | "Take a minute. There's no rush." Wait. Then gently restate the one thing you need. | | "Fine. Whatever you want." | "I don't want this to be about what I want. What would make this hard to do?" |

Before a charged conversation, the Emotional Regulation Tracker helps you notice your own state first.

9. The difficult conversation map

Builds: preparing for the conversation you've been avoiding.

The drill: on one page, write the outcome you want, the facts (not interpretations), what the other person probably believes, the worst thing they could say, and your opening line. The free Difficult Conversation Planner walks you through it. If it's heading toward a formal plan, practice with the PIP Conversation Simulator and read the PIP conversation playbook.

Limitation: a map makes you ready, not certain. People will say things you didn't predict. The goal is that the predictable parts no longer use up your attention.

10. The weekly read-back

Builds: learning from your own conversations.

The drill: every Friday, spend ten minutes on one conversation from the week. Write the sentence you're proudest of and the one you wish you could take back, then rewrite the second one. Over a month you'll see your patterns, such as always hedging at the start or always over-explaining when challenged.

A ten-week plan

| Week | Exercise, and a real situation to use | | --- | --- | | 1 | Listening replay: your next one-to-one | | 2 | 30-second feedback opener: the feedback you've delayed | | 3 | Delegation handoff: one task you shouldn't still be doing | | 4 | Expectation reset: a former peer, if you have one | | 5 | The "no" with a trade: the next request that arrives | | 6 | Pushback-up rehearsal: your most worrying deadline | | 7 | Defensive-reaction drill: the reaction that throws you most | | 8 | Bad-news-up briefing: the next thing that slips | | 9 | Difficult conversation map: the one you're avoiding | | 10 | Weekly read-back, then repeat the hardest two |

Running this for a group of new managers? See first-time manager training and iGrow for managers.

Frequently asked questions

What are good leadership development exercises for new managers?

Short drills built on real conversations: a 30-second feedback opener, a delegation handoff, saying no with a trade, pushing back on deadlines, delivering bad news up, and handling defensive reactions.

How long should each exercise take?

Ten to twenty minutes. Write the words, say them out loud, then practice the reply to the most likely pushback.

Can I do leadership exercises alone?

Yes. All ten here are solo drills. To practice the pushback part, use a colleague or an AI role-play partner.

How often should new managers practice?

One exercise a week works well. Use a real situation from your calendar so the practice transfers straight to the conversation.

What's the hardest skill for new managers?

For many it is giving direct feedback, especially to former peers. Start with the 30-second feedback opener and the expectation reset.

Are these exercises useful for a team training program?

Yes. They can be run as a ten-week program, one exercise a week, with each manager using their own real situations.

Where can I practice these out loud?

On i-Grow.co an AI plays your team member or boss and pushes back while you reply in your own words, then you read back what you said.

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Nobody is born knowing how to manage. They practice the hard minutes until they aren't hard.