R.O.M.A.N. Day 3: Developing People, Strengthening Culture and Building a Shared Identity
Great managers do more than manage performance. They develop people, uphold organisational values and create an environment where everyone works towards shared success.
Day 3 of R.O.M.A.N. (The Role of a Manager) brought together the essential skills and mindsets needed to become an effective People Manager. Participants explored Workplace Coaching, organisational culture, shared identity and the expectations of senior management.
Workplace Coaching: Developing People Through Questions
One of the most important responsibilities of a manager is developing the people they lead.
Rather than constantly providing answers or instructions, participants learned how to use structured coaching questions and the D.E.E.P. Coaching Framework (Download, Explain, Explore, Progress) to guide subordinates through workplace challenges.
Through Workplace Coaching, managers can help employees reflect on situations, explore alternatives, take ownership of decisions and develop greater confidence in solving problems.
The goal of coaching is not to make employees dependent on their managers, but to develop their ability to think, decide and act independently.
Organisational Culture: Managers Lead by Example
Every organisation has its own culture, values and expectations. What works in one organisation may not necessarily work in another.
Participants explored how organisational culture influences workplace behaviour, decision making, relationships and performance.
More importantly, they discovered that managers are the everyday ambassadors of organisational culture.
Employees observe what managers say, how they behave, the decisions they make and what they tolerate.
A manager who speaks about teamwork but rewards individual competition sends conflicting messages. Likewise, a manager who promotes respect but fails to demonstrate it undermines the very culture the organisation hopes to build.
Organisational culture is not simply what is written in a company’s values statement. It is what managers consistently demonstrate through their actions and words.
Shared Identity: From Individual Interests to Collective Success
One of the highlights of Day 3 was an experiential game demonstrating the power of shared organisational identity.
Participants discovered that when individuals see themselves as separate parties, they may focus primarily on protecting their own interests.
However, when people recognise that they belong to the same organisation and share a common purpose, they become more willing to cooperate, compromise and seek solutions that benefit everyone.
The activity reinforced an important lesson:
When people think only about themselves, they compete. When they recognise a shared identity, they become more willing to collaborate towards a common goal.
Effective managers therefore play an important role in building belonging, strengthening trust and helping employees understand that individual success and organisational success are interconnected.
Learning from Experience: Bryan Tan’s Management Insights
We were also privileged to welcome Bryan Tan, an experienced leader who shared practical insights into what senior management expects of managers.
His sharing provided participants with a valuable perspective on managerial responsibilities, workplace expectations and the realities of leading people.
Beyond theoretical knowledge, participants gained practical tips on becoming more effective managers, understanding management priorities and navigating the challenges of their roles.
The session reinforced that successful managers must learn to balance the expectations of senior management with the needs and development of their team members.
Day 3 Learning Outcomes
By the end of Day 3, participants were equipped to:
- Apply structured Workplace Coaching: Use the D.E.E.P. Coaching Framework and purposeful questions to help employees reflect, solve problems and take ownership of their development.
- Develop employees rather than simply direct them: Recognise when to coach instead of instruct, encouraging independent thinking, accountability and professional growth.
- Understand organisational culture: Recognise how different organisational cultures influence expectations, behaviours, communication and management practices.
- Uphold organisational values: Demonstrate how managers reinforce organisational culture through consistent words, actions, decisions and personal examples.
- Strengthen shared organisational identity: Understand how a sense of belonging and common purpose encourages cooperation, compromise and mutually beneficial outcomes.
- Promote collaboration over individual interests: Apply lessons from experiential learning to reduce unnecessary competition and encourage solutions that benefit the wider organisation.
- Understand senior management’s expectations: Gain practical perspectives on what organisational leaders expect from managers and how to balance organisational objectives with people management responsibilities.
Completing the R.O.M.A.N. Journey: Becoming a People Manager
Across three days, participants progressed from understanding their managerial responsibilities and personal strengths to appreciating team dynamics, organisational mission, stakeholder relationships, coaching and culture.
The programme reinforced a fundamental principle: Being appointed as a manager gives someone a position, but becoming an effective People Manager requires awareness, skills, responsibility and consistent action.
Great managers understand themselves, recognise the strengths of others, communicate purpose, develop their people and demonstrate the values they expect their teams to uphold.
Most importantly, they understand that their success is not measured solely by what they personally accomplish, but by what they enable others to achieve.
That is the essence of R.O.M.A.N.: Developing managers who do not simply manage work, but bring out the best in people and organisations.
R.O.M.A.N. is a management development programme by IDENTI3 International, designed to equip managers with practical skills, self awareness and organisational understanding to achieve excellence through people.
IDENTI3 International | We Bring Out the Best in People
#ROMANTraining #PeopleManagement #WorkplaceCoaching #DEEPcoaching #OrganisationalCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamCollaboration #IDENTI3
