#people-management #professional-development #learning-culture # Google, People Management Essentials Specialization [**Specialization Certificate](https://coursera.org/share/6b731b847236c08989aaefb32df791e3) | [Training website](https://www.coursera.org/specializations/google-people-management-essentials)** After stepping away from my director-level role at GWU and having time to reflect, I wanted to explore what I'd done well as a leader, where I made mistakes, and how I could become a better people manager. People management was for me one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of my career so far. I loved being able to guide and see team members grow in their ownership and decision-making abilities, creating structures that helped them focus on what mattered most, and creating opportunities for them to do work and professional development not previously available. In my "break" though, memories and feelings from years past returned upon reflection, and I wanted to be better. I pursued this training to help me reflect more deeply on myself as a leader, coach, and people manager. From this training, I gained insights into frameworks and best practices from a leading organization, as well as ways to use AI for people management. Looking back, I wish I had pursued more structured training earlier in my career on this topic rather than relying solely on leadership books and articles. ## Skills AI Enablement | Communication | Constructive Feedback | Culture Transformation | Delegation Skills | Employee Coaching | Goal Setting | People Development | Performance Management | Relationship Management | Resource Management | SBI Model | Team Leadership | Team Performance Management ## Courses The following courses are a part of this training. ### Create a High-Performing Team This course addresses the fundamental mindset shift new managers must make—from individual contributor to team enabler, from personal career advancement to developing others, and from independent to team-oriented decision-making. It frames effective teams as built through open communication, a learning culture, and strong relationships, and covers strategies for managing up and across the organization. [Certificate of Completion](https://coursera.org/share/5fa34c971898ac0ee33884b21e6fd81c) ### Set and Achieve Team Goals This course focuses on setting goals with clarity, meaning, and impact, including the SMART goals framework and how to create them. It also covers work distribution and strategies for supporting team members in work completion. [Certificate of Completion](https://coursera.org/share/d9bc10fbcb6513404ac1e51526e9f4f5) ### Support Individual Growth and Development This course covers coaching and providing feedback to support high-performance. It includes examples and exercises for creating open-ended questions and guiding team members toward problem-solving. The **Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) mode**l is introduced, along with strategies for having difficult conversations. [Certificate of Completion](https://coursera.org/share/7c4811f423a06dbf8f6401eec541ddcf) ### Grow as a Manager This course focuses on developing internal and external self-awareness for ongoing growth as a manager. It includes self-reflection exercises and introduces strategies for optimizing time management, including leveraging AI for support. [Certificate of Completion](https://coursera.org/share/69b26adf5b13418e9f0df6156d3be24b)