Every team needs a good corner
Six sessions that teach managers the conversations that protect wellbeing.
- Length
- Six sessions over 12 weeks
- Price, indicative
- From $14,000
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found manager engagement fell from 27% to 22% in 2025, and links the drop in global engagement largely to managers. The Corner gives managers the skills, and the support, to be the steady voice between rounds.
Six sessions, two weeks apart
- Session 1
The weekly check-in
A 15-minute one-to-one format that asks about workload and energy, not only task status.
- Session 2
Spotting strain early
The quiet signals: later emails, shorter replies, skipped breaks, withdrawal, and how to raise them kindly.
- Session 3
Workload conversations
Resetting priorities with a team member: what stops, what waits, and what you take upstairs.
- Session 4
When to refer
What your EAP actually offers, the words to suggest it, and where a manager’s role ends.
- Session 5
Team rhythm and recognition
Meeting habits, recovery norms and specific recognition that a manager can run every week.
- Session 6
Your corner plan
Each manager presents a 90-day plan, and the cohort agrees how to keep supporting each other.
What you receive
- Who it is for
- One cohort of up to 16 managers and supervisors
- Format
- Two-hour sessions, in person or live online
- Six two-hour sessions for a cohort of up to 16
- A check-in guide and conversation cards for every manager
- An EAP referral guide written around your actual provider
- Practice assignments between sessions, worked in peer pairs
- A cohort summary for HR on themes, never on individuals
Is this the right program?
Right for you if
- Managers were promoted for technical skill and never trained to support people
- Your EAP is underused and managers are unsure when to mention it
- Engagement scores vary widely from one team to the next
Look elsewhere if
- You want a one-off talk for 100 managers; a half-day leadership workshop fits better
- You need performance management or disciplinary training; that is a different brief
Example: a family-owned manufacturer’s supervisors
A 280-person family-owned manufacturer in Southern Indiana promotes most supervisors from the line. Fourteen supervisors from two shifts form one cohort, meeting at 2 p.m. so both shifts can attend. They practice a ten-minute check-in at the start of each shift, rehearse workload talks about overtime and put the EAP phone line on a wallet card. Session 6 sets each supervisor’s 90-day plan.
The Corner questions, answered
Is The Corner mental health first aid training?
No. It is not a certification or a clinical course, and managers are not trained to counsel anyone. They learn to notice strain, hold a supportive conversation, adjust workload and refer to your EAP or other professional help. Where a formal mental health course would also help, we will say so.
Why only 16 managers per cohort?
Because the sessions are practice, not lecture. Managers rehearse real conversations in pairs and threes, and the facilitator needs to hear every pair. Sixteen keeps each person talking for a large share of every session. Larger groups run as parallel cohorts, with one combined summary for HR.
Who facilitates the sessions?
A leadership facilitator who holds an ICF credential, joined by a wellbeing strategist for the sessions on strain and referral. Every facilitator is background-checked, insured and trained in our Corner Method, including how to recognize when someone needs your EAP rather than a manager.
What happens between sessions?
Each manager runs one practice assignment, such as three check-ins or one workload conversation, and debriefs it with a peer partner. It takes about 30 minutes a week. The next session opens with what worked and what felt awkward, so the learning stays grounded in each manager’s own team.
Do you report on individual managers?
No. HR receives a cohort summary of themes, common obstacles and requests for support, never a scorecard of named managers. If your organization wants individual development feedback, each manager can choose to share their own 90-day plan with their leader.
Plan this program with us
A 30-minute call to see whether The Corner fits your teams, your calendar and your budget.