Best Management Courses

Are you looking to take your management skills to the next level? Whether you’re currently a manager looking to step it up, or an aspiring manager, there are likely some skills you need to learn about managing before you’re ready to jump into action. To conquer the skills of management, take a management course or two. Classes like this are a great way to take your knowledge to the next level and give yourself the confidence to be a strong manager. 

As we found in our research, not all management courses are created equally. Some provide much higher value than others. Rather than have you learn this by trial and error, we researched over 40 different management courses to come up with a list of the six best. 

Read in-depth reviews of the courses we recommend to see which one is the best fit for your specific management needs.

The Top 6 Best Management Courses 

VirtualSpeech – Essential Public Speaking with VR – Best for Public SpeakingBuilding a Second Brain – Best for Knowledge ManagementUdemy – Business Fundamentals: Management and HR Management – Best for Management BasicsUdemy – Practical Business Management: Strategy Business Game – Best for Hands-On LearnersMasterclass – Bob Iger Teaches Business Strategy and Leadership – Best One-Day Expert CourseLinkedIn Learning – Foundations of Performance Management – Best for Managers Looking to Boost Team Performance 

Now that you have our top list, it’s time to dive deeper. Learn more about the classes, what they entail, and who they are best for by reading the in-depth reviews below.

#1 – VirtualSpeech – Essential Public Speaking with VR – Best for Public Speaking

Is the management position you currently have or the management position you’re after one that requires public speaking? If so, you need to take this course. Whether you are learning the basics for the first time or brushing up on what you learned in the past about public speaking, the VirtualSpeech Essential Public Speaking with VR course provides you with this training in a fun and unique way: with virtual reality (VR).

This course consists of 58 lessons that take about 4 hours to complete, and also includes 6 case studies and 8 different VR scenarios for you to experience. You can expect to come out of the completed course with the following knowledge:

Key theory and techniques to deliver strong speechesAbility to easily design your presentation to engage your audienceHow to manage nerves and be more confident in your public speakingSkillset to engage and connect with your audience via storytellingHow to enhance your message with body language, eye contact, and moreTools to overcome your fear of public speaking so that you can speak in front of audiences of all sizes

The VR aspect of this course gives you a way to practice public speaking in a simulated environment like you’ve likely never done before. This is the best way for you to gain the skills you need to turn this VR speech into a real one, which in turn will help you become the strong manager you want to be. 

The course costs $250 and requires the purchase of a $45 VR headset. 

#2 – Building a Second Brain – Best for Knowledge Management

As a manager, chances are good that you are consuming large amounts of information on a daily basis. And that’s where the struggle begins: you’ve got all this information, but what can you do with it? You can learn the answer to this question in the Building a Second Brain course. 

In this course, you can expect to learn the following:

How to cultivate knowledge for future useHow to create structure around creative projects that often lack structureHow to uncover patterns and improve your thinkingHow to create a digital environment that allows you clarityHow to reduce stress and anxiety, since you will have the tools to preserve your ideasHow to find the files and notes you’ve saved 

The overall concept of this course is to provide you with a method to capture and organize your ideas, as well as share them in a way that can make major positive waves in your business and personal life. Entrepreneurs and business leaders will benefit from this course the most, as it helps you turn information into action. 

The course starts at $1500 for the Essential Edition, and additional options are available that offer more tools.

#3 – Udemy – Business Fundamentals: Management and HR Management – Best for Management Basics 

For those who are just starting out in their career, this course may be the right one for you. If you feel like you are a little iffy on some of the basics of business management, then take a look at Business Fundamentals: Management and HR Management. It provides all the basics you need to start on the right path to management success. 

This course will teach you all sorts of things including:

The qualities of a great managerHow to manage operationsHow to manage supply chainsHow to manage productivityForecasting and budgetingStress managementHow to motivate your employees

Experience the course via 1.5 hours of on-demand video that takes you through the following lessons, broken down into 27 lectures:

IntroductionGetting startedThe Planning functionThe Organization functionThe Staffing function: Pre-hire activitiesThe Staffing function: Post-hire activitiesThe Leading function 

You will also gain access to three downloadable resources and a certificate of completion upon finishing the course.

This class is $11.99.

#4 – Udemy – Practical Business Management: Strategy Business Game – Best for Hands-On Learners

Ready to have a little bit of fun with your learning? Change up how you look at your interest in management courses by taking this one that makes learning a game. Practical Business Management: Strategy Business Game is aimed towards those who have already mastered the basics of business management as well as financial analysis, and who are looking to step up their management game. 

This course provides you the opportunity to act as if you’re a CEO in a simulated market (the game). In the game, you will practice strategy, finance, marketing, sales, HR, and much more. You can expect to learn from this class things such as:

Pricing decisionsFinancial analysisProduction and stock managementProduct life-cycle analysisCompetitor analysis 

If you are a hands-on learner looking to gain in-depth knowledge of concepts that top-performing managers use in their daily lives, then this may be the course for you. Get ready to shake things up a bit and learn about management in a fresh and fun way. 

The course costs $11.99 and provides you with lifetime access to all the downloadable resources and video lectures.

#5 – MasterClass – Bob Iger Teaches Business Strategy and Leadership – Best One-Day Expert Course

Learn from one of the top managers of our time, Bob Iger. Iger is the former CEO of Disney, so there is no doubt he has the knowledge and skills under his belt to confidently lead you through the lessons of business strategy and leadership. 

This MasterClass course consists of 13 self-paced video lessons that take you through topics including:

Brand expansionNegotiationTime managementAnd more 

The lessons are broken down as follows:

IntroductionUsing Your Time EffectivelyFocus, Strategy, and PrioritiesTaking Giant Swings: Pixar Acquisition Case StudyThe Art of NegotiationCreating Brand ValueExpanding Your Brand: Marvel Acquisition Case StudyAnticipating What Consumers WantThe Importance of Risk-TakingNavigating Complex Deals: 21st Century Fox Case StudyManaging Industry Disruption: Disney Plus Case StudyTenets for SuccessConclusion 

As you can see from the above, there are some major case studies in the curriculum that will go into the specifics that can help you gain great insight from someone on the inside.

The course is self-paced and is a total of 2 hours’ worth of lectures and lessons, made specifically for those who are passive learners. 

The class is offered via MasterClass, which has a monthly membership of $15.

#6 – LinkedIn Learning – Foundations of Performance Management – Best for Managers Looking to Boost Team Performance

A crucial part of being a successful manager is being able to have a strong team that works under you and with you. If you are someone who is looking to manage a team, or are currently managing a team but could use some help, consider taking the Foundations of Performance Management course from LinkedIn Learning. 

This course is not intended for beginners, but only for advanced managers who want to boost their team’s performance. Over the course of 16 videos, you will cover 7 major lessons:

Defining the Requirements of Each Job PositionGoal SettingGiving and Receiving Feedback WellReviewing and Rewarding PerformanceDefining the Learning Needs of the TeamManaging Poor PerformanceMaintaining High Performance

Each lesson ends with a quiz that tests your knowledge, and you can finish the course with a certificate of completion–-either a LinkedIn Learning Certificate or a Project Management Institute certificate. 

The course is led by bestselling author, executive coach, and speaker Nigel Cumberland, and he will show you the ropes of how building a strong team will help to make your success as a manager more likely. 

The price of this course is $44.99.

How to Find The Best Management Course For You

Not all managers are the same. Not all managers are looking to be the same. That’s why there is a wide variety of management courses available to take. Before you pick which management course is right for you, here are some criteria you ought to consider. 

Time

If you are a high-performing manager, chances are good you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. On the other hand, if you are simply considering a position in management, you may have more time to spend. 

Take a step back and reasonably consider how much time you have to give to a course. Whether that’s 4 hours or 40 hours, it doesn’t matter–-you can find a course that fits your time restraints. Just make sure you are not pushing yourself beyond your capabilities when it comes to time, and make sure you are not spending minimal amounts of time when you have room for more. 

Current Career

Are you happy in your current career and simply looking to strengthen your skills? Or are you unhappy in your current position and looking to move into a different management position? Think about where you stand in your career right now before choosing a course. 

In addition, if you don’t currently work as part of a team, then you may not need to take a course on managing teams (unless you plan to start managing teams down the road). Take some time before researching management courses to see what areas you need help with, as your job currently stands. That is the best place to start in choosing your course. 

Career Goals

If you are looking to take a management course to help you get to the next level of management, which brings you closer to your career goals, then know what those specific goals are. What type of management are you hoping to get into? What style of leadership works best in that position? What will your employees be like? What knowledge is vital to that position? 

Dive into your management career goals, and see what it takes to get there. Then, find courses that align with those needs.

Learning Style

As we grow, we learn that not everyone’s learning styles are the same. Some are better at passive learning via lectures. Others are better at hands-on learning such as VR. There is no right or wrong way to learn, there is just knowing the way that works best for you. If you struggle to listen to lecture after lecture, then signing up for a management course that has 40 hours of lectures probably isn’t the best decision to make. If you want to be successful in your course of choice and your career, you need to recognize your strengths in learning styles and find a class that suits them.

Summary

Out of thousands of different management courses, we narrowed it down to the top 6 picks for the best management classes you can take. 

If public speaking is a part of your job or may be in the future, VirtualSpeech’s Essential Public Speaking with VR will provide you with those skills. 

If you struggle with managing all the information that comes your way as a manager, you may want to consider the Building a Second Brain course to guide you through knowledge management. 

Are you new to management and looking to just get the basics? Then take a look at Udemy’s Business Fundamentals: Management and HR Management course. 

For those that excel in hands-on learning, Udemy’s Practical Business Management: Strategy Business Game provides a unique hands-on way of learning. And if you’re a more passive learner who thrives in lecture settings, then you may be a better fit for the Bob Iger Teaches Business Strategy and Leadership MasterClass. 

And if you work with a team and are looking to boost their performance with your help, LinkedIn Learning’s Foundations of Performance Manager may be right up your alley.