LeaderCoreAIAI new manager training simulation for first-time leaders
LeaderCore:
Navigate your first year of management with new manager training through intelligent leadership scenarios that adapt to your choices. Our AI-powered simulation creates realistic situations with former peers, resistant team members, and competing priorities that respond dynamically to your management approach.
What you'll experience
Practice the conversations every new manager faces
You play a manager a few weeks or months into the role, talking with one or two AI characters: a former peer who now reports to you, a senior team member who expected to get your job, a top performer who puts colleagues down, two directors who want different things from your team. Choose one of our new-manager scenarios, or build your own with the private scenario builder.
Learn to delegate instead of doing it yourself
Several scenarios are about letting go: a team member who brings you every decision, a stuck colleague who wants you to solve their problem, the job you used to do now in someone else's hands. You practice handing over a real decision with clear limits, rather than taking the work back. Although they are certainly going to try!
Find out what is really going on
Often, the characters you interact with have something they won't reveal to you at first: more work than they can carry, a past mistake they were criticized for, a worry outside work. It comes out only when you make it safe to talk. Rushing through a checklist or pulling rank makes people close down, just as it would with your own team.
Graded on five leadership dimensions
The grading draws on the research of James Kouzes and Barry Posner, Daniel Goleman and Amy Edmondson. The report grades Communication, Decision-Making, Vision and Alignment, Emotional Intelligence and Adaptability, based on specific moments in the conversation where what you did made a difference.
Feedback, coaching and the right level of challenge
Your feedback and performance report is ready within seconds of the simulation ending. It quotes your own words for what went well, points to the moments that lowered a score and provides you with recommendations for next time. Five difficulty levels decide how hard the characters are to win over, and during the meeting you can call on a coach who helps you step back and reflect on what the situation requires - but won't tell you what to say.
Encounter, navigate, develop
Encounter
Face realistic first-year manager scenarios like inheriting resistant teams or managing former peers.
Navigate
Choose your approach as AI characters respond authentically to your management style.
Develop
Get a feedback and performance review report: what went well, which moments lowered your score, and recommendations for next time.
What's inside the simulation
What's included
- Adaptive AI scenarios reflecting common first-year manager challenges
- A coach you can call on mid-conversation, who helps you reflect on what the situation requires without telling you what to say
- Dynamic situations that evolve based on your leadership decisions
- Instant feedback on people management and priority-balancing skills
Perfect for new managers and first-time leaders who need new manager training to build confidence while navigating the transition from individual contributor to people leader. Practice difficult conversations in a safe environment before facing them with your actual team.
Client perspectives
"I'd scale it for new managers. A great tool to support those transitioning from subject matter experts to managers."
Related training solutions
First-time manager simulation
First-time managers can practice navigating the transition from peer to leader. Handle team dynamics, establish authority, and build management fundamentals.
AI training for new managers
Build confidence before your first difficult conversation. Practice feedback delivery, delegation, and conflict navigation in a safe space where mistakes don't matter.
Delegation practice
Practice delegation across five difficulty levels. Work through assigning tasks, setting expectations, and finding the right balance between oversight and autonomy.
AI leadership training simulations
Practice leading teams with dynamic AI characters who respond based on unique personalities and your difficulty level.
Other LeaderCore products
- LeaderCore:AdaptAI behavioral style training simulation
- LeaderCore:SalesAI sales role-play training for B2B teams
- LeaderCore:InfluenceAI-powered influence training & persuasion simulation
- LeaderCore:InspireAI-powered communication & team leadership simulation
- LeaderCore:BoardsAI-powered board governance simulation
- LeaderCore:DeliveryPublic speaking training with AI
- LeaderCore:CoachAI coaching practice for managers
Try New Manager with your team.
Book a pilot for your team, or start a free trial on your own.