Being a great manager can be a challenge, but it can bring many rewards too. Well-organised people with good interpersonal skills often succeed in managerial positions. A job as a manager gives you the opportunity to work with a core group of people while setting the direction and shape of your department or business. Here are some of the top tips for managing a team well.
1. Check-In Regularly with Team Members
Regular contact between managers and their team members can help to build a stronger relationship. It allows people to get to know each other better and work more effectively within a business.
When new team members arrive, set up induction meetings with them to ensure they settle well into their new role. Organise regular meetings each week or every fortnight to keep the lines of communication open.
2. Conduct Appraisals
Making regular appraisals a core part of any business is a great way to monitor progress and keep a record of what your team members have achieved.
Appraisal software, such as the options offered by StaffCircle, can help to make this task a lot easier. Using online appraisal software keeps things more streamlined and allows you to organise your team’s reviews with less hassle.
An effective way to get a more holistic view of how your team members are performing is to conduct customisable 360 appraisals. This involves asking other people for their thoughts on your team members.
3. Get the Team Together
Managing a team well isn’t just about the relationship that you have with your team members individually. A key part of being a good manager involves helping to build relationships and rapport between the whole team.
Arrange for the team to get together every month for drinks, dinner, or another social activity. If you’re all remote, then be sure to connect online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Try to encourage collaboration on work projects and look for opportunities to involve more than one team member. Where employees do collaborate on projects, ensure they give feedback to one another.
Encourage them to be proactive and connect with each other. Be conscious of involving some team members and not others in certain projects, and make it clear why one person may be involved while another is not.
4. Be Understanding
Even the most dedicated workers can have a day where they aren’t performing at the top of their game. As a manager, being understanding and sensitive to the problems your staff might face will be vital.
In any situation, it’s important not to rush to conclusions and be willing to understand the perspectives of your team members. Don’t judge your staff if they share personal worries or experiences with you and be sensitive and careful with any personal data or information.
5. Communicate Well
Communicate clearly and often and encourage your staff to do the same. Clear communication helps a business to grow while strengthening the relationships between the people working for the company.
Consider having a weekly, monthly, or quarterly update that is shared to keep people informed about what is happening within and outside of the team. This could be achieved via a companywide News Letter which is distributed as needed.
6. Offer Opportunities
In general, people like to work for managers and companies that are willing to offer opportunities to progress. A great manager will look out for new and exciting opportunities for their team members and ask what they would be interested in exploring further. By assigning development objectives from the outset, you can ensure your team stay on track with their growth. This provides them with a target to focus on and shows the career path which is possible within the company.
During regular chats with your staff, ask about their interests and support them to pursue opportunities when they arise.
7. Stay Flexible and Open-Minded
As a manager, you will always be hiring people with their own styles, opinions, and unique qualities. Staying open-minded to new perspectives, thoughts, and ideas will help a business to grow.
Flexibility as a manager will earn you a lot of respect from your employees. Be willing to do things differently, and always be open to listening to new ideas.
8. Give Regular Feedback
When your team is working on a project, give regular feedback. Give praise when it is due and give criticism in a constructive and helpful way. Let others in the team know when their colleagues are performing well and deserve recognition.
When you have negative feedback to give to a team member, it’s often more about the way you tell them than what you say to them. Offering your feedback in a kind, understanding, and constructive manner will help to ease any tensions or difficulties that exist between you and your employee.
9. Manage Difficulties Within the Team
While you might get along well with all the people in your team, this might not be the case for everyone. There may be difficult relationships within the team that make it uncomfortable or challenging for some people.
A good manager can make a huge difference in these situations. They can help to smooth over the problems within the team and address them before it reaches boiling point. By staying in regular contact with department heads and individuals, you can uncover these issues directly. Knowing who to approach and how to iron out the issues most effectively is a crucial part of being a manager.
10. Set a Good Example
As a manager, you should aim to be a positive role model for others around you. You should aim to be a good influence not just on your own team members but on your peers and other colleagues.
Setting a good example is important for many areas of your work life. Being punctual when you arrive, leaving on time, and maintaining positive relationships with colleagues are some of the key things you can do to demonstrate a good example.
11. Put Wellbeing First
Put the well-being of yourself and your colleagues first and foremost. Without good health – both mentally and physically – it can become challenging to continue working. The problem of presenteeism, where people are physically present but aren’t effective at carrying out their jobs, is increasingly prevalent in the workplace in part due to a lack of focus on health and wellbeing.
You can also set a good example when it comes to well-being. If you’re taking time off, tell your colleagues you will stay off your emails and encourage them to do the same when they are on holiday. Find time to take a break during the day, eat regular meals, and encourage regular water intake and nutritious snacks around the office.
12. Set Clear Goals
Employees work most effectively when there are some clear goals and targets to move towards. If you aren’t setting objectives for your team members and for the team collectively, you cannot expect them to fully understand what their role within the organisation is.
Share the organisational strategy or work plan with your team. Make them aware of the mid-term and longer-term plans that you are working towards. Let them know what their role is within that and how their individual and combined work will contribute to the success of the company.
A combination of effective organisational skills, great communication, and a willingness to do things differently are key qualities needed in a good manager. While a managerial position may come with challenges, if it’s the right job for you, it will give you plenty of satisfaction too.
