[AD] It kind of makes sense that employees who aren’t happy with their role, their team, and the manager, are much more likely to look for another job. But as recruitment, HR, and training can take up a lot of time and money for your business, you need to remember that your business can’t afford to have this constant turnover of staff. It will waste valuable business time, as well as cost a lot of money. So as a manager, it is crucial to make sure that you’re improving your skills, in order to really thrive as a manager, and help your team to do so as well. Here are some ideas and skills to be thinking about, in order to better think about how you deal with your team and how you can lead them, and the business, to greater things.
Vision
Leaders in business often have the best intentions with things. But often they can get a little caught up in managing some of the day to day tasks, like putting out some fires instead of working to unite the team with a vision that you can all share. Having a lack of direction can leave a team feeling a little confused about their purpose. If this is the case, then they will know that you’re working hard, but it is hard for the team to see the impact that they can have. If you don’t share the vision for the business with the team, then the team won’t know their impact and the impact that what they do has on it. They can find it harder to know what to prioritize as well, which can lead to productivity issues for the team. As a leader, you not only need to have a clear vision for the business and the team, but you also need to communicate it well with all of them.
If you are finding it hard to talk about a long term vision, then it is a good idea to step back and think about what that vision is going to look like for the business. If you are in ‘middle management’ then it can be a good idea to meet with those people that are above you in ranking, in order to help better understand the overall picture and goals. If you are a leader that is at the top, then take some time to step back, where you can then write down a plan. There are a lot of leaders that might fly by the seat of their pants, and not assess their goals. It won’t help your business to be like one of those leaders.
Effective Communication
Communication with your team is one of the keystones of having some effective leadership. At the core of it all, communication is all about expressing yourself so that what you say and what you do are closely aligned. You need to make sure that you communicate a variety of different things for your team. You need to communicate the business priorities, as well as the long term goals. Communicate your gratitude and appreciation as well the strategy information and how you want them to execute it all.
It is an amazing idea to help to understand having some different communication styles as a leader in business. From there you will be able to tailor your own communication in one of the most effective ways possible. You might not feel like you are a good communicator, but you could try to put things into writing, for example. Plan out what needs to be said, rather than winging it and not getting across the message that you want.
Organization
If you think about being more organized, then you could envision a workspace that is clean, color-coded, with everything labelled and in order. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Organization comes easy to some people, but definitely not to other people. But there are plenty of things that can help you to be more organized if you need it. If you are someone that struggles with having papers everywhere, or have an email inbox that is overloaded, then sit down with a team member who is especially organized to help you to set up some systems. Once you have some better organizational systems in place, then you will be better able to stay organized and have your team on the same page.
Keep employees happy
If you have a team that is working hard and their wages are paid incorrectly each month, then it can cause a lot of problems. Your team won’t want to stick around if they aren’t getting paid correctly, for example. So think about the small and niggly things that can be causing problems for your team. Small problems can become bigger things when they keep happening. One thing that you could do to help to deal with accurate payroll, for example, could be getting a time clock for your team and your business. Then you know who has been in and for how long, so there is no confusion when it comes to payroll and what people are owed.
Functional Skills
It is hard to respect a team of management or leadership who can’t get certain things done. They are the people that you look to in order to get stuff done, and if they can’t then it doesn’t look good. There can be trust issues around it too. If you have a leader who doesn’t have the skills needed to understand the industry, or have the ability to make things happen, then they aren’t likely to be a very good leader. This kind of thing doesn’t mean that leaders need to get right in with the day to day nitty-gritty of things. A leader needs to delegate more effectively and then create some timelines around it, in order to make sure that certain goals are met.
If you’re looking to improve your skills, then you could look to do a course. There are courses like leadership and management that you can take, as well as course on some specific functional skills that you’re not that good at. There are online courses, courses in person, or speaking to experts. Push yourself, and it will help to motivate and improve your team.
Confidence
You are the manager, so it is important to make sure that you are confident in your role. You need to be relatable, but not in a way that employees can use you or take advantage of you. Having confidence in what you do isn’t just a trait, but it is a skill that needs to be practiced. Confidence comes from being happy within yourself and knowing yourself well. If you are able to understand what you are good at, then you can then use those strengths for your success. It is a really good idea to be transparent and clear with your team, especially when it comes to your weaknesses. Ask for some help, and it can then help things to get going. Trying some things outside of your comfort zone, and that can also help to give yourself a confidence boost. Try new things and then it can help you to feel more confident in what you do.
Fairness
Nothing can frustrate a team more than having some favoritism within a team. There will be some members of the team that you like more than others; we can all get along better with some people rather than others. But if you express this, then it can cause a lot of damage to the team. Having favorites is something that is childish and not needed in the workplace. It can be harmful to a team, and lead to a toxic working environment as it can create bitterness and jealousy. If you are someone who really favors some of the team more than others of the team, then you need to create some boundaries in order to make sure that your professionalism is still in check. If you plan an event, invite all of the team. You need to make some professional friends that can help in the business, not make best friends for life.
Respect
Being able to be a good leader doesn’t mean getting everyone to just nod their heads along with what you say, whenever you open your mouth to say something. Some conflicts and disagreements are going to be inevitable, but a good leader can help to treat other people with respect and kindness, regardless of the situation. You can have different opinions and ideas to people, and still get along and not create a toxic environment.
If you are in a situation at work where you can feel yourself getting worked up or stressed out, perhaps in a meeting, then it is a good idea to take a deep breath. Take a break, and leave the meeting if necessary. It is more important to be calm, rather than making rash decisions or saying something that you are going to regret.
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