Introduction: What makes a great manager?
Being a manager these days is not an easy task. Leading a team entails plenty of challenges, not to mention the risk of losing sight of the big picture.
In these words, we can see that becoming a great manager is an ongoing process of learning and growing. Great managers are full of curiosity, and they encourage their employees to be as well.
In this article, we highlight four areas and provide management tips that can make or break a team and, more significantly, help your team shine.
Hiring and Onboarding
Employ the Right People
Successful managers fill roles in their teams, not just jobs. As you interview candidates, keep your entire team’s communication style, work dynamic, and culture in mind. Then, look for someone who isn’t just a culture fit, but also a culture add.
Commitment to Action
The first step in the employee experience is onboarding. Make new hires feel welcome by showing them around the workplace, introducing them to your coworkers, and sharing an informal lunch. This is a thoughtful gesture that they will enjoy.
Make sure you have a planned onboarding procedure in place that introduces them to coworkers and assists them in understanding their roles. Making an effort on an employee’s first day might increase job satisfaction and help improve retention.
Discover how you can create a great onboarding program for your deskless workers.
Goals and Challenges
Meaningful and Relevant Work to a Bigger Picture
Employees have a responsibility to achieve their goals. Managers should be supportive of these efforts, and communicate clearly about how the goals will be accomplished. A good way to motivate employees is to share long-term goals and how their tasks contribute to the whole team.
Work with your Human Resources department to set up a technology system for tracking and managing team goals. This will become much simpler if you invest in a system that supports this type of management.
Allow for Guidance and Autonomy
Micromanaged employees are more likely to leave their jobs. A great manager strikes a balance between guiding their employees and allowing them to learn and grow on their own. Instead, try coaching! Coaching is one of the most valuable leadership skills — put it to good use!
Once a week or once a month, have your employees attend training seminars. In particular, allow them to grow as a mentor. Allow them to benefit from books and other tools.
Find out how you can set professional development goals at work.
Growth and Feedback
Establish Weekly Check-Ins
Having regular, casual weekly check-ins with your reports is critical to maintaining a strong connection with them that will last throughout their time at the company.
Provide Actionable Feedback
Managers who want to encourage their employees’ growth must provide them with frequent praise and offer direct, constructive feedback. To respond effectively to the latter, consider adopting a growth mindset: the belief that your skills can be developed over time through hard work and dedication.
Encourage Professional Growth
A good manager understands his or her employees well enough to see both the strengths and weaknesses of their performances. Help your employees to identify their strengths and provide them with the tools they need to develop them.
Check-in with your employees regularly to see whether they’re happy in their current roles. If you see an opportunity for your subordinates to develop new skills or advance in their careers, you should speak up so they will take advantage of the opportunity.
Read to learn more about the importance of feedback in the workplace and strategies for giving effective feedback to your team members.
Employee Well-Being
Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance
As a good manager, you should ensure that your employees maintain a healthy balance between work and home. Block communication after a work time. Social media can be helpful, but internal communication tools will help make sure you know when an employee needs something to get their job done. Letting them work from home can also make a big difference in productivity. Finally, you should get to know your employees’ personal needs and goals.
Exceptional Communication Skills
Communication is one of the most important skills a manager can have. If you want to motivate your team, you have to be clear about how, when, and why you communicate in a way that reflects your attitude toward them.
Know additional information about Albert, the platform for employee communication that facilitates seamless connectivity between managers and their entire teams.
Conclusion
To be a good manager, you need to make the best use of your time. Make sure that you plan your time in such a way that you benefit from it yourself, as well as other people. Good employees are hard to find these days; therefore, you must make every effort to have employees who will stay with your company for a long time.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to take advantage of these tips and put them to good use for yourself and your team.
Albert is a platform and app that provide you with some managerial control, allowing you to improve connectivity, secure workplace communication, and train your personnel in one place. If you’re ready to connect, engage, and train your employees, this is the place to be. Try it for free for 3 months (no credit card needed).