So, you are going to start a new management position to work with a business team. You may feel anxious about working with new people you don’t know at all. There will definitely be some problems with authority, communication with a team, and even some conflicts. Needless to say you must build a professional connection with your company to make them trust and respect you. That’s why it’s so much important to learn some information about these people, their needs, interests, hobbies, etc. If you want to know how to manage your team without risks of getting so many troubles, read this article and follow our simple tips.
- First of all, you should have some time for talking with each member of your team individually to learn what goals, strengths, priorities, and weaknesses they have. You need to schedule one-on-one short meetings to understand the entire team’s needs. Remember that people would appreciate such approach: they will definitely feel pleased you spent your time to talk with them individually, so each member would feel more comfortable to talk about various things compared to if you’d gather all company to discuss their needs, problems, goals, plans, etc. You have a team to manage, so keep in your mind that weaknesses of the one member could be compensated by strength of another. Don’t forget to make short notes to create a “draft profile” for each person of your team.
- It’s important how you are going to give feedback to your team. When a worker receives a feedback, he or she understands better what you expect from them. They learn to set right goals in their work, and move to these goals more effectively. That’s why you should ask each person how they prefer to receive a feedback from you. When you are writing a feedback, try to be honest. If the worker did their job great, tell them about it! If they made some mistakes, tell them you are thankful for their work a lot, but they should pay attention on this and that next time. You also may ask people to give an honest feedback on yourself. For example, if they have got some new issues they would like to implement inside the team, but they still need your approval, they will be able to write this in their feedback.
- You should communicate with all members openly to show people that you appreciate this. A good manager shouldn’t be a real dictator; so over time, you even may set your inside rituals like going to drink beer after work on Fridays, or playing poker on weekend. Some managers think it makes them look like not a “real boss”, but try this out and you will see how your team would appreciate and love you! Spend some time with your team during the break to discuss things not related with a work. Try to realize what things they are interested in, and whether your people like to discuss football, or get an idea how does a 3d printer work, take part in this conversation.
- If you have got a problem, discuss it with your team. Explain them why this problem appeared, and ask to suggest the most optimal solution. Work with your team together, and don’t take all responsibility just on yourself. Remember that you are a team, and each member of this company is responsible for the entire project you are working on. You can see some possible solutions for the particular problem, but you can’t see all decisions. Your team would help you to be more productive in finding the best solution. Don’t forget to remind people each of them is quite important for the entire team work, and act like a coach, not a dictator.
Business things could be quite complicated, and not all people are good in working in a team. If you want to become a good manager, you should use an individual approach to each member of your team to encourage them to reach goals more fast and effective.