As a business owner, you’ve likely poured your heart and soul into building your company from the ground up. You’ve navigated countless challenges, made tough decisions, and worked tirelessly to turn your vision into reality. However, as your organization grows, one crucial factor can make or break its long-term success: your ability to be an effective manager.
As you hire team members, you have to move into a mindset of managing. But what does that really mean? It isn’t about leading, although that is just as important.
Managing really comes down to planning, staffing, having control functions in place (think metrics) and problem solving. It is often the organizational planning and the staffing, or human relation part, that trip people up.
Often, business owners and managers are stressed and overwhelmed because they don’t have the basics in place to help them manage their team well.
Managing is a learned skill, but there are some things you can do to help you become a great manager and help your team thrive. Here are 5 management strategies for increased team performance:
1. Have clear job descriptions.
Or have job descriptions. As a manager, you need to make sure there is clarity in the job that you are expecting. If you have outdated job descriptions or no job descriptions, start here.
2. Create clear and meaningful goals.
Great managers ensure their team understands the organizations priorities and how their work contributes to the bigger picture. You need to create metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indictors) so that you create clarity around what needs to be accomplished and how they can be successful.
3. Train and develop their team members.
Hiring a team member without the proper training is a huge mistake. You have to either train them or have your manager train them in the proper processes and technology. Take the time to train them the correct way. In fact, having an onboarding process that includes training will save you many headaches.
4. Processes and Systems
If you don’t have processes and systems in place, you are setting yourself and your team up for failure. Reinventing the wheel each time allows for to man potential mistakes. You can alleviate a lot of your own stress as a business owner and manager when you have these written down.
5. Weekly one-on-one meetings.
This one tool here is so powerful, as it opens up the lines of communication with your team. This should be focused time where you find out where they are at with certain tasks and ask the most important question “What roadblocks are you facing and how can I help remove them?” This simple question lets them know that you care and want to help them do their job better.
If you have never had a one on one meeting with your team, send me an email (stephanie@germanbusinessconsulting.com) and I’ll send you a template. This doesn’t have to be a long meeting, but enough time to get a pulse on the work they are doing and how you can support them.
When you have the above in place, you won’t feel like you are nagging your employees because there is structure. Instead, you will set clear expectations for everyone in the organization. I have found over and over again, once the expectations are made clear, people typically will rise to the occasion. When people do their job, it alleviates some of the stress and overwhelm you feel as the business owner.
If you find you are feeling overwhelmed in your role as a leader or business owner, and need to gain clarity and a path forward, scheduling a First Steps Consultation may be your next best step. Sign up here.
Stephanie German is a business strategist, adjunct professor, and speaker. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?