People are looking for tips on how to successfully manage employees.
However, being a boss is not that simple, despite the popular belief that all you have to do is bark orders at your people and they’ll instantly obey. If it were only easy. Bosses are responsible for everything their team does or fails to do, so getting this position right is extremely important. It can make or break you as a leader and even affect your career in the long run.
Taking into account the fact that leadership ranks among top-rated job skills, it’s no surprise there are many online resources where you can find advice for better management techniques.
Here are 10 of them which will help you become a great boss instead of just an okay one.
1. Lead by Example
An oldie but a goodie, this is one of the most important tips for making your employees respect you and want to follow your example. If they see that you don’t really care about what you say, why should they?
The first step towards better management starts with yourself, so always act as an example to your team members. Show them how it’s done so they can learn from the best instead of the opposite.
2. Listen To Your People
Listening is not just hearing, it involves actively paying attention to what others are saying. It shows that you value their opinions and that you’re willing to change or adapt if necessary. You don’t have to always agree with your employees, but at least consider their opinions and ideas.
3. Communicate Clearly
Employees need to know exactly what’s going on in order to do a great job. They should be kept in the loop when it comes to company performance, major updates and changes, new potential clients. In short, they need to know everything. This is where transparency plays an important role in management. Don’t make them guess – communicate!
4. Provide Feedback Effectively
When employees know what they’re doing wrong or right, this puts them on the path towards self-improvement and achieving better results. So how do you provide constructive feedback? Follow these three steps:
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ask yourself if there was a specific goal your employee failed to achieve
- state that goal clearly
- provide examples of how they could do it better
5. Get To Know Each Employee Individually
This tip is all about getting to know one’s employees as people, not just job titles and work experience. Ask them about their lives outside the office, make yourself approachable. You should also take time to learn more about each person’s professional goals so you can help them achieve their dreams. Being human is key here.
6. Give Feedback Frequently
You’ve already learned why providing feedback is important (step #4). Now, you need to know when and how often to deliver it. The earlier you catch your employees doing something good or bad, the better. Keep in mind that you should give feedback as soon as possible after an event, not days or weeks later.
7. Show Appreciation
You should always be on the lookout for chances to thank your employees publicly and show them how much you appreciate their work. Think of simple phrases such as “thank you”, “great job” or ” keep up the good work “. Just remember that little things do make a difference – avoid empty compliments, go with specific reasons why you’re saying what you are saying.
8. Be generous.
If you want your employees to give their best or work longer than the amount you are paying them, be generous. Generosity leads to more generosity. So avoid being stingy at all costs. Pay your workers more than they deserve rather than underpaying them in order to gain extra time, attention, and effort for your company’s growth. Give incentives and gifts so that they may also provide you with additional time, attention, and effort in order to grow your business.
9. Give Constructive Criticism
How do you approach giving constructive criticism to an employee? First, it’s all about timing. Remember that the earlier you catch them doing something wrong, the more likely they can improve and get back on track. Second, be specific by pointing out exactly what they did wrong and how they could have done it better. Be direct but polite when delivering the message.
10. Finally, Never Stop Learning
Being a boss is a tough position to be in, which is why it’s important you never stop learning the ropes. At first, it will definitely take some time to get used to your new role and responsibilities. Don’t let this discourage you – manage by learning. Team management books are great sources for self-improvement if online courses aren’t available in your area of expertise. Remember: bosses are human too, so there’s no shame in admitting that you don’t know everything just yet. Just keep trying!
There’s a big difference between being a manager and being a leader. It doesn’t mean you have to solve every single problem in your team or convince people to follow you blindly. You just need to know how to create a supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable with sharing their ideas no matter how stupid they might sound at first.
There are many leadership styles out there, but if your main goal is building an effective team that gets great results, it’s best to combine all these tips into one overall strategy. This way, everybody will know exactly what they need to do in order to succeed.
When your employees are happy, you’re happy.
You have to remember that every good boss was once an amateur. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making mistakes or asking for guidance when needed (to your team members or others). You’ll get better over time and so will your employees!
Thanks for reading!
