You will often find yourself juggling so many jobs that you have to become dependent on your team - and while their support is undoubtedly integral to the company’s success, they should remain your focus. From implementing a culture of openness to harnessing the power of team training sessions, mastering your management skills will serve both you and your staff well.
Finding a happy medium between productivity and your team’s wellbeing can be a struggle - but we’ve got some top tips to help you balance the scales.
1. Organise
The first step on the path to motivating your team is organisation. As a leader, you’ll be carrying out any number of jobs and overseeing several departments - so keeping things in order is key. From maintaining a realistic schedule to ensuring your team can efficiently meet deadlines, the organisation of the business starts with you.
In the quest to keep your staff motivated, you can try launching some strategies to keep you all focused. From daily team meetings to monthly 121s, regular check-ins will provide an opportunity for each team member to discuss targets and ways to stay on track - helping everyone to reach those crucial end of month goals.
2. Train
In the hustle and bustle of the office environment, team training can often take a back seat, as tight schedules and immovable deadlines become the top priority - but taking time out for staff training is essential to your employees’ development. Promoting progress not only allows individual team members to develop, but helps the whole business excel.
Regardless of your industry, there can be no room for complacency in order for a business to be successful. As a manager, it’s important that you set time aside to consider innovative ways to get your staff excited about work and find new strategies for developing their skills. Whether you start by focusing on particular employees or specific departments, regular training should eventually become part of your business strategy - ultimately working towards the growth of your business.
3. Motivate
With autumn upon us and winter creeping closer, workplace productivity understandably starts to dwindle this season - so you need to be proactive in your approach to management. When it comes to motivating your team, there’s no one-trick solution. Employee motivation is an ongoing process which will change as your team develops and grows.
Keep in mind that no two employees are the same - and while one member of your team might be motivated by pay rises, others might be looking for extra responsibility rather than a cash incentive. Spend time getting to know your staff and what drives them professionally. Take care of your team and your business will take care of itself.
4. Nurture
There’s more to nurturing your staff than ‘mere’ managerial duties. As the head of a team, you might have any number of employees relying on your judgement - and whether this is recognising when their workload is becoming a strain or spotting any health issues as early as possible, you need to keep your eye on the ball.
Ensuring you have a team that is fighting fit and fully motivated will propel your business towards success. From scary sickness stats to personal problems, the recent Vistage VQ report highlights the importance of wellbeing and your employees’ health – so be proactive in promoting wellbeing. One way of making sure your staff stay alert throughout the working day is by installing an office water cooler. By giving them unlimited access to H2O, you’re providing your team with the most essential ingredient for keeping their brains ticking and their focus razor sharp.
5. Lead
You’ll have heard the saying ‘be the change you want to see’, and this mantra couldn’t be more relevant when it comes to managing a team. If productivity is your focus, there’s no more effective way to motivate your team than by leading by example.
Ask yourself what you’re doing to support your staff on a regular basis and how you’re keeping up-to-date with day-to-day operations in the office. Adopting a culture of approachability will help to ensure any issues are ironed out before they evolve into ongoing problems - which will be beneficial to the team as a whole, as well as individual employees.
How would you score yourself in each of these 5 areas? Are you one step closer to mastering your management skills and ensuring you have a happy, healthy and productive workforce?
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