When you put all fairy tales aside, no one is truly a born leader. Leadership and management are skills you can learn and cultivate in yourself and others. And even if you are already a manager, there’s probably room for growth. Let’s look at five easy and practical ways anyone can improve their management skills.
Define Your Vision, Then Communicate It
The benefit of a clear vision is that it allows you to discard business proposals, process changes or new products that don’t fit into that vision. It also enables buy-in by every member of the team. They know what they’re supposed to do, why they do it, and what the definition of success is for their contribution toward that overarching vision. If they believe in the vision, they’ll invest more in their work because it helps them feel like something greater.
Empower Them – the Right Way
You have a vision and you’ve communicated it. That’s a start. The next step is engaging your team, so they can commit to it. What motivates them? And what would motivate them to make your vision a reality? If you don’t know, ask them. When you start to give these things to them, verify that it is making the difference you expected. You may also find that they’ll appreciate being empowered to make your vision a reality in their own way. Let them give offer suggestions on how to better deliver services or improve the product. They’ll become engaged stakeholders because you asked them for help, and they’ll feel empowered when they see you put their suggestions into action.
Take the time to recognisetheir contributions, too. This doesn’t have to be expensive. People too often underestimate the power of gratitude. Simply saying thank you, that’s great, or well done to an employee is a strong motivator. It shows gratitude and that you noticed their efforts. You can take it to the next level by publicly acknowledging the contributions of your team. When someone’s recommendations led to greater quality or profits, give them public praise for their input. And don’t overlook the benefits of praising your team to prospects and clients.
Take Classes to Fill in the Gaps
Whether you’re an owner, want to move into management or are already a manager, no one is perfect. You may not be abreast of the latest laws that affect your industry. Or you may find yourself struggling to manage former co-workers. There may be issues with procrastination or maintaining a professionaldistance that you struggle with. You may not be up to speed on recent business management software or other tools you use as a part of your job. This means you should consider taking a business management course. If you’re looking for inspiration, you can find management course options here. Taking a management course will provide you with everything you need to know on becoming a better manager and leader. They will be led by professionals who will teach you the key skills needed to excel in what you do.
Identify Top Talent and Retain It
Talent acquisitioncosts are expensive, but productivity isn’t equally distributed. Top talent has the highest value, and they generally know it. The cost of recruiting a replacement for a talented employee is high, and your team may suffer while you’re struggling to find someone just as good.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to make your top talent stay. Pay them what they deserve. This simply requires market research, an honest assessment of each team member’s value, and then giving them competitive pay. You can keep them engaged by challenging them as long as you aren’t overloading them. They will feel appreciated and engaged when you train them in new aspects of the business. Relate how top performing employees are making a difference to the organisationas a whole. If they see the benefits of their contributions and how they contribute to the company vision, they’re more likely to stay.
Deal with Toxic Employees
Sometimes a company experiences high turnover and low productivity because of a few toxic employees. The first step is scheduling one on one meetings with the purportedly toxic person’s team members to evaluate the situation from all angles. Use the information you gather to come up with a plan of action. At that point, you can invite the toxic employee to a meeting to discuss their behaviour. If it is personal, you can give advice on how to resolve it. If it is a professional matter, evaluate it before working with the person to try to come to a resolution. You’ll need to follow up regularly until the issue is fully resolved. If it can’t be resolved or they return to bad habits, they may need to be let go.
Conclusion
If you invest the time and effort to improve your management skills, the entire organisationwill benefit in myriad ways. And if you set the example by improving yourself, that, too, will ripple through the company.
