14 Top tips for Managing Employees

Trying out new management methods can help you better manage your team, work towards company deadlines and identify areas for growth on your team. Use the following tips to hone your skills and improve your personnel management:

1. Prioritize your workload first

Prioritize yourself by dedicating a portion of each day to uninterrupted work. This will set you up for managing the success of others down the road. It’s easy for overeager managers to overcommit and burn out from taking on too much work. Once you’re more confident with your workload, you’ll be able to focus more effectively on your team when they need you.

2. Learn about the people you work with.

Depending on personality types, people manage differently. To be an effective manager, you must understand the personalities of those you are managing. Some require hands-on management while others do better with freedom and flexibility. Strong leaders adapt their management style to fit each team member’s needs, to draw out everyone’s potential.

Understanding your team’s inspiration, workflow, strengths, and weaknesses allows you to manage them more effectively. If you want to be an effective leader, it is important to know your team member’s strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can assign tasks accordingly and productively address issues without diminishing morale. You can start learning about your team by using active listening skills during conversations.

3. Assigning tasks

Instead of worrying about every single detail, learn to delegate tasks to others. This will free up your time so you can focus on more important managerial duties. But before entrusting someone with a job, get to know them first – their strengths and weaknesses, what they’re good at, and how much experience they have. That way, you can be confident that the right person is working on the right task. Assigning tasks to others involves defining what is expected of them precisely and ensuring that they are comfortable with taking charge of their section of the project. When you delegate duties to others, it shows faith in their abilities and gets them more motivated in wanting the project to succeed.

4. Control the conversation.

Rather than expecting your employees to come to you with questions, news and issues, take the initiative when speaking with them. When you first assume a leadership role in your office – whether it is official or unofficial – explain to team members how they should communicate with not just yourself, but also with their colleagues. Clearly state the primary channels of communication to avoid any misunderstandings about how problems should be reported. Personally touch base with team members periodically to ensure everyone is on track and that lines of communication remain open.

5. Determine precise workflows

Understand what part each team player has in finishing a project by mapping out the workflow procedures you plan to use. Having a transparent comprehension of every role and how it reflects the final project provides you with a more comprehensive view of what people can achieve. If you manage employees without understanding the project workflow, it can result in confusion and delays. This will prevent you from quickly identifying any issues that take place and resolving them efficiently.

6. Be sure to set specific goals

Guide your management by setting team and individual goals at the start of every project. This will give you an outline to follow as a leader, and keep everyone concentrated on how their actions affect the success of a task or plan. Keep a written record of your goals to refer back to when assessing the project’s success at key intervals. Talk with your team about the steps required for them to achieve their objectives, and allow time for questions and suggestions regarding ways to accomplish or exceed team goals.

When you want your team to have successful goals, use the SMART method so you can determine whether they were completed or not. With this system, success is guaranteed because each goal is specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant while also being based on a time frame. Every goal you set needs to have well-defined parameters and a way to track progress according to a schedule. Goals that fit into the SMART framework are easy to manage because they take each team member’s position into account and provide metrics that hold everyone accountable.

7. Always take the lead and be an example to others.

Being a good manager involves more than just giving orders; you must also gain the trust of your team. You can begin to do this by demonstrating consistency in your actions and decision-making. By being consistent with your actions, you are teaching your team that they can trust you to be reliable and treat everyone the same. Personalize your management techniques for each individual while still maintaining standards of behavior amongst everyone to prevent appearing biased. Your employees need to see that you follow through on what you say for them to understand that expecting others to do the same is not unreasonable.

8. One way to encourage good behavior is by providing positive reinforcement.

Use positive reinforcement to encourage people who are doing great work in the office. This involves rewarding employees whenever they demonstrate excellence. For example, you could give verbal praise or put them on a list for special recognition. Also, let other team members know when someone is going above and beyond so everyone can celebrate together! You’ll get better results if you tailor your approach to fit what motivates your particular team the most. To help foster a grow-positive culture, focus on finding and celebrating the positives with everyone on your team– from skills to behavior. Doing so will not only highlight top performers but also encourage others to feel more confident in their abilities.

9. Be honest with your feedback.

Good managers can be both tactful and direct when giving feedback, whether it is praise or constructive criticism. The most effective way to get the best work out of others is by being honest with them about their strengths and weaknesses. This allows you to identify areas that need improvement and strategize on ways to address those deficiencies. Your feedback should always be honest to encourage growth rather than discouragement.

10. Actively seek to resolve conflicts and disagreements.

Not only is it crucial to have good working relationships with each person on your team, but you must also be mindful of how they interact with one another. If there are any interpersonal or professional conflicts between members, this can affect the entire team’s productivity and communication. If you identify conflict, mediate and resolve the issue before it becomes a bigger problem that hampers work progress.

11. Invite suggestions

As a manager, it is key that you deliver critiques effectively to help your team grow – but receiving feedback about YOUR management skills is just as important. Games function best when everyone plays their part, so let your employees share their experiences and what they think would make you a betters leader. Show genuine appreciation for input and give thoughtful consideration to each problem brought up before offering a solution.

To avoid any personal tension, use an anonymous channel where everyone can share their thoughts candidly. This way you might learn what needs to be changed to improve productivity, like implementing different policies or reorganizing the workflow. Adjusting workloads can also prevent team members from burning out.

12. Be flexible

One way to build a respectful and productive workplace is by being flexible with how team members accomplish their responsibilities. For example, giving people freedom in areas such as dress codes or how they decorate their personal space can help them enjoy their work more and become more productive. Create a productive work environment for your team by allowing them to customize their process. People usually respond better when they feel like someone in authority cares about their well-being, so remember to show that you care about your workers as individuals.

13. Surpass your expectations

Set the precedent for your team by leading by example and holding yourself to the same standards you expect of them. Though you may have more flexibility in your workload as a manager, it is crucial to display that you are a cooperative player by meeting the same deadlines and expectations established for your staff. Ensure that your team knows what you are doing to help the project succeed – this will show them that you’re committed and vested in the team’s success. Good managers not only act fairly towards their employees but also manage themselves with the same standards.

14. Have check-ins frequently

Progress meetings are pivotal for a leader-employee relationship. These meetings let the leaders assess how their employees are progressing and if they have any challenges with their workload that overwhelmed them, which usually goes unspoken. After each check-in, take note of what was discussed so you can keep track of common issues or long-term patterns that might require more attention from an organizational or procedural standpoint.

See Indeed.com for more employee management tips.