By: Frayed Passport
If you hold a leadership position at work, or if you’re building out your own business, there are a few basic management no-nos to pay attention to so that they don’t become larger issues later.
Let’s look at the most common ones!
Not Respecting Your Team
It’s basic decency. If you don’t respect your team, they won’t respect you. If you talk to a team member as though they’re unimportant, beneath you, and unworthy of your time, it’ll sour your relationship not only with that person, but with the rest of the team as well. Everyone is there to work toward a common goal, and everyone has an important role to play in achieving that goal.
Encourage your team members, take time to give extra support to those who are struggling in any way, and be patient and accommodating when someone has a question or an issue. Respecting every person on your team will make the group stronger.
Not Delegating Responsibilities
This is such an easy trap to fall into, both for large and small tasks. Maybe it’s daily items that you’re used to handling, or it could be a one-off issue that you’re familiar with. You don’t think it’s worth the time and effort to train someone else in it right now if you can just handle it yourself.
While your line of reasoning may come from a good place—handling something you know how to do already instead of seemingly dumping it on someone else’s plate—it’s not sustainable, and it’ll add up over time. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself burning out on the growing pile of small things rather than focusing on the bigger picture.
As a manager and leader, you’ve got to learn to delegate.
While time-consuming, writing SOPs and guides for your team will be incredibly helpful over the longer term, especially if you’re unavailable for any reason. And delegating responsibilities among team members who have an interest and aptitude in those areas will help them learn and grow, encourage them to step up when needed, and give your entire team a path toward success.
Not Understanding Your Team Members’ Motivations
You have to understand the motivation your employees have for working with your company. And yes—money is a perfectly cromulent motivator.
If you know a person on your team is only there for the paycheck, then encourage them with bonuses and opportunities to earn more. If someone’s there for career satisfaction, then providing opportunities for greater responsibility and a clear path toward a future leadership position can be a fantastic motivator. It may be worth you paying closer attention to payroll management, as this will give you an idea of what each person is earning, and why.
Knowing your team members’ motivations for working with you (and caring about the quality of their work!) and responding accordingly to their needs and goals will relieve a lot of your stress, and boost employee confidence and loyalty.
Failing to Set Actionable, Specific Goals
You can’t expect your team to do well if you don’t set actionable and specific goals for them to achieve. If you don’t, they’ll become aimless and demotivated.
Make time to regularly assess your company’s and team’s goals for the short-, medium-, and long-term. Make sure everyone is on the same page, and that they know how each of their own responsibilities relate to those goals. Make changes and pivots as needed, and be clear about those objectives.
No one ever said running a business—or managing a team!—was easy, but if you pay attention to these four pain points, you’ll set yourself and your team up for success.
Featured image by fauxels on Pexels.