The management style you use can have effects across the entire business. Skilled managers typically have a core management approach, but can draw on different styles for specific situations or individuals.
Encourage team members to share their expertise with each other through regular knowledge-sharing sessions. This helps to build camaraderie and trust. It also helps develop newer managers who might be less experienced.
1. Delegate
The ability to delegate tasks and responsibilities to others is critical for effective managers. It allows them to focus on what matters most, increases team morale, and fosters a synergetic working environment. But delegation isn’t easy—in fact, many leaders struggle with it on a regular basis. What holds them back?
One of the most common reasons for not delegating is that a leader fears they’ll be replaced by their team members. However, it’s important to remember that delegating is not about replacing you as the leader—it’s about empowering your team and giving them opportunities to grow.
When delegating, consider if the task is something you can trust your team member with and can be monitored remotely. For instance, low risk, high-impact, and urgent work can often be delegated to a team member who has the relevant skills, which would allow you to monitor their progress without having to physically be present.
Another key to delegating effectively is to ensure that you’re being transparent and clear about the scope of the assignment. Describe what you expect your team member to do and how they will be measured. This will help them feel confident and empowered, which in turn will increase their chances of success.
Lastly, it’s also essential to provide feedback after a task is completed. This not only gives your team member a chance to be recognized for their effort and achievement, but it can also highlight any gaps in understanding or areas that could be improved upon going forward. It’s a great opportunity for two-way communication and demonstrates your trust in their abilities.
2. Set Specific Goals
Having a clear goal in mind can help you prioritize work and eliminate distractions. It also gives you something to measure and track. You can even use tools like ClickUp to monitor progress and make sure that you’re hitting your goals on a regular basis.
The key is to find goals that align with your business’s culture and values. For example, if you value collaboration, set team-oriented goals that encourage employees to support each other. Alternatively, if you emphasize individual achievement, focus on personal performance metrics. Ensure that your goals are realistic based on current workload and skillsets. Otherwise, they may result in frustration and demotivation.
Once you have clearly defined goals, create a detailed project plan to guide the process. Be sure to include milestones and a timeline for completion. This will help you stay on track and ensure that all aspects of the project are completed by the expected date.
If a goal is not achieved, be proactive about discovering what went wrong and taking corrective action. Analyze the data to identify any trends or weaknesses in areas such as productivity, goal-achievement rates, and resources used.
Incorporate training, such as a management course, to learn new techniques and tools that can be applied to your own managerial approach. You can also further your professional development by joining a network of managers who share their experiences and advice. This way, you’ll have access to a pool of diverse perspectives that can inform your decision-making and enhance your managerial effectiveness. Investing in yourself as a manager can lead to increased productivity and a motivated team that is prepared to meet your organization’s long-term objectives.
3. Involve Your Team
One of the keys to successful management is involving your team. Your staff needs to feel that you trust them to make decisions and that you value their opinions. You can foster this sense of trust by having regular, open meetings where your staff is encouraged to share ideas and opinions. This can be a team building exercise, or it could just be an opportunity to discuss work-related issues in a more relaxed setting than the formal, day-to-day conversations that happen at their desks.
In addition, you should provide opportunities for team members to collaborate on projects and initiatives. This will encourage a team spirit and help to break down organizational silos. It can also uncover overlapping initiatives that could save your organization resources and employees from duplicating work. Finally, it can help your team members to understand the bigger picture and how their work relates to the business as a whole.
Another way to involve your team is to establish ground rules and processes for decision-making. This can be a time-consuming process, but it can improve the quality of your decisions and ensure that all stakeholders have had an opportunity to voice their concerns. In addition, establishing these ground rules can show your team that you have confidence in them to manage their own responsibilities.
Finally, you should also incorporate the use of consensus in your decision-making process. While consensus isn’t as fast as simply deferring to the majority, it can lead to more thoughtful and thorough analysis and exploration of alternative solutions. In addition, it can help to ensure that all stakeholders are comfortable with the solution and can implement it without resentment or hesitation.
4. Ask for Feedback
If you want to improve your management approach, it’s important to ask for feedback from your team members. Not only does it show that you’re open to constructive criticism, it also creates a culture of candor in your organization.
When managers regularly seek feedback, they’re better equipped to identify any issues that could be affecting productivity and make timely course corrections. This helps maintain productivity and prevents minor problems from spiraling out of control, while also ensuring that managers and teams are aligned with organizational goals.
Asking for feedback isn’t always easy, but it’s an important part of being a good manager. One way to make the process less uncomfortable is to ask for feedback in private, preferably in person. This allows your manager to focus on the conversation without distractions or interruptions. Additionally, it gives them the opportunity to express their true opinions without fear of repercussions.
When you do ask for feedback, be clear about what you’re looking for. For example, you can say something like, “I’d love to hear your thoughts on my recent presentation skills. What did you think?”
Finally, be sure to thank your manager for their time and input. It’s much easier for both parties to discuss difficult topics in a positive frame of mind when they feel appreciated for their contributions.
To ensure your manager is in a suitable mental state to provide honest feedback, you should schedule the conversation well in advance. This way, your manager can check their calendar and make any necessary adjustments to their schedule to be available for the feedback session. In addition, you can also help make the feedback session more productive by requesting both positive and constructive comments. This lets your manager know you’re interested in hearing about both their strengths and areas for improvement, which can make the discussion more collaborative and productive.
5. Be Accountable
A culture of constructive accountability may take a bit of a shift in management styles, but it is a proven strategy for driving performance and team success. Adopting a strong leadership style can significantly impact how you manage accountability and drive team performance. Accountability ensures deadlines are met, reduces rework and confusion, fosters transparency, builds trust and allows teams to focus on their tasks. It also ensures each person takes responsibility for their actions, makes mistakes and learns from them, resulting in improved efficiency and productivity.
One of the best ways to promote accountability is by providing regular feedback and performance reviews. This helps employees stay on track, understand what they can improve and provides an opportunity to celebrate successes. It also encourages accountability by showing that managers are genuinely interested in supporting their team members to be successful in their roles.
Another way to encourage accountability is to provide training on time management, goal-setting and problem-solving skills. This ensures that everyone has the tools they need to be successful in their roles and is more likely to meet the expectations of their jobs. It can also help to encourage accountability by promoting a work environment that is psychologically safe, which includes values such as courage, transparency, ownership and commitment.
When you are struggling to increase accountability, it is important to be open and honest about it with your team. This will allow them to communicate their challenges and concerns without fear of being blamed for anything they say or do. It will also allow them to ask for assistance and guidance when necessary, which will speed up task completion and increase their overall efficiency. It is also important to set an example of accountability for your team by addressing your own challenges in a constructive manner and sharing how you learned from them.