Happy New Year! As our season begins, I encourage you to take this last bit of “calm” time to finalize your plans for this year. In the last few months, we’ve talked about setting up a marketing calendar, preparing yourself for a focused year, and planning to WORK that plan. Now that the time is almost here, let’s figure out how to make the most out of our teams, and how to best lead them. Use these guidelines in working with your staff to make 2018 your most profitable year yet!
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Be the boss first.
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The best thing you can do for your team is set the tone from the very beginning: “Here’s my role, and here’s yours. This is what I expect from you. As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, we’ll have no issues.” Many managers create a dual relationship with their staff so that they can be their friend and be liked. It is more important for you to lead them well than it is for you to be their friend – trust me, they will make plenty of friends! If your focus is always leading them well and making sure they succeed at work, the pleasant relationships will come naturally, as will effective, loyal employees.
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Lead with your intentions.
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As much as we’d like to say that communication is always easy and things will always go well, they just won’t. Not too long ago, I had a great employee who just wasn’t hitting the target. After a short meeting to discuss performance, the employee felt like her role was clarified and has been excelling in that role ever since. Start confrontational conversations with your intentions: “Listen, I like you and I want you to be here for a long time. I want us to be on the same page and both be successful.” When you start a conversation with your intentions, tension is diffused immediately and your employees will always know where they stand with you.
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Communicate, follow up, evaluate.
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Whether it’s setting sales goals, assigning tasks, or really, anything else related to running your business:
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1. Communicate what you expect and what is happening. Be detailed – vague communication is open to interpretation. Thorough, detailed communication is not.
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2. Follow up a few days later to make sure everyone is on the same page, and that there’s been progress since you first talked.
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3. Evaluate the performance of your employees, the project, your sales contest – whatever. If we set goals and don’t follow up on them and evaluate their performance, we’ll always be playing a guessing game and flying blind.
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Support throughout.
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I often tell my staff that my job is to break down walls that they can’t. If a customer won’t listen to them, if a vendor won’t talk to them, if they can’t find a solution … that’s when I’m here to help. Make sure you’re accessible to your team and they know you’ll help them when they need it.
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Management is really mostly about communication. When we have a plan, communicate that plan, and then support our team, our efforts are multiplied and we are more successful than we could ever be alone.
How do you support your team? Shoot me an email anytime to discuss! hello@dspurgers.com
