It’s not always written on the wall. While some people are natural talents for becoming a manager, others really only think they are—and either way, operating off of intuition can be a serious gamble that most often won’t pay off.
In fact, being a great manager shouldn’t just come from your own intuition. It’s a long-term series of trial and error that started with your boss’s boss, and now continues down to you. You may have stepped into this position with ease, or you’ve been gunning for it for years.
Either way, these are some great tips that you can take on this week to help you become the great manager you so desperately want to be.
Make 1-on-1 Time Available For Each of Your Employees
It starts with listening, not doing. Some folks want to come in with guns blazing and make a whole lot of changes, just to establish themselves as the figure of authority.
For our money, that’s not the right approach. That’s not going to win over most employees’ hearts, it will just communicate one thing: you don’t really care. Instead, take time to get one on one with each of your new employees. Learn about what they are frustrated with and what they feel needs to be changed.
If you can hear those things, analyse them, and make good decisions that incorporate their feedback, you’ll have employees that feel valued and trust you to make the decisions that have their best interests in mind.
Learn About What’s Most Important To Your Employees
Whether it’s their passion, family, or budding interest, it helps to remind yourself that they have a life outside of this job, and they want to know that you know that too.
Take time to learn a few of your employees’ family members’ names. Ask if they’re dating or if they have a regular friend group. Understanding that can help them to realise that you know they have a life. It will make them and you more compassionate when it comes to scheduling issues, and it will help them to respect you as someone who really wants to invest in their employees.
Find Out What Makes Each Employee Check-Out
If they have a task or aspect of their job that really demotivates them, find out so that you can learn how to fix that problem, or accommodate their strengths. If there are things that they really don’t like to do, and you keep assigning them to do those things, they’re only going to start resenting their jobs—if they didn’t already.
Try and play to their strengths, which will hopefully make them more open to trying some of the things they’re not so comfortable with.
When they feel like you’re trying to make their job the best it can be, they’ll want to help you accomplish your goals all the more.
Make a Chart of Weekly Tasks, and Start Delegating
Trust your employees. If you can learn to give them certain tasks that you are overloaded with, it’s going to accomplish a lot more than speeding things up. If you can learn early on, and show your employees early on, the value of trust, then you’re sure to boost the productivity of your employees.
They want responsibilities. It will motivate them to take better care of their positions. The more you can give them, the more you can focus on what’s important for you—while building them up.
Affirm Each Employee At Least Once Per Week
It helps you to pay attention to their performance with a positive lens, looking for the best rather than simply looking with a critical eye.
Take time each week to tell any employee about something that you see them doing well. It will make them feel better, and reassure them that every time you’re watching, it’s not simply to see when they’ll mess up. When you can help them to understand that, it will open them up to feel less pressure, which in turn will help them to be sharper employees.
Try Out Each Task Yourself
When you know your employees’ day to day struggle, you know how to better lead them. Go ahead and take some time to carry out your employees’ tasks: whether it’s some of the things it takes to get going in the morning, rush-time tasks or even that stuff that comes around close, make sure that you’re getting in there to analyse what’s good and bad about it.
That doesn’t mean there will always be room for improvement, but it can help you in the heat of a moment to be more patient and compassionate.
Find a Mentor
You cannot do this all on your own intuition—and you don’t have to. Find a mentor who can come along side you, ask you honest questions, and guide you along through some of the hard decisions. You need someone who can be straightforward with you, without it compromising the relationship you have with your employees.
Being a manager isn’t something you have to write the book on. Understand that many people have walked in your shoes before—and while some strategies work, others can fail. The important thing is that you’re trying, listening, and improving. Good luck!