Picture by Rawpixel

Interestingly when starting your own business, there is a whole host of tasks that need fulfilling. From the business plan, to the accounting, to keeping abreast of business legislation, while also completing the job in hand, customer service and then there is also managing the people that work for you.

The first step of being an effective manager is knowing that you’ve surpassed your capabilities on a given subject or area and you require an expert or someone who is better at doing a specific job than you. Which is why you invite the people in, with their complex personalities and lives, thoughts, feelings, expectations and so forth. Once you’ve taken the leap to hire staff, you need to derive whatever knowledge or experience you have to be a good manager. Why you ask? Because you can’t run your business and expect it to grow to its full capacity by completing every task yourself, you need a team. However, running an efficient, confident, happy team that are brilliant at the job in hand, is partially your responsibility. This is where your people management skills will be required.

Although you should never assume that there is a one size fits all management technique, that will appeal to all employees, the below steps give you a nudge in the right direction.

Training and CPD

Offering your employees the opportunity to undergo training or achieve further qualifications to maximise their potential in their given role, can help to boost morale. Coupled with making your employees feel valued as you’re demonstrating you see they’re worth investing in. In doing so, it may also encourage reciprocity. Meaning the may demonstrate loyalty to your business because you have offered them the chance to develop.

Not only this but doing the same job can become quite monotonous for some colleagues. Which is why having the opportunity to learn something new and move up in the company, or even sidestep to a different department could be what your employees need to be kept on their toes and stimulated.

For example, if you owned a company which packs and moves house owners to new homes. For aspiring apprentices or for employees enthusiastic to move out of the office and on to the road, you could suggest they get a cpc qualification courtesy of you and the company to give them the scope to improve.

Generosity And Rewards

Being generous with your co-workers with bonuses, holidays, gifts and most of all your words, will help your co-workers feel validated, appreciated, give them confidence and help to boost morale. In doing so, you are making an active effort to recognise your employee’s accomplishments, and with this, they understand they will be rewarded. This could work in your favour as it may encourage workers to work harder for your recognition. However, people are complicated, so it’s important to note the type of praise, reward or employee benefits bestowed amongst staff should be relevant to what they prefer as an individual. Getting to know each of your staff members and who they are as a person will help you to build rapport with them, and understand what makes them happy. For instance, one staff member may be a social butterfly and like you praising them in front of the team. Whereas someone who prefers their own company, may not like the attention of other staff members and may feel embarrassed receiving public recognition. Be conscientious and perceptive towards your staff is essential to work out how they wish to be managed and treated in the workplace.

Continuously Strive For Improvement

Good, effective management starts and ends with you. You are only as good as your experience and knowledge, which means the more time you invest in becoming a better manager the greater your people management intelligence will become.  A few suggestions for this are as follows:

• Find a mentor – Interestingly there are a pool of mentors available online on sites such as Mentorsme. Finding someone who possesses a wealth of experience, a diverse set of management skills, or qualifications you don’t, will help to give you a fresh perspective on management. For example, they could provide you advice on how to deal with tough situations with staff. For instance, staff that repeatedly turn up late, or take a lot of time off sick.
• Management Course – Investing your time to take a course to improve your management skills will positively affect your staff. With more knowledge under your belt, you will manage employees at work methodically and master how to gain the best out of your team to complete a job to a high standard and a set deadline.

Above are just some of the components that are vital to being a good leader for your team. By pinpointing opportunities to train and promote your staff, getting to know your staff individually and striving to continuously become a better manager, you will without a doubt be an incredible leader.