Taking on a new managerial role can be intimidating, and seasoned leaders might fall into bad habits. Learning more to better manage your team will lead to better employee trust, improve managerial performance, and overall benefit the goals of your division.

Here are some tips that can help managers brush up on the basics that will refine their leadership.

Maintain Professionalism
Keeping things professional at work sounds easy, but it can be difficult to implement with coworkers you are close to and have built a relationship with. Supervising close coworkers is one of the most difficult parts of being a manager. Tasks like performance reviews and disciplinary action can become very awkward. However, do maintain a semi-close with your colleagues and continue to socialize with them. Be sure to treat all personnel fairly to avoid having favorites to ensure everyone on your team feels valued and realizes their potential.

Micromanagement
Experienced workers require less direction when given their assignments, but still deserve feedback and recognition without their manager asking for progress reports. Good managers know trust is a key factor with work relationships and avoiding micromanagement. A hands-off approach can seem like the wrong idea, but part of the job is to ensure staff members have what they need to succeed. And once your team is prepared, let them get down to work.

Delegation
Delegating can be hard, but it’s one of the most important tips for managers to apply as it promotes productivity and task completion. When you share responsibilities across your team, it helps your employees to grow individually and as a team. It also allows managers to focus on tasks like budgeting, strategy and generating new clients. Effective delegating starts with good communication. Have open-door communication so that your team knows they can come to you with questions and concerns.

Work-Life Balance
Maintaining a work-life balance can be a struggle for many, whether they work remotely or in an office. Managers should help staff manage their work and personal demands, so that they don’t get overwhelmed. Allowing flexible scheduling and alternative work hours can relieve stress and be meaningful to team members so they perform at their best. Job sharing and compressed workweeks are other strategies to help achieve work-life balance. Also, encourage your employees to use all their vacation days. Lastly, set a good example. If you often work late and on weekends, employees may believe workaholism will lead to greater rewards. And if you or your team are overwhelmed with too much to do, consider hiring more staff or bring in consultants. 

Expanding Networks
Learning effective strategies as a manager is best done by getting to know and building rapport with others who are working at the same level in your company. Make connections with directors and managers in all departments and see how the team can help improve their results. Having opportunities for your staff and other business groups to collaborate helps build and strengthen relationships throughout the organization, fostering a more cohesive workforce. It also doesn’t hurt to ask senior executives for advice on your role as manager, or how to change it up if your current strategy is not as effective as you wished it to be. You may even decide to ask one of them for professional mentoring.

Staff Solve continues to provide high-quality candidates, employment tips and advice, and jobs in diverse markets for over 27 years. Let Staff Solve take the stress off you so you can focus on your business by finding the perfect applicant for the position. If you are looking for employment, please visit our job seeker page. For more news and advice, check out our news and articles page.  If you would like more information about the services we offer employers, visit our employer page or contact us today.