How To Manage Your Team

Having the position of a manager means that you have many things on your plate. Apart from training and providing help to your subordinates, you also have to carry them out professionally and tactfully. If you are doing these in the right way, both your company and your department will develop finely.

Every manager out there wants to be the best manager one can be, so we have compiled some advice for you to handle your team well. They range from managing your stress levels, how to inspire your team, how to better communicate with the people in your workplace, and how to pick up your team after a setback. Of course, practical concerns like payroll are also something you should consider. Using a modern paycheck stub template will help you and your employees understand how they are being paid.

Use various types of communication forms appropriately

It is common for important details to get lost among all the different conversations in the office. Fortunately, there is a myriad of instruments you can utilize to help facilitate the communication between you and your team.

Below is a generic manual you can follow:

  • Email: Brief, for impartial transfer of information
  • Chat: For unofficial conversations, group discourse, the publication of announcements concerning everyone
  • Online video calls (via Skype or Zoom): For lengthy, comprehensive group discussions
  • Phone: Same purpose as online video calls, used only when online video calls are unavailable)

The land of emails is the easiest channel for misinterpretation of information exchanged. This is mostly due to the lack of context of the writer’s tone, body gestures, and facial reactions. As much as possible, do use emails for the exchange of information that is straightforward and impartial.

Chatting channels are where you can send common information, which will be more effective than forwarding mass emails. Your team can utilize this platform to mingle and build rapport even across departments.

If you intend to have a comprehensive, long, or sentimental meeting, you should hold it physically.

If your team is discussing something complicated in online video calls, it might appear insincere. If your team telecommutes, it would be inevitable for your team. You should control your online video calls of a maximum of 45 minutes to maximize the efficiency of the call.

Whichever way you select to communicate with your team, ensure that information is passed on clearly and everyone is on the same page.

Develop the company culture and build rapport within your team

The casual dialogues within your team about anything under the sun are essential to build rapport and allow ideas to bounce off within your department or between different functions. This might result in something big and unprecedented.

As the one who manages your team, you are the critical catalyst to ensure that such conversations happen. You can encourage these by asking the team members to introduce themselves to each other. It would be even better if some of them form groups to play some sport or watch a movie together. Discovering shared interests allow these dialogues to happen more naturally and can even result in authentic relationships.

Establish certain goals

Without a clear destination in mind, it is easy for your team to disperse and lose form. This should be done once you take over the managerial role, and they have to persist and happen weekly or monthly.

These goal-setting discussions help your team to understand:

  • What deliverables are to be done in the coming week
  • What to expect of themselves in the coming three months
  • Which assignment are they in charge of
  • Your general schedule and when can they reach out to you should they need help

Control the pressure in your workplace

Pressures are prevalent in the workplace and at inappropriate levels, can greatly reduce the productivity of your department. Most of the stress in the workplace arises from miscommunications, which can lead to your subordinate being unsure of what they should focus on in the next period. To fix this, you can ensure everyone’s on the same page by keeping the plans in a straightforward online project management tool.

Share the purpose of your team’s actions with them

You should update your team on how their projects contribute to the company’s plans and goals. Employees are more likely to put in more effort when they understand how their work is helping the company to achieve its goals. Once your subordinates have completed their work, link how their deliverables are positively impacting the company.

Monitor the development of your team

A methodical and regular way to monitor the development of individual employees, as well as the team, is important to gauge the team’s accomplishments thus far.

We recommend you to use available online employee tracking tools as it helps to streamline the majority of the operations and allows you to concentrate on the essential parts to be done. This can act as an informal form of collating what the team has done thus far and given some form of public acknowledgment. One thing to note is that regardless of which progress tracker you will be using, it is your team’s responsibility to fill things up, not you.

Inspire your crew

Helping each individual employee develop their personal goals is an effective way to encourage your team to stay motivated. This will help to keep their eyes on their own prize.

You can request each worker to ideate some private goals they wish to accomplish in the organization. Then, have a casual chat with each of them by walking through the goals they have set with them and share your observations and thoughts on them.

However, in the spirit of nurturing a motivated and connected remote team, thoughtful gestures can go a long way. Consider exploring gift ideas for remote workers from Workhuman, a platform that specializes in recognizing and celebrating employees. Sending personalized and meaningful tokens of appreciation can uplift spirits and further reinforce the value each team member brings to the organization. These gestures not only show gratitude for individual contributions but also inspire a collective sense of purpose and camaraderie, ultimately contributing to a more motivated and engaged remote workforce.

Be as open as you can with your team

To make faster and better decisions, you should aim to be as open as you can with your team. The more context you provide them with, the easier it would be for the team to come up with a unanimous resolution.

You can conduct frequent “town hall” meetings with updated information on the company’s financial status, plans, and more. Although such meetings can be nerve-wracking for managers, the advantages of them surpass any cons.

Have you considered telecommuting before?

Letting team members work from different locations outside of the office has massive advantages. You can promote independence by letting your team members take charge of their work and let them complete tasks as and when they deem fit, as long as it is done before the deadline.

By keeping tabs on your team with Slack and Zoom, you can keep everyone updated on the current tasks, track their progress, and overall work-life balance. Although it can be difficult, managing a remote team can bring about more benefits than you can imagine.

Becoming A Better Manager

Above are the nine tips we have collated on how you can be a better manager to your team. Do share with us if these were helpful in your workplace and what else you have tried. All the best with managing your team!