Estimated reading time: 5 mins
A bad manager will most often damage his company’s performance by taking bad decisions, damaging relationship with his employees, and also by lacking the personal traits required to lead. Believe it or not, the most common case for employees feeling unsatisfied with their job comes from having a bad boss.
Usually, the manager of the team is the boss of the team. If he fails to create a productive work environment, most of the team will feel unmotivated and therefore will produce fewer results.
The solution? Personal and team improvement. The most successful managers are always heading towards growth. In case you’re working as a manager, here are 7 strategies to become a better at talking and dealing with people:
1. Work with The Right People
Good managers that work with poor employees won’t show spectacular results. The reason is simple: your employees are the most important part of the company because their collective effort is the factor that influences the company’s performance the most.
For this reason, starting off with the right people is a good way to ensure a pink future for the company. Be very strict with your selection process and have well-established criteria for selecting your workforce.
In case you already have employees that are not good for your team, keeping them just for the sake of not firing them is a productivity-killer decision. You know what you have to do. Just make the courage and make the right decision!
2. Work On Your Manager Skills
Developing management skills is yet another powerful strategy of improving your communication with your employees. Think about it this way: if you were an employee and your boss was less experienced or/and skilled than you – how would you perceive him?
It’s just like with business “gurus” that talk about making millions of dollars but they’ve never done it.
In order to develop a high status and gain your employees respect, you must be one of the most professional and skilled individuals that are activating inside the company. Here’s a list of the most important management skills that you can develop in time.
3. Establish and Nurture the Relationship with Your Employees
A company is often a community. Of course, it depends on each company’s workplace culture, but most often than not, the manager of the team has to build some sort of relationship with his employees. Unfortunately, very few managers are actually focused on creating, nurturing, and maintaining a strong relationship and connection with their employees.
That’s what you can do differently. You should stop perceiving your subordinates as subordinates. Instead, see them as your disciples. They are in constant look for directions, and you should be the big papa who’s delivering them.
A strong connection with a human person will greatly influence the way that person treats you, works for you, or talks you. If you create harmony, you’ll experience harmony in the company’s collective results too.
4. Never Take It Personal
Are you taking your employees remarks on a personal level? Are you unsatisfied with the fact that you’re talked from behind? IT HAPPENS! Taking it personally will only make things worse. Instead of playing a silly game in which you “pay back” for what’s been done to you, think about the consequences of your actions.
Does making an employee’s life worse make you better? I guess we both know the right answer. The moment you succeed to become immune to personal remarks the moment you’ll become a better manager for your team.
The problem is that sometimes people are interpreting the wrong things even if they were never meant to be that way. It’s only an illusion that attacks our egos. Once we feel the attack, we move on to the defense. This disempowering cycle is destroying professional relationships each day, so be aware of it and stay away from it!
5. Be Very Patient and Helpful
A manager needs to be patient in order to make it out alive. Employees are doing mistakes on a constant basis, and they’re slowly making their managers lose patience. Failure is natural. You need to understand that before making negative remarks.
Now – there’s a difference between the failure that comes after someone has actually made an effort and the failure that comes from a lack of interest. You need to detect whether your employees are not involved or they’re just lacking the proper strategies to succeed.
If they’re doing their best, you should be the first to help them in accomplishing their duties. Even if you’re losing your personal time, helping an employee from time to time and showing him that you care about him will definitely change the relationship between you two.
6. Be the First to Manage Conflict
When conflict arises, the manager of the team should be the first who interrupts it. More than often, conflict arises when:
- There’s a fight for resources
- There’s lack of communication between your employees
- Poor relationships between employees exist
- There’s something personal between 2 or more employees
If the conflict is happening, intervene by taking the two opposing sides for a discussion. Talk to each of them, listen to their versions, then make them talk to each other. For more effective conflict management techniques check out this guide.
7. Be A Leader, Not Just a “Simple” Manager
A leader is someone who gets very close to their employees’ motivation, drive, and commitment. A leader inspires and provides more purposeful directions than any manager could do. There’s quite a difference between a leader and a manager.
Leaders are present in any type of organization. Even one of your employees could be a leader among his colleagues, so being the big CEO isn’t a prerequisite for taking this responsibility.
A leader is always more appreciated and needed than a “boss”, so do your best to treat your team accordingly. Give them enough reasons to follow your directions by showing them your leadership skills and decisions.
Conclusion
Becoming an efficient manager for your company is not going to happen overnight. Managing is basically a skill that can be continuously improved throughout time.
If you’re truly committed, nothing stops you from becoming the most effective person in the company – the one who drags everybody up on the ladder, the one who improves the business’ operations and its employee’s performance.
Micheal Gilmore is a resume writer at ResumesPlanet.com. He loves writing about business, productivity and personal growth. Micheal is also a passionate career advisor and facilitator. Follow him on Twitter.
