Now, whenever you manage any team, regardless of its size – you must always demonstrate the 3 Cs – Confidence, Consistency and Communication.
- You must be confident in your decisions.
- You must be consistent in your actions – treat everyone in the team equally – no favouritism!
- And finally, you must communicate regularly and clearly so everyone in the team knows what is expected of them!
MANAGING A TEAM STEP 1. Always Set Clear Expectations
Whenever I am managing a team, I will communicate 3 things:
- The team’s goals;
- Each team member’s responsibilities;
- The standards expected of everyone.
For example, at the start of each week, I would set the expectations – I would call a quick team meeting and say something like this.
“Hi everybody, welcome back from the weekend. A quick reminder of our objectives, This week we need to complete projects A and B, deliver excellent customer service and launch the new company product.
Mark, your task is to answer customer emails within 60 minutes of them coming in.
Jessica, I need you to welcome all customers who come into the store and ask them what you can do to assist them.
Mohammed, I need you to start promoting the new company product to our email database and also on social media.
Is everyone clear on their duties and the standards we need to work to?”
That is an example of a brilliant brief where you confidently communicate the team’s goals, each team member’s responsibilities and the standards expected. It shows you to be a confident team leader or manager who is in control.
MANAGING A TEAM STEP 2. Provide Regular Feedback
Whenever I manage a team, I provide feedback on great team performance as soon as I see it, but I also make sure I address any issues or areas for improvement immediately.
For example, I once noticed a team member spending time in their work break training a new member of staff. I said to them there and then – thank you for helping train the new team member – your dedication is appreciated.
When you praise good work, it encourages more of the same!
Conversely, I once noticed a team member was a few minutes late for work one day – I said to that person– can I have a quick word in my office. They sat down and before I said anything, they apologised for being late.
I told them that punctuality was important and I asked them to not make it a regular occurrence. Now, if I would’ve ignored the situation, it would send a message to the other team members that being late is acceptable and that’s not a good way to manage your team.
Always tackle low work standards or problems as soon as you become aware of them, but don’t forget to praise work that goes above and beyond what is expected.
MANAGING A TEAM STEP 3. Team Development
As a manager and leader, you must invest in ongoing training, coaching, and professional growth opportunities for your team.
I used to conduct performance reviews will all team members every six months. I would sit down in private with each team member and discuss their achievements, career aspirations and plans for the next six months.
I would also ask them what they felt they needed in terms of training, to take their work performance to the next level.
Also, if someone expressed an interest in eventually gaining a promotion, I would help them. I would allow them to shadow me on specific days so they could develop the leadership skills they needed to achieve their goals.
By focusing on team development and offering training and coaching you will make your team feel valued and you will be empowering them to reach their full potential.
MANAGING A TEAM STEP 4. Lead by Example
I can remember once, I had a boss in the early days of my career who was unprofessional. He would go out drinking with some team members and give certain individuals more opportunities than others. I didn’t respect him.
As a manager and leader, you should always model the behavior, attitude, and professionalism you expect from your team. Demonstrate accountability, fairness, empathy, and commitment in your daily interactions.