The success of a business is not only linked to individual work. The fruit of collaboration between all is a significant factor for the well-being of an organization. Hence the capital importance of management.
Creating a business often means having to manage teams. For a company, management is crucial: indirectly, it makes it possible to take up challenges, obtain good results, gain competitive advantages or gain market share. Here are some tips to help you improve in this area.
What Is A Manager?
A manager is a key figure within an organization, company or institution, who is in charge of coordinating the entire company or a specific area or department.
The main goal of a manager is to organize the work team so that the objectives of the company are met. For this, it regulates the human and material resources available, evaluates the performance of the workers, makes strategic decisions, establishes contacts with all areas of the company, and tries to reduce the monetary investment without affecting the quality of the product or service offered by the company.
How To Identify A Good Manager
The manager plays a key role in an organization. Your decisions can lead to success or lead to failure. To occupy management effectively requires a series of qualities that will allow you to stand out in today's world.
It is not a simple job, but it is not impossible either. Management requires a mix of technical and behavioral characteristics that come together to lead the company on the right path.
You can make a huge list of qualities, among which innovation, passion, vision, and knowledge stand out.
The "how" was already much more complicated. This Harvard Business Review article collects how after examining thousands of employee reviews, interviews, comments, ... with complex statistical techniques, the People Ops team determined what the best managers at Google had in common:
· He is a good mentor ("coach")
· Avoid micromanaging and empower the team, balancing autonomy with supervision
· Express interest and concern for the success of each team member and their personal well-being
· It is productive and results-oriented
· He is a good communicator, knows how to listen and share information
· Help members' professional development
· Has a clear vision and well-defined strategy for the team
· Has the technical ability to give relevant advice to the team
At first glance, these may seem like fairly common-sense features, but it's important to note that they are validated by Google data in this case, not personal opinions.
Also, although they seem logical, how many of them do your managers comply with? I don't know how many really care about the happiness of the members and really try to advance their professional careers. Managers who retain enough technical knowledge not to screw up advising on technical issues are even rarer. In fact, it is quite difficult to fulfill them all. But it is a good guide for you to detect your own limitations (or those of your "boss") and start an improvement plan. You already know that poor management is the main cause of the uncontrolled increase in costs in software development
Goals Of A Manager
Some of the main objectives pursued by the manager of an organization are:
· Keep the work team motivated.
· Meet the short and long-term objectives assumed.
· Comply with commitments in a timely manner.
· Achieve the development of the company.
· Reduce costs.
· Increase productivity.
How To Be A Successful Manager
Establish A Climate Of Trust With Your Teams
Managing does not mean imposing one's authority or infantilizing the relationship but empowering one's employees. Every link in the chain counts and your employees are the first.
To effectively motivate your employees, it is in your interest to play the trust card and rely on the skills, talents, and potential of each of them.
You can show your teams that you believe in them, and above all that you have confidence in their achievements. Do not hesitate to reward your employees. They will feel more involved and this will also develop your leadership towards them.
To create a motivating environment for your team, help develop collective momentum, as this is very often unifying.
Listen To Your Employees
Also opt for permanent and sustained communication, by organizing meetings, but also by listening attentively to what your employees may entrust to you.
Likewise, determine the expectations of your employees, whether on a personal or professional level (working conditions, career development). Thus, your teams will be in confidence, and the cohesion of the group will be strengthened.
Learn How to Defuse Conflict
Tensions in business are inevitable, and any corporate will be faced with it sooner or later. If your team is really committed to what they do, arguments can even be a good sign of everyone's motivation. But be careful that they do not go too far because some conflicts can have serious consequences for a company. It is thus up to you to play the role of mediator. To defuse the tensions, privilege, once again, listening.
To appease your employees, also give them the floor. For example, in meetings, make sure that everyone has roughly the same speaking time, and thus is treated equally.
Be An Example For Your Employees
We cannot ask for total professional involvement from employees if you and the other managers are not exemplary.
Managers are the ambassadors of the brand promise. Your business has values. You must therefore respect them for total consistency between your company and your requirements vis-à-vis your employees.
For example, if you are lax about customer service or attach very little importance to it, how do you expect your employees to be flawless on this customer touchpoint?
A manager is first of all to impose rules that we apply to others. The values, quality, and seriousness of a company are first carried by management and then by your employees.
You Aren't Cut Out For This? Delegate!
Your role is not just limited to giving orders. As a business manager, you must supervise, inform, buy into, involve, and empower your employees, in order to motivate them. But a great entrepreneur can be a terrible manager.
A lousy administrator believes that he must take care of everything so that things go well, but the reality is that companies need managers with a great capacity to delegate, and for this, it is necessary that the manager understands the importance of hiring more skilled people and smarter than him.
You can thus promote one of your internal employees, or recruit an external team leader - or even an associate.