When you’re a Manager, there can be a tendency to believe you need to do “hundreds of things” to manage your team well.
You don’t.
The leadership teaching industry pretends you need to do courses that take weeks/months to complete. Many of them are very expensive … “well, that’s because we cover off so much stuff.” Indeed, if you want to get a Masters in Management & Leadership it will take you 3 years part-time to complete, and cost up to $100,000.
Ouch.
Instead, you can teach someone what they need to know about “how to manage people the right way” in two days. You just need to cut through all the padding, the nonsense, the fluff. Even a session that lasts a single morning can cover off the essentials. Or, if you only have 60 seconds, here are 7 quick tips to keeping it simple:
👉 ATTITUDE – When you’re about to step into the office each morning, pause for a moment. Get yourself in the right headspace. Even if you’re in a bad mood or have personal stuff going on. Why? It’s what great managers do. Your team deserve it.
👉 HELLO – Say an upbeat hello to everyone in your team, even if they don’t respond or are moody workers you don’t especially like. I’m amazed how many managers don’t do this.
👉 TEAM MEETING – Run these once a fortnight, and never first thing on a Monday morning. Most team meetings are weekly. They are overrated and a waste of time. Share the chairing of the meeting around. Everyone gets a turn.
👉 1-ON-1s – Hold a 1-on-1 meeting with each team member at least once a quarter. These are the key meetings that help make managing people a lot easier. They don’t need to be formal or too long. Go for a coffee. Or for a walk together. Get to know your staff.
👉 TEAM DAYS – Make these quarterly. Even half a day, if you can’t afford a full day, is good. Delegate the responsibility to a different team member each time. Great for their development and means you don’t have to do all the work, all the time.
👉 VALUES – Have a set of values, standards and rules that one particular person in the team must always meet. That’s you, of course. Said values need to include “be nice” i.e. don’t be a bully, moody, shouter, political player, fake etc. … be a good human being. Ask people you trust what your bad traits are. Take the pain of honest feedback. And change if need be.
👉 CULTURE – Build a Culture that is the envy of your competitors. Plenty of articles, books and courses out there if you don’t know how to do this.
7 tips. That’s all. As you can see, none of them is rocket science, a secret, or high-level nonsense. Your aim? To be consistent in all of these (good) things. That’s the underlying trait of decent managers. Because consistency is how you build trust. Trust is how you then unlock the best from each person in your team. Unlocking the best from each person is how you then smash your targets and goals.
Simple, works. Leave the overthinking for all the fabulous things you’re about to do over the weekend.
