By Lina Martinez
Managing a business or a branch can be a great challenge and responsibility, it comes with huge rewards as well as a bucket of stress. But being a good manager isn’t always as straightforward as people think. Think about any job you have ever had – you will have had managers that you liked, who pushed you and challenged you to be your best. And you will have had managers that you hated and thought were the absolute worst.
Here are our top tips to being the best manager you can be.
Value your employees
Your employees are the lifeblood of your company if you manage a branch or a department you know that each employee has something to offer the company to make it better. It might be great customer service, leadership skills or expertise in a particular area. Don’t take them for granted – they are the reason your company will succeed. Show your appreciation for them with verbal praise and with physical shows of gratitude.
Play to your strengths
No one person can be great at everything, annoying right? But each person has strengths that can be used to benefit the company. This applies to you and your employees; your strengths are what will make you a good manager, and championing the strengths of others will make you an even better one.
Delegating
While you need to play to your strengths, you shouldn’t just forget the thing you’re not that great at. In these instances, you need to delegate tasks to others. Delegating is also something you need to do to ensure your sanity; there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done on your own.
Fairness
Being a good manager means being fair, to both your employees and yourself. When arranging holidays you need to make sure that you get yours too, but that you are fair in when you take them. When someone is late for work, or when if they are having trouble at home, being fair in the way you deal with those situations will mark you as a good leader over a bad one.
Know your job
Knowing the limitations and details of your role will help you be a better leader. Each industry has different ideals for their management staff, you should always become familiar with any tips that are particular to that role. An example would be these 15 restaurant management tips to improve the way you work. The team is the most important thing, and you are the one who needs to be a leader, mentor, and shoulder to cry on if need be.
Give feedback
Your feedback should always be creative and delivered positively. When delivering negative feedback, you should always bolster it with something positive too, like a creative and critical sandwich. Look at these 10 tips for giving good feedback to get a better idea.
Treat people with dignity
Sometimes being a manager get-go to people’s heads, or the stress of a situation can cause you to lash out at those under you. Make sure that you don’t fall into that trap. Your employees are people too.
Champion not punish
When your employees make mistakes, it’s easy to jump in a tell them off. Instead you should use them as learning tools to prevent them happening again. At the same time, rather than concentrating on the bad – champion the goods things they do instead.
Be transparent
When explaining situations to your employees, whether they are good or bad, be 100% open with them. Don’t just say that something is changing without giving a reason why and telling them the full implications of that change. You might feel that is counterproductive, but being honest will gain you more loyalty than keeping things from them.
Confidence
Be confident in what you do. A good leader never looks like they can’t handle a situation or don’t have faith in what they’re doing. If you don’t believe in a new venture then how do expect your employees to?
Manage your time
When preaching time management and good practices to your employees, you need to lead by example. Set yourself deadlines and stick to them, and encourage others to do the same. If they see you slacking off, then what motivation do they have to get the job done in time?
Take time training
When you have a new hire, or if someone needs a top up on training, always give the time to see it through. Don’t let their training go uncompleted just because you couldn’t be bothered. Their ability will define your company, so put the effort in and watch them grow.
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