Leadership tips lgMany people get promoted to management solely based on their technical skills, without any thought given to their management skills. This can leave new managers adrift, and unable to manage effectively.

But don’t worry, the solution is here for you. Nothing will improve your or your team’s management skills as much as following these six commonsense management tips.

1. Set the Standard You Want Your Employees to Follow

Your employees don't learn from reading policy statements, they learn from watching you. If you don't practice what you preach, your employees will cut corners and try to get away with anything they can.

If you work hard, your employees will work hard too. If you always follow the rules, even when it's inconvenient, your employees will follow your example. [quotesright]Managers must be role models. [/quotesright]

If your employees know that you expect the best from yourself, they will know that you expect the best from them as well.

2. Know what Your Employees Actually Do

[quotes]Just knowing your employees' written job descriptions is not enough.[/quotes] If you want your employees to take you seriously as a manager, you need to know what they have to do in order to get their jobs done. What they do is usually much more complicated and nuanced than the job description indicates.

If you don't know what your employees' jobs require from them, they will think your directives are ignorant and foolish, and they will ignore them whenever they can. If you learn the challenges, pressures, and the time constraints they're really dealing with, they will listen to you better.

3. Be Honest and Straightforward

All your communications with your employees must be authentic. The trait your employees value most in a leader is honesty. You cannot expect your employees to trust what you say to them if they don't trust you.

Also, if they don't believe they're getting the truth from you, they will spend a lot of their time looking for the truth instead of working.

4. Be Accessible

You need to make sure that your employees know they can reach out to you for help when they need it. This goes beyond just keeping an open-door policy. You should periodically walk around the work floor, so your employees can catch your attention as you go by if they need to.

5. Support Your Employees

[quotes]You must always be willing to fight for your employees when they need someone in their corner.[/quotes] Stand up for their interests with upper management when you can. If they need some extra time off or some flexibility in the schedule to deal with personal issues, give it to them if possible.

If your employees know you will support them when they need it, they will go the extra mile for you.

6. Get the Facts First

Never accuse your employees of anything or question their integrity without getting all the facts. Let them tell you their side of the story before you make a judgment and take action. If they believe you have jumped to a conclusion, you will lose their loyalty, as well as that of their coworkers.

The Takeaway

[quotes]It may not always be easy to do the right thing as a manager.[/quotes] After all, managers are usually very busy, and it can be hard to find the time. It may also put you in the uncomfortable position of “speaking truth to power” but that’s the price of being a leader.

The time and effort you put into your employees is an investment, and never a waste. It will inevitably pay off with a much better team of employees. 

If you would like to learn more about how to manage with excellence, get in touch and let's set up a time to talk. Brian Tracy   USA: 877.433.6225  Email Me

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