Most of us would struggle to run our business without a solid team behind us. From managers to cleaners, everyone that you employ has an essential role in helping your business to run smoothly. However, a good team needs a good leader to guide them. Without one, there is no one to tie all of the roles together to make sure everything is seamless. How do you do it though? Well, there is no definitive answer, sadly, and a lot of it will be trial and error along the way, but here are a few tips to get you off on the right foot.
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Reward Your Staff
One of the most important things that you can do as a manager or business owner is to show your staff that you appreciate them by rewarding them. Of course, you pay them, but sometimes, knowing that what you do is recognized by the big boss is a superb incentive for going that little extra mile. It doesn’t have to be a big grand gesture – a box of donuts in the staff canteen on a Friday afternoon, an afternoon off to see their kids’ school play or even an appreciate pat on the shoulder and ‘thank you’ can go a long way to showing your staff you that you care. You could even sign up to Benefits Cloud, which offers a range of discounts and deals to help their stretch just a little bit further. Rewarding your staff also helps to build loyalty, meaning a lower rate of staff turnover, which in turn reduces recruitment and training costs, as well as encouraging them to be more productive. It is a win-win situation for everyone!
Hold regular meetings
Everyday communication can be done via email or communication platforms such as Slack, but nothing can really replace the traditional beginning or end of week whole team meeting. This is a time to congratulate any successes, remind them of any important things coming up and generally get a sense of how everyone is feeling at that time.
Make sure everyone knows what they are doing
If you have a team that does not have any structure and are floating around aimlessly with no real sense of purpose or knowledge of who should be doing what, it isn’t really a team. It is more like a muddle of people that you have to pay. Make sure that everyone is clear about their role within the team and the company and that they know who is their line manager and who they are in charge of. A workflow platform such as Trello or Asana can help you to organize everyone and delegate projects and tasks.
Show Your Compassionate Side
This can be one of the harder things to do as a leader because you have to strike a balance between showing that you are in control and not let your team walk all over you, and showing your human and compassionate side. Situations with your staff will crop up when they have an unwell child, a shortage of childcare, loss of a loved one or something as basic as needing to take the car into the garage or have a boiler repaired at home. ALlowing them to take time off when they need it and showing compassion will help to earn you respect and loyalty from your team, meaning that when they do return to work, they will be motivated and as productive as possible.
Provide for your staff
It goes without saying that you are giving them the breaks that they are legally entitled to, but are you making sure those breaks are comfortable so that they return to work feeling refreshed and ready to work? It may be a case of making sure that there are basic provisions in your canteen or staffroom – a toaster, a kettle and a microwave are some of the basics. Rather than make them bring their own supplies in, can you provide a jar of instant coffee, some tea bags and fresh milk? It won’t break the bank but can have such a positive impact on their working lives.
Treat everyone with respect.
Finally, the most important thing that you can do is treat every person that you employ, from the cleaner to the manager with respect. Without those people, you would not have a business, and they are usually the ones who keep the cogs turning day after day. Make sure that they are treated as such, and you will have a loyal and productive workforce.
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