4 leadership management practices to adopt in 2019
When it comes to company culture, nothing can be more defining than how managers and line supervisors conduct business with their teams on a day-to-day basis. If you’re an HR professional and looking for ways to improve the employee experience, look around your organization for outdated and unnecessary practices that may be getting in the way of your company being perceived as an employer of choice and find ways to make changes within your own sphere of influence. While managers rarely intend to demotivate their team members, the fact is that some outdated and ineffective management methods can lead to lower productivity and engagement. The key to being a successful leader begins with knowing what is working and what isn’t and being willing to make the changes necessary.
While looking for ways to improve your company’s management style in 2019, consider these 4 team management practices:
1. Become change agents:
As leaders, managers need to stay focused on company values as a way to provide guidance to employees and to help them understand how their efforts contribute to overall corporate goals. However, being agents of change sometimes requires understanding your own strengths and working on those things that will prevent you from having the influence you desire. Getting the assistance of an executive coach can help managers overcome the obstacles to creating true change by providing honest feedback and input. An executive coach can serve as a compass to guide managers to take necessary action. Beyond that, executive coaches can help managers to better understand what drives and fulfills them to help them be more efficient and effective.
2. Have a “can do” attitude:
Managers sometimes intend to set unachievable goals to push their employees. Most leaders adopt this practice as a motivational tactic, however it tends to backfire most of the time. Even in the toughest of economic and political times, successful leaders know how to turn the attention of their teams to meeting individual and corporate goals while minimizing the loss of productivity that often accompanies fears of the future. When employees have a clear understanding of their goals at work and feel supported by their team, they will be much more focused. Each leader should strive to create a state of calm for his or her team. Also, it is important for managers to have regular meetings with their team members where achievable goals can be set and positive feedback can be given.
3. Recognize your top performers:
As managers, it is essential to appreciate the efforts and work carried out by your team. This motivates employees to focus on the quality rather than quantity of work done by them. The best leaders know how to take care of individuals in their teams. Managers and leaders should know their team well, including their hopes, dreams and future plans. This enables them to address difficult situations one-by-one and jump in with relevant advice and coaching.
4. Be an active listener
The best way to understand your team is to actively listen to individual challenges and queries, and by fully understanding, and responding to the issues they are facing. Developing an in-depth understanding both about your team and the efforts being put in will give you the background knowledge necessary to effectively address any problems that might arise. Taking the time to understand the underlying issues behind the challenges makes your employees feel heard, cared for, and important. Active listening also promotes trust building, which improves the manager-employee relationship and often increases your influence as a leader.
While all the above tips seem simple, straightforward and easy to implement, the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. It is the implementation of the above measures where the real catch lies. We need to invest time in re-evaluating the systems & processes we follow and make modifications accordingly in order to boost overall team productivity, morale, and performance.
