Do Business Well

Who are your subordinates? Your co-workers of yesterday. They are likely to find your changed position an adjustment too. They may show approval and pride, or resentment and scepticism.

But whichever way you look at it, sound relationships with all your subordinates are essential if you are to get your new job done. They, in turn, are dependent on you to satisfy their needs and to help them grow.

Here are some strategies to build a winning team from the start:

Get to know your team

Get to know your team members, their strengths and their weaknesses. Spend time individually with the people who work for you. Ask them about their jobs. Get them to show you what they do. Find out what motivates them.

What are their likes and dislikes? Lend an ear to their grievances. See if you can do anything to make their jobs more enjoyable and productive.

Do you need to take up their needs with the next level of management? You are the link between your team and the rest of the organisation. You may be surprised to hear how simple their requests are and how easily they can be met.

Hold regular meetings, brainstorming and briefing sessions with the whole team. Build their commitment to each other, to you and to the job.

Finally, remember that your subordinates are people too. Take an interest in their personal lives. Knowing that someone is going through a crisis helps you to understand them better at work.

Give clear instructions

When you delegate tasks, give lucid instructions, an idea of the quality of the performance required and clear feedback so that people know exactly what is expected of them. Wherever possible, explain the reason for instructions. Clear, unambiguous instructions, reinforced in writing where possible, will make your new team feel secure under your leadership.

Listen actively to your team’s suggestions. Often the people who are responsible for specific jobs know best how to do them. Be available to give them ongoing guidance and help. Keep your eye on the details of the job but don’t rush in and do other people’s jobs for them. Rather give people the authority, information and resources that they need to do a job and let them get on with it. Give them room to try out their own ideas too.

Be fair

Treat everyone equally. Give fair appraisals and recommendations. Promote a team spirit and don’t play people off against one another. Never discuss one staff member with another.

Be careful of spending too much time with one person. Avoid making exceptions so that your policies and procedures remain intact and precedents are not set.

Confront people who fail, make serious mistakes or behave irresponsibly. Point out the problem constructively. For example, you may say, “Bill, we set the deadline for completing this order a week ago. You haven’t let me know if anything unexpected has turned up. What happened? Let’s see if we can work it out.”

Administer criticism tactfully behind closed doors and allow the individual in question to present his or her side of the story.

Reward

Create a positive working environment by encouraging people. Show them that you have faith in them. Reward and help them to achieve their own goals.

Identify things that people can do to reap positive feedback quickly. Maintain your sense of humour. It’s sometimes good for employees to know that you aren’t perfect. To be able to laugh at yourself now and again will humanise you in the eyes of subordinates.

Acknowledge good work or ideas. Remember that not all rewards cost money. You can show appreciation by giving an employee added responsibilities or by an item in a company newsletter or a press release. Commend deserving subordinates in the presence of top management.

A satisfied subordinate will see you as a benefactor and will support you all the way.

Go with your own style

What leadership style comes naturally for you? A problem for a woman newly in charge is that she seldom has a role model to follow.

Seek advice from your predecessor. Ask your mentor for guidance. Assess your new environment and then go with your own style. Your leadership style springs from your personality, your strengths and your limitations. Be true to yourself by doing things your way, the way that suits you best.

Remember that you are an important role model for others, so uphold your own standards by your own exemplary performance.

Train

Reach out to others. Share information. Develop the skills of your subordinates and motivate them to use these skills effectively.

Hold in-service training sessions. Give individual help where needed. Keep an eye out for budding leaders in your team. Let them know about educational and training opportunities available to enthusiastic employees. It has been my pleasure to draw the attention of subordinates to special educational opportunities which I could not exploit myself.

Don’t be afraid to train your subordinates to replace you. After all, you’re moving on!

Assess your style

You’ve made it through your first 100 days. Here’s an exercise to help you assess your management style by drawing a cross in the appropriate column. Join your crosses and the line you draw will give you some idea of which orientation you favour: people or task.

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• Opportunity for the Acting Manager
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• Job Career and no Job no Career, Coping with Dismissal
• How High Is High Enough for You?
• A Lateral Move Can Lead Upward
• Career Shift, Small Business Starter Self-Assessment Quiz
• Scarce Resources Can Divide Your Group

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