How great managers build success

How great managers build success

Photo by Rostislav Artov on Unsplash

If you work a 9–5 job you most likely have a manager of some kind. When you think of managers typically bad experiences come to mind as there are many bad managers out there. I have been fortunate to have many good managers in my work experience who have shared how they build great teams for success. For anyone who is looking to become a manager or is a manager these tips can help you get more out of your team.

1. They care about their staff

Many managers believe that if they just give their staff more money or better perks that it will increase retention. However, there are far more frequent circumstances where more pay or perks aren’t provided. In these cases you will often see managers just not try to show appreciation to their staff and instead only congratulate or praise seldom. The managers that I have had showed their care through flexibility such as allowing for last minute time off if work was finished early and in emergencies. They also took time to assist with professional development even if it was for things that could lead to staff promoting out of the organization. But most importantly of all they tried to get to know their staff and have a thoughtful conversation outside of work. Work is typically the most socialization people get in a week in addition to their primary source of income. It goes a long way to get to know someone genuinely. There are many ways this can be done. In group settings this can be through team lunches or dinners, coffee runs, or fun team building activities. Even if you do things as a group you should still have individual time to get to know staff. This can follow the same lunch or dinner pattern as an intimate conversation can offer a lot of insights into each person. This care can go a long way in retention.

2. Work life balance

All of the managers I have had supported work life balance and treated it as equally important as the work. For high pressure positions, it is very easy for stress to lead to burnout and eventually turnover. Even for positions that are not as high stress on a regular basis such as more seasonal types of stresses burnout can still occur. Making life as an important component equal to work helps prevent personal life stresses from turning into poor performance. For example, if a parent has an extremely sick child, in the back of their mind they are going to be thinking about their child at work. In severe cases its better to just give them time to care for their child so that they can focus better. Now, you may think that this seems like common behavior, but it is actually happens far less than you would think. Simple things like this can go a long way to building great teams that trust their leader.

3. Open door policy

Many managers when they reach this level feel like they are above their staff and certain aspects of work. The reality is that no manager is ever successful without great staff that they grow and develop. The best managers I have had always had an open door policy for any issues that may come up. This included professional goals or the impacts of life. Not only has this garnered more loyalty, but greater respect as well. It makes staff want to go the extra mile to bell you when they see that you are willing to do a lot for them and genuinely care. Work is never without challenges and asking questions can sometimes cause embarrassment which can be alleviated if someone can come in and ask questions privately.

Great managers are hard to find, but they make all the difference in the success of an organization and the work experience of staff.