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It’s not easy managing humans. Humans come with aspirations, dreams, emotions, and challenges. Being a manager in today’s workplace is not just about being a leader, it also requires acting as a mentor, friend, and counselor.
Managing a talented team is hard enough in a normal business environment. Add to that the complexities of remote work and you’ve got yourself a cocktail that is anything but a happy hour.
It’s also the most rewarding experience to nurture and contribute to the development and success of a super talented team that is the envy of everyone in your organization.
The past year (2020) has seen a massive shift in the way we view the future of work. These 10 rules are essential for any manager as we head into a hybrid workplace:
1. Be Inclusive
“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Henry Ford
2020 saw us all battling a never-ending barrage of virtual meetings. Small-talk took a backseat; new joiners were onboarded remotely with a ‘Welcome package’ and most return-to-work plans are still hybrid. Gen Z may never ever know what a water-cooler conversation is! If there was ever a time for deliberate connection, it is now.
A manager has a pivotal role in shaping these connections in his/her team. Organize (or ask someone on your team to organize) virtual coffees/birthday celebrations to make team members build a personal connection and share non-work stories. Encouraging people to bring different perspectives and ideas to the (virtual) table goes a long way in bringing people together and building trust.
2. Give Regular feedback
“Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
- John D. Rockefeller
Make it a point to provide ongoing feedback to your team after every major (online) meeting or presentation. Schedule a “debrief session” and discuss what did (and did not) go well in an objective manner. Not only will this help your team grow, it will also ensure there are no surprises (for your team) at year-end.
Make sure to highlight when a team member did something particularly well. On the other hand, if someone messed up, show some grace and discuss learning opportunities without blame – they’re already feeling pretty rotten anyway!
3. Check-in with each team member
“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.”
- Paul J. Meyer
This is not another performance feedback session. Use one-on-one check-ins to understand the aspirations of your team members; where they want to take their career, and discuss how you can help them achieve their goals.
Get to know their prior experience and strengths so you can leverage their skills in the best manner possible. The more you ‘get’ your team, the farther they will go to make you look good.
4. Do not micro-manage
“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.”
- Simon Sinek
When you’re working in a vacuum (which we all have been doing in the past year), it’s easy to think that you’re the only one with your nose to the grindstone. Tell your inner micro-manager (everyone has one!) to chill out when you feel like pinging/texting your team for updates every hour.
Give people the benefit of the doubt. Trust your team to give their best and let them do their job. You’ll be surprised at the efficiency and loyalty that you win as a result.
5. Be proud of your team and show it
“To lead people, walk behind them.”.
- Lao Tsu
Do you believe you have the best team?
Do you believe that your team, at best, is average?
Can I tell you a secret?
The more you ‘show’ your team that you ‘think’ they’re the A-team, the more they will become that A-team you’ve always wanted. If you already have an A-team, it is even more important to appreciate their efforts and keep them motivated.
Keep your team motivated and challenge them to do better. Always speak highly of your team and their accomplishments with senior management.
6. Provide a Line of sight
“in the absence of information, people will create their own.”
― Michael Lopp, Managing Humans
In these uncertain times, when most people are concerned about job security, a manager’s job is to reassure and motivate their team to give their best and avoid attrition. Providing a view into future projects that your team will be working on is one way of doing this. Schedule weekly team touchpoints to give a line of sight into future work engagements.
Guiding your team on what they need to do to get better year-end results or get promoted also shows that you consider them a key team member for the long run.
7. Be Transparent in Communication
When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.”
- Stephen R. Covey
Ok - maybe translucent!
As a manager, you may not be allowed to share every detail that senior management tells you, but sharing (allowed) information on the overall strategy of your department/company will earn you the trust of your team. Set up weekly touchpoints to discuss topics like return-to-work, organizational shifts, and changes in responsibilities with your team. The more included they feel, the more they will trust your leadership.
8. Provide opportunities to excel
“When one of us shines, all of us shine”
- Moira Rose, Schitts Creek
Just like you challenge your muscles with that difficult yoga pose or an extra half mile run, your team needs to be challenged so they can grow.
Give your people opportunities to lead independent work areas or create a presentation for senior management (that you will review of course). The more you train your team to take on complex tasks, the more complex projects you can deliver for your senior management.
9. Act as a connector
“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”
- Napoleon Hill
If you want your team to look up to you, show them how you can accelerate their career growth. Especially in this environment where people are stuck to their desks, you must create opportunities for your team to interact with senior management, whether it is including them in an important meeting or asking them to present to a senior executive.
Start viewing your team as the relationships you build and nurture that can potentially help you grow in your own career in the future.
10. Balance empathy vs TMI
As a manager you will be a leader, mentor, and friend to your team. A good manager however, knows where to draw the line between empathy and too much information (TMI).
Asking about your team’s families and friends health – empathy
Demanding to know whether your team members have been vaccinated – TMI
Sending a Linkedin request to you team – perfectly acceptable
Sending a Facebook /Insta request and/or commenting on their social media pictures – borderline intrusive
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor but without folly.”
- Jim Rohn
Whether you are a seasoned or aspiring manager, the above 10 rules will solidify your managerial experience. Which rule resonated with you the most? What would you like to add to this list? Write in the comments below.
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Punya is a former management consultant with 15 years of experience at 2 Big4 firms, serving top Fortune500 clients. She has lived and worked in 6 countries and changed 3 careers working across several industries. Punya is passionate about coaching new and aspiring Consultants to succeed in Management Consulting.