Employing effective management tactics for businesses isn’t rocket science. In fact, there is a pretty basic principle to follow: create and retain a strong, trust-filled client-consultant relationship, advises Search Engine Watch. Aside from knowing your job inside and out, the best thing you can do in your role is to learn how to manage effectively.
Trust
Earning the trust of your colleagues and employees is paramount to success in any industry. As a manager, you have a unique role to fill that must incorporate constantly evolving responsibilities. As such, you must wear multiple hats through each day, each week, each year. Not only do you have to set a high-performance benchmark for your employees, you must also create a culture that has at its foundation a basis of teamwork mixed with a healthy bit of competition in the workplace, says Forbes.com. You also must never go stagnant — keeping active and engaged is key to the whole management process, always with one finger on the pulse of not only your business but on the industry as a whole.
Rapport
Building this necessary commodity in the workplace is no easy task. You must listen well, follow through quickly and take efficient, responsible action to address the needs of those around you. If you can engage with different people — and their varying personalities to boot — you’re already halfway there. Your goal as a manager is to empower the people under you to do better. Period. Building on that, you must give out well-deserved recognition, whether through verbal praise or other forms of tangible rewards, to gather the trust of your employees. This will build rapport, perhaps slowly at first, but it will result in a more natural, respectful give-and-take over time.
Be Diplomatic
Picking and choosing your battles is something you may have been taught from a very young age. In fact, you may even do it in your personal life (as a parent, for instance). Doing the right thing in the workplace translates to making trade-offs that will lead to more opportunities later on. Being an effective manager means you support the team and build consensus to keep everyone happy, and in so doing, you must sit back when the issue is not of vital importance. On the other side of the coin, you must jump in and provide a strong opinion when the time is right. Knowing the balance between these two opposing dichotomies will come in time with experience. Resist the urge to help certain people advance their agendas. Take stock of each situation before reacting.
Communication
Being a strong communicator is the crux of being a great manager. Take the time to get to know everyone in your organization. Look them in the eye when you speak to them. Educate yourself on their personal life and professional abilities so that you can better connect on a human level throughout all interactions. Even those who have no direct impact on your team should be engaged with effectively in order to build relationships that may come in handy later on. Effective communication with key players as well as peripheral staff can build trust and develop genuine authenticity that people gravitate towards.
Mediate Conflict
Like in any relationship, conflicts arise in business as well and must be dealt with effectively so as to avoid a situation getting out of control. Become a problem solver, but do so with clarity and consistency. It’s wise to empower others to contribute to a conflict negotiation so both sides are heard and resolutions can be put in place quickly. Break the problem down into digestible pieces and you can effectively build the relationships back up.
