Management styles have evolved over the past 50 years and today’s leaders have a lot more to contend with than ever before. Managers must juggle general running of their establishment with the requirements of the boss along with various emotional aspects of employee relations. It is a lot to do and if you are new to the management field, take a little advice from some of the top industry leaders. Try these strategies to help you improve your management style.
One of the worst management strategies is believing that you are the ultimate boss and there is no longer a need to work as hard as you once did. These managers are the ones that simply walk into the office in the middle of the shift and pretend to work on important office related tasks. Employees see this strategy as a slap in the face. Where the manager may believe they are benefitting their employees by allowing them to grow and take on tasks themselves, they are giving employees fuel to disrespect and hate them as a boss.
The proper way to manage a team is to know when to delegate and when to be on hand. Yes, there are important office related tasks that need tending to, but these should only be done when the establishment is not busy, and employees are not stressed. During normal busy hours, the boss needs to be out with the employees working just as hard as they do to contend with customers and get work done. Employees respect a boss that remains visible during busy hours, and they will take better direction from a boss that delegates tasks properly rather than running to the office when things get tough.
This can be difficult to do at times. Especially for managers that maintain the traditional mentality that employees are merely minions lead by a supreme leader. In this scenario, employees are powerless to even speak to the manager without possible repercussions. The demonstrative management style can make an employee feel like their ideas do not matter and employees today, need to feel empowered and not like they are simply droning on within a dead-end job.
A manager that listens to their employees and takes consideration of their ideas is one that will be far more successful than the demonstrative manager. It is estimated that 27% of all employees will leave a job due to feeling unimportant. Undervaluing your staff can lead to a higher employee turnover and no one wants to be the manager with the highest turnover rating. Managers that listen to ideas and value every employee tend to hold on to employees and give them a sense of purpose.
The customer is always right, is a common thing we hear. Generally, it is heard coming from the loudmouth of a customer that is obviously wrong these days. The notion is great, but unfortunately, we must ask the question, is a customer always right? The answer is no, but it is often easier to simply give into a customer shouting at your staff to keep them from writing a horrible review about the business or telling friends what a bad establishment it is. The problem with this mentality is the terrible effect it has on your employees. Proper management means working hard and taking the easy way out is no way to empower your staff.
Siding with the customers simply because you want the customer to be happy is the quickest way to lose employees. Your staff needs to know they can come to you with customer related problem and understand you will back them if a customer becomes irate. Where the notion of a customer being right might have worked in the past, most often, a customer will take out their daily frustrations on your staff because it makes them feel powerful. No one deserves to be disrespected by an irate customer, so always back your staff when they are clearly right in the matter. It can be more difficult than giving in but is clearly the right thing to do.
By far the biggest complaint in any business is when management hires someone outside the company for a higher-level position. It can be easier to hire a new employee for the job and train them how you see fit, but again, the easy way out is not the right way. There are remarkable benefits to promoting within the company and among the top benefits, is a more cohesive work environment.
Employees need to have something to work for. They need to know they have a way to move up within the company or they will ultimately walk away. Take the time to get to know your employee pool and take note of those that seem to be leader material. Give the opportunity for those individuals to shine and move up. Delegate more tasks to those individuals and take notice of how well they handle it. Employees need to have something to shoot for in any industry, so always keep the door open for individuals to move up from within the company.
The concept of leading by example is something we have all heard and even though this is an older management strategy, it remains valid. If you want to see your staff come in on time, be the one to set an example. Showing up 15 minutes early for work will prove your commitment to your employees. When a problem comes up, be the first to offer a solution. When an employee has an issue, carefully consider every aspect, and make a qualified decision. Always lead by example.
Management strategies change and evolve with the times and when managers allow their personal strategies to change, they become better leaders. If you are in the position to lead others, your words, actions, and overall perception matters. You are more than just a person earning a paycheck. You are a leader and always need to thrive to be the best manager possible.
