Being an effective manager means finding ways to lead your team in the direction of success, without micromanaging, as well as finding the balance between keeping your staff informed and educated without burdening them with unnecessary stress. Described below are considerations that should be on the mind of every good manager.

Effective Manager

Be the Team Buffer

Organizational stress, resulting from a variety of workplace factors including work overload, micromanagement, and unclear job roles can be very stressful to your team. Provide your staff with quality training, and trust them to do their jobs accordingly to minimize unnecessary stress in the workplace. Create a buffer between your staff and workplace factors that are out of their control or should not impact their job. Your employees will feel they can come to you if you are a dependable, fair and trustworthy leader, making it easier to resolve conflict and stay on a productive path. Keeping the lines of communication between yourself and staff open and honest will have a positive effect on the entire team and their performance.

Know Your People

A good manager works for their team, not the other way around. In order to be a good leader, it is crucial to know those you are leading. Communicate with your staff, and know them on a more personal level, familiarize yourself with their career goals, professional passions and anything else that will lead them towards success. It is also important to know of any relevant personal details that could potentially affect their performance, so you are able to be flexible when needed and keep staff motivated and focused on productive work.

Get Comfortable With Straight Talk

It is important to be approachable to your staff, but also to be comfortable approaching them, and addressing a number of uncomfortable or unpleasant situations. You have a level of responsibility to your employees so it is crucial to be aware of their mental state, ensure they feel comfortable and safe in the work environment, and work to resolve any issues or conflicts that might arise while they are working for you. Being straightforward in addressing your staff will keep everybody relaxed, on the same page and ensure that their performance and well-being is optimum.

Provide Regular Performance Feedback

Whether it is good or bad, regular performance feedback is an important aspect of managing any group. In addition to a formal feedback process, regular and instant feedback should be regularly given on a more informal basis. Although oftentimes this is negative it allows employees to adjust behavior and proceed in a way that is more beneficial to themselves as well as the organization. Constructive criticism and regular feedback ensure those working under you remain on the right path and provides valuable information necessary to improve. It is just as important to recognize a job well done, taking the time to acknowledge hard work and positive results. Employees will feel more valued, respected and worthwhile with positive reinforcement. Managers have an extra responsibility hen it comes to an employees well-being and mental health as their actions can have such a significant impact on staff members.

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