Whether you’ve been a business owner for 15 years or you just received a promotion to your first management position, you can always become a better leader. Here are some ways that you can become a better manager for your team.
Listen to Feedback
It’s essential that your employees feel they can speak to you about any issues within the company. Don’t let your ego get in the way. These issues aren’t a reflection of your character, so don’t react as though your employees are attacking you when they voice concerns.
Preventing employees from giving you valuable feedback may protect your ego, but it will harm your business. Over time, these issues will fester, employee dissatisfaction will grow, and your business will suffer for it.
We recommend an open-door policy when it comes to feedback. Anytime there is an issue, any staff member should be able to shoot you an email, especially if your business or team is on the smaller side.
Lead With Empathy
While your employees work for you, they are also individuals. They will have issues outside of work, so be compassionate when these things happen. Unfortunately, life doesn’t stop when we punch in—illness, physical health concerns, and family stresses can still affect an employee’s performance.
Be understanding of these concerns and do your best to provide support where you can. That employee and the rest of their team will appreciate your compassion.
Learn, Learn, Learn
Here’s another way you can become a better manager for your team: learn more. A good leader never stops learning. For example, it’s crucial to learn how to improve your decision-making process as a leader so that you can be a guiding force for your team.
There are always more ways to optimize business processes, new technologies to integrate, or more books to read. Take in as much knowledge as you can, and be willing and open-minded enough to absorb the information and grow with it. Your business and employee satisfaction will skyrocket because of this effort.
