A Complete Guide To Managing A New Team

As a businesswoman, you have probably had a lot of experience working with people. When the time comes for you to manage a team, though, you may not know where to start. Entrepreneurs tend to be independent and ambitious. Believe it or not, those attributes do not always make them the best managers. When you oversee a group of people, you need to make sure that you can connect with them and help them. Just because you work solo, that doesn’t mean that everyone else does. Here is a complete guide to managing a new team of people.

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Find the right tone

When you first start managing people, you need to make sure that you get the tone right. You can’t start off being best friends with people and switch to being a manager later. You need to make sure that people understand where they stand with you. That means that you might need to be a little harsh on people when you first meet them. Over time, you can soften up and become friends with them. People need to know that you are their manager first, and their friend second.

Get to know people on a personal level

Once people respect you, you can start to get to know them on a personal level. That means that you can break down any barriers between you and begin to become friends with them. Make sure that you don’t do it too early, or people will not respect you as an authority figure. When you know people on an individual level, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say.

Understand your strengths

Every manager needs to understand their strengths. If you know what you excel at, and what you don’t, you can work to improve yourself. If you have trouble defining your strengths alone, there are certain tests that could help you. Companies, such as PeopleKeys, provide personality tests to help people identify their strengths. When you know how you work as an individual, you can use this knowledge to help your entire team.

Lead by example

Your team will look to you for inspiration and guidance. You might not realize it, but your team will likely see you as something of a role model. You need to make sure that you set the right example for your team. For example, if you have a deadline approaching, you might need to put in extra hours so that you get things done on time. You shouldn’t just tell your team to work late; you need to work late too.

Ask people their opinions

You are not an island. You need to ensure that you let everyone have their say in the business. Sometimes, it is a good idea to ask people what they think. When you are working on a project, your vision can become a little blurry. It is easy to let things overwhelm you. By asking your team to pitch in with ideas and concepts, you give them a greater stake in the business than they already have.

Go the extra mile

A great leader thinks about their team before themselves. You should do your best to include everyone in your team in all your major decisions. For example, if you are making a decision that will impact the company as a whole, you should discuss it with your team early. That way, people have a chance to get used to new ideas, and they have a stronger grasp of the way the business works. When you are a manager, you always need to think about what is best for your team.