Team Management Tips
Effective team management is about so much more than just assigning people tasks to do and making sure they complete them. Here are some essential Team Management Tips to enhance your approach.
But at the same time, managing a team is probably not the ONLY thing you do all day. You have your own tasks to get done, after all.
So how can you juggle both?
The answer is all about maximising your time. Now, I’ve already written all about managing your own responsibilities efficiently (and effectively). In this blog, on the other hand, I’m going to explore how you can manage your team just as well.
These Team Management Tips will help you create a more productive and harmonious work environment.
The bottom line: Team Management Tips
We’ve got a simple pricing structure: a per user monthly fee that gives you access to the whole of Open CRM. No restrictions and no hidden fees. See? We told you it was simple. find out more
Get to know people
The first step is getting to know the people on your team. You need to know what makes THEM effective, what keeps them from being efficient, and the signs to watch for when things get overwhelming. (For more tips on managing your team’s stress, this one might be for you!)
When I think about the wide variety of personalities within our business, it’s a wonder we can all work together peacefully!
No, I’m kidding, but there are implications each of our personalities has on how we interact and work as an effective team. And it’s my job as a manager to know how my team will fit together.
Part of this starts during the hiring process.
In my experience, putting together a successful team is about balancing each new person’s experience, knowledge, and skills, AS WELL as their personality.
In my experience, if you have too many “leaders” on a team, there will always be a fight for dominance. Whereas, if you have a team with a couple of leaders, some experts, at least one organiser, maybe a particularly creative person, and some good communications…well, that’s a team that can work together and get things done. *chef’s finger kiss*
Team Management Tip #1: Think about personality during the hiring process and spend time getting to know your team.
Team Management Tip #1: Think about personality during the hiring process and spend time getting to know your team.
Invest in company culture
Company culture…a posh way of saying “the way we do things.”
It means everything from how you pick up the phone and interact with your customers to how often the team goes down to the pub together.
From a management perspective, I’ve always thought it was incredibly important (for both a team and business) to get the right company culture. This means investing time, energy (and money!) to get it right. (And if a Yorkshireman tells you it’s important to spend money, you know he means it!)
When it comes to your business, getting the culture right is about having an ethos that is reflected in your branding. Everyone has the same tone and attitude when speaking to the outside world.
In team management, having the right culture goes far beyond that. It tells the people who work for you how much you value them and what they are expected to do.
Team Management Tip #2: Build a company culture that can achieve your business goals while still giving your team a great place to work. And work to maintain it.
Team Management Tip #2: Build a company culture that can achieve your business goals while still giving your team a great place to work. And work to maintain it.
Do we have what it takes?
We don’t restrict which features you have access to in OpenCRM based on how many users you have. You get everything right out of the box. Click to find out if we’ve got the features you need. find out more
Keep communication lines open
Just this past week, the whole OpenCRM gathered on a video call for an hour-long meeting. We used to all sit together in a room, but it’s a whole new world right now!
This is a monthly meet-up for us that originally started with our developers showing off their latest cool bits of code.
The whole thing started as our company grew. When we were all in the same room (and there were only 5 of us), it was easy to know what everyone else was up to…frankly, it was hard NOT to know.
As we grew, though, it became too easy for these updates to just stay in the department where they started. This prevented the circulation of news, ideas, and general camaraderie.
So we started up these monthly “Show & Tells” to give each department a chance to let everyone else know how things are progressing with them.
Now our marketing team can give everyone a preview of upcoming campaigns. Sales can talk about new customers or deals that are just about to drop. The projects team may say a few words about an interesting PDF template or workflow that they’re helping to set up. And the guys on support can chat through any customer issues that we all need to be aware of.
The developers, of course, still share their latest work. That way, everyone can see the new features and enhancements coming our way.
The management team may also take a few minutes to raise a concern or share some praise…maybe make the odd company announcement.
It tends to be quite a laid-back, relaxing hour. Not quite a team-building exercise, but definitely a way to remind everyone that we’re all in this together.
Team Management Tip #3: Even if a monthly meet-up doesn’t work for your business, I would recommend that finding some way to keep everyone in the loop with other departments is absolutely vital as your company grows.
Team Management Tip #3: Even if a monthly meet-up doesn’t work for your business, I would recommend that finding some way to keep everyone in the loop with other departments is absolutely vital as your company grows.
Give people responsibility
My whole management ethos can be summed up with a quote from comedian Tina Fey:
“In most cases, being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.”
I am a firm believer that if you hire intelligent and capable people, the worst thing you can do is try to micromanage them.
So once people are trained and ready to do their job, stand back and let them do it. Give your team responsibility over (appropriate) areas of their working life. Let them make decisions and monitor outcomes, enjoy the success and elation that this can bring.
Of course, with Responsibility comes Accountability.
It is great to let your team make decisions ( because you can’t do everything). However, if it is later discovered that a better decision could have been made, the important thing is not to treat this as a failure.
It’s a learning opportunity, a chance to gain new skills. Not an opportunity to place blame.
Giving employees, including apprentices, the chance to learn new skills and take on responsibilities can help relieve pressure on management. And it brings some democracy to the workplace.
Increased workplace freedom gives people a chance to let their personal skills shine through, as well.
You may have a particularly talented salesperson who you’ve given the authority to offer discounts where and when they see fit (within reason). Their abilities and understanding of your company let you trust that they won’t go too far. And they, on the other hand, are likely to relish the freedom that comes with the chance to build their own deals.
Perhaps you have another individual who has more patience than others. You might want to give them the chance to run an internal training programme. Or make them a CRM champion in your business.
Team Management Tip #4: Give people the space to do a great job
Team Management Tip #4: Give people the space to do a great job
Let us take you on a tour
You’ve had a look around and are starting to think OpenCRM might be the system for you and your business. Why not chat with one of our team (and ask your burning CRM questions) as they take you on a tour of the system? find out more
The Right Tools
And finally (you knew it was coming), you need tools that let you manage a team. You will need the ability to see who is doing what and how the company is performing overall. They will need tools to show them how effective they are and whether they are meeting their targets.
Sales, support, and other ‘front-of-house’ staff are good at talking to and listening to people. They need to be aware of your clients’ needs and how best to help them. But they also need to see how much they’ve sold or whether they are responding to customer requests fast enough.
Project managers, developers, and manufacturers – these guys need an overarching understanding of what the different departments do. They help deliver the goods the production team has created to the salespeople they have promised.
As you can see, these different departments don’t just work on their own. They function together as the wheels of your company – all driving in the same direction.
And the thing that keeps them moving in the same direction?
Well, that’s the shared source of information that all departments can dip into whenever and wherever they need it.
Your customer database. Your inventory list. Your sales pipeline.
These are all components that come together to create your CRM system. You know, that other member of your team.
Team Management Tip #5: Make sure everyone is moving in the same direction by centralising your database and giving your team the tools they need.
Team Management Tip #5: Make sure everyone is moving in the same direction by centralising your database and giving your team the tools they need.
If you’ve not yet explored the wonderful world of CRM, now is the time to start! We have a free trial, or failing that, just click here to reach out to us directly, and we can discuss your needs and options!
