Managing Styles and Strategies

Managing personnel is not always easy. Good management takes finesse, firmness, social skills, and some patience. Often, managers overlook key leadership strategies that, when implemented, can transform the company and make workers more productive.

Managers do not always have good written rules and policies, or they keep outdated policies around. Clear, concise policies, written in plain language and uniformly enforced, will set professional expectations. If an employee breaks the rules, the manager can show the policy, and the employee cannot make excuses such as “My boss just made up that rule.” A job description is a specific example of a very important policy to put in writing. Customized job descriptions that focus on the most essential job functions allow an employee to properly prioritize the demands made upon him or her, based on what the manager has wanted from the beginning.

Some people might wonder why one should bother with written policies nobody reads anyway. The truth of the matter is that policies do get read, especially when employees have problems or get reprimanded by their managers. New employees also benefit a great deal from reading the policies, as these rules set the tone for the new job.

Managers are not always clear when delegating assignments, and may sometimes wonder why they do not get back what they want. When managers take care to give their workers specific requirements, and help the busiest of them to prioritize the work schedule, they get what they need most, much more quickly and efficiently.

Sometimes when an employee’s work is less than satisfactory, managers do not give constructive criticism. Constructive criticism helps employees correct their work by describing clearly how the work needs improvement, while avoiding insults and general statements about low work quality.

Depending on the type of business, managers might want to consider allowing their employees to be creative and take initiative. Variety and creativity are major selling points for many job seekers. Managers can call for ideas or suggestions, while still making it clear that they have the final word.

Delegating tasks can be both liberating and frustrating. Entrepreneurs are hard workers with a do-it-yourself spirit, and sometimes have trouble letting other people do the work. Employees and contractors are great resources that allow a business to expand and be more productive. As new employees and contractors learn what is expected of them, managers should gradually trust them with more and more responsibility, looking over their shoulders less and less.