Is Your Management Style Killing Your Business?

My client Greg was feeling totally overwhelmed with running his business; ensuring the quality of his products, managing his staff, keeping his clients happy, keeping up with the invoicing, admin, marketing and all the other essential things.

So when I sat down with him to make a plan to lighten his load, so that he could scale his business I thought he’d need a hiring plan, then he told me there were four office based staff as well as his manufacturing team!

When we discussed what his team actually did, it transpired that he’d hired people with the right skills (admin, marketing, fulfilment) but didn’t trust them to deliver to his exacting standard, so everything went through him!

Greg was the funnel that slowed everything up!

So after looking the structure and responsibilities of those on his team. I spent some 1-2-1 with his team to get their ideas on improving the business and I got a ton!! They were insightful, detailed and his team were more than ready to implement them.

Then I asked why these ideas hadn’t been shared with Greg and I was told, “as far as he is concerned, the only good ideas are his own”.

“Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say!”

— Andy Stanley

Greg and I talked at length about how he could empower his staff but still be confident that the outcome would be of a high standard.

Using our Leading for Growth systems and processes, we set objectives and had his team create project plans, so that progress could be tracked and reviewed at every stage.

Greg was able to get some time back to focus on business build activities and fun family time and his team were able to work to their full potential.

A total win/win!

Staff are an investment of time and resource. It’s so vital that you ensure that your team are challenged and there is value for you to have that person in your team. It’s a mutual transaction. I personally believe that anyone who works with me should be better at the end than at the start.

How are you bettering your team and your business?

Learning and developing in a role is a key reason why people stay with an employer, so is having autonomy. Build a team that can grow with you.

Grab our FREE guide to Hiring to make sure you hire the right person with the right skills at the right time.

How learning to crochet prepared me for management

I have never been a very creative person, I can follow instructions but making something out of nothing has never been my forte. I’m more the active type.

I hate to sit around, I am pretty much constantly on the move and even when I’m sitting my mind is racing. It’s why I love having my own business, there is always something to do, especially in HR!

So, when I got frustrated with not being able to be so physical when I was pregnant. My mum thought it would be a good idea to teach me how to crochet!

I had to really focus on the task in hand, I couldn’t watch TV and get the stiches right the way my mum could. However, I found that having some STILL time meant that I progressed pretty quickly and soon made some scarfs and a blanket.

I loved the progress that I made. Don’t you love seeing the fruits of your labour?

I started to use those focussing skills at work and during family time. It meant that I stopped ending people’s sentences, assuming what they wanted and seeing them as a distraction. 

Have you been there? Say it’s not just me!

I learnt that when someone says “Do you have a minute”, the most productive thing to do is to close everything and really focus on the individual, not just on their words but on the non-verbal cues too. This meant that I got to know my team better and was better able to motivate and lead them.

I know as business owners, we are great at listening to our clients. But when was the last time you sat down with your team and focused on what they were telling you, not what you wanted to tell them or mentally preparing for your next meeting?

Next time you are interrupted by Sue, try:

• Not making assumptions
• Closing your laptop
• Switching your phone to airplane
• Making eye contact
• Listening
• Taking notes (if necessary)
• Asking pertinent questions
• Taking time to response/investigate
• Following up

It’s vital that staff feel that they are listened to and that their opinions or issues are taken into consideration – even if you disagree, go back to them with a considered response.

Do you have the time to Coach?

Studies show that whenever you take your children away on holiday or spend significant time focus on them, they will have a developmental leap; either physically or mentally.

Every time my husband and I take our girls away, we see a leap. In February we took them to Butlin’s (UK family orientated holiday park).

We went on walks, to the pantomime, saw live shows, met the Telly Tubbies, ate ice cream and generally had fun. At the end of the five days; my three year old had progressed with her physical ability, running, jumping and climbing, while my five years old's verbal dexterity and understanding evolved. It was really great to see, but as a mum I also thought “soon they won’t need me anymore!”

Now I know my girls need to progress and develop, and if they were not I’d be a different kind of concerned, but there is a part of me who loves being needed – MOST of the time!

Teaching new skills and giving the opportunity to test them out, takes time and patience. Which is why I think my girls develop when we aren’t in a rush and have time to answer lots of “Why” questions and eat waaaaay past dinner time because the girls want to peel the potatoes! They learn by doing, asking questions (there are no silly questions) and making mistakes.

Coaching your team is a lot like that. You need to ask questions, rather than give answers. Be accepting of the fact that someone else isn’t going to carry out a task as quickly or in the same manner that you would.

For a long time I would do all my employee statistics myself, I would spend at least three days a month deep in the spreadsheets manipulating the data and ensuring I understood why the differences occurred and what things we needed to address. Then, I my additional responsibilities meant that something had to give. I handed my precious statistics work over and when I received the report and asked penetrating questions, I wasn’t able to get the answers I needed. The temptation was to take it back and do it myself, but instead I took the time to explain what my senior team needed to know and we reviewed the calculations and made some changes together. The next month I had better figures and a faith that my spreadsheets were in great hands!

Coaching is definitely more time consuming than telling, but it can be really freeing for you.

Some good coaching questions to ask are:

What would you do?

Why?

So what?

How does that make you feel?

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?

The next time a team member asks you for an answer (unless its time bound or something only you would know) try asking a coaching question and see what happens. It will take time, because it is a change to our natural inclination to help others.

Give it a try and let us know how it goes in the comments section below.

When you need to have that difficult conversation

This morning I was showing my husband some new abs exercises and he was saying that he was finding some of the moves challenging (I was sharing the torture I have to endure at my boot-camp class!), when my amazing five-year old put her hand on his shoulder, looked him deep in the eyes and said “Daddy, you just need to keep practising and you’ll get better”. We laughed because she sounded like me at homework time! I try to make homework fun and give feedback that builds my girls confidence and encourages them to keep pushing for excellence.

This can be very similar to dealing with staff issues, it can be hard to balance providing constructive feedback that motivates, rather than frustrates. And of course everyone is different, which means you need to flex your style of delivery to ensure that your word will be heard as intended.

It’s always best to address issues as they occur (or as soon as you are aware), rather than storing them up for the next scheduled meeting or performance review. I always say that if someone is over achieving or underachieving they should know about it before going into a formal meeting or appraisal (unless it’s a gross misconduct issue).

We all know that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes, so expecting perfectionism from your team is unrealistic. However, there are basics that need to be delivered, processes and procedures that need to be adhered to.

So, the first step in dealing with staff issues, is to ensure that they are aware of what is expected of them through establishing SMART objectives and having an employee handbook that details policies and procedures, around behaviour and the sanctions for not adhering to them.

Does your team have SMART objectives set? If you need a reminder on setting objectives, check out my video here https://youtu.be/OojcB63lVy8

Does your team know what is expected of them? And how their work relates to the success of your business?

It is important to get confirmation from your team that they have heard and understood what you told them, I generally get my team to send me their objectives after we have discussed them, so that I can be sure they have understood what I relayed and not made an assumption.

Once you know that you and your team are on the same page, you are in a much better situation when it comes to dealing with any performance issues that arise.

Here are some tips to help you to discuss poor performance:

• Listen before you speak – Get the back story, make sure there are no extenuating circumstances. Remember that sometimes your team needs your support more than your wrath!

• Be prepared - Stick to facts. Provide examples of issues and show what good looks like.

• Don’t get emotional – The majority of the time people aren’t purposely making mistakes, they will feel bad, don’t make it worse by adding your feelings to it.

• Set clear objectives going forward and review them at least weekly, to ensure that improvements are being made.

Next week we will look at the difference between conduct and capability and the best ways to address each type of performance issue

Why you should treat your employees like customers

I spend a lot of time deciphering issues between managers and staff, and also colleagues through mediation. Sometimes it’s a breakdown in communication, sometimes its lack of understands and sometimes it’s one person thinking that the other is a mind reader!

We are often surprised at someone’s behaviour or response to things, but to those who know them best, it is virtually impossible that the individual would have reacted in any other way.

While we invest a lot of time in the recruitment process, finding out about the persons experience, management style and even psychometric testing; what do we do after they are employed to understand the way they work and what motivates them, beyond checking they have achieved their targets?

If we treated our staff in the same way that we treat our customers, making sure that we understand as much as we can about them, it makes even the difficult conversations easier as you can adapt your style to your audience and prepare better for the reactions you might receive.

Here are a few tips to help you:

Build relationships

It goes without saying that in order for someone to open up to you they need to have a relationship with you. You have to create a safe environment so that if a staff member has an issues inside or out of work, they fell comfortable talking with you. You can start by really listening to them when you ask what they did at the weekend or how their family are, remembering their favourite band or the ages of their children can go a long way.

Know what makes their faces shine

I once had a HR Assistant who loved working with entry level staff, she really enjoyed getting graduates their first job and supporting them as they navigated their way in the corporate word. Working with them truly made her day. Knowing this made it easy to motivate her and I knew that I never had to worry about my graduate programmes once she was involved. Understanding what makes your staffs face shine is the key to retaining your key employees.

Don’t make promises that you cannot keep

The saying “under promise, over deliver” springs to mind! Be clear about the conditions for promotions, pay rises, working from home, etc. A lot of hurt feelings and resentment can be avoid if we are clear in our communications, with a customer you document what they receive from you in return for a fee. You start in the same way with your employees but do you continue that in your 1-2-1’s and performance review meetings?

Show your appreciation

When you have a great customer, you offer them exclusive deals and keep in touch to ensure that you are front of mind when that need your services. Your staff are the key to your customer’s satisfaction, make sure that they feel that appreciation, it doesn’t have to be a financial reward but something well thought out.

Need help engaging with your staff, our management fundamentals course is a great place to start, find out more here.

The Art of saying ‘No’

I believe that most people have a default “Yes” switch (although we all know someone who’s default is “No”). We are by nature people please'rs.

We like to help out or make someone happy. I’m a mum, I like to see my children with smiles on their faces, however for their sake and my sanity “No” at times is the correct answer. When you are working with and for others, saying “No” can feel like breaking an unspoken rule.

Below are a few tips to help you …

• Ask questions – Get the full picture of what you are being asked to do.
• Don’t answer right away – It’s easy to feel pressured to respond (some cries for help require immediate action), but if you can, take some time to assess the situation and formulate your response.
• Respect your time and talent – Remember you need time to deliver to a high quality, have a proper plan for your delivery (Hint: not sleeping to deliver on time isn’t the answer).
• Offer an alternative –  It may be a different time or person, it could also be directing them to a website or organisation where information can be accessed.
• Own it your decision – Be polite in your response, but don’t get into a circular conversation about why you can’t help. A simple “sorry, I can’t help right now, but if you can wait until next week, I can spend some time with you and help then”.

Your “No” can also be a more finite one, “No, I don’t want that job” or “I don’t think we’d work well together” or “No I don’t agree”, but follow the tips above and be clear and your “No” will be respected.

Do you or your team need to work on your management skills? Doors open on our Management Fundamentals Self Study course on November 1st. Find out more about the course and join the waiting list here before it closes tomorrow and get access to an exclusive offer.