I’m NEVER Managing staff again

I meet a lot of people and I can guarantee that someone will always tell me about a terrible experience they had with managing a team, which is why they’ll never do it again. Then they’ll tell me about their aspirations for their business or their career and I’ll just know that they’ll need to manage people in one shape or another to reach their target.

Do you have one of those nightmare stories?

Don’t get me wrong, I totally get it. There was a time when I literally cried every morning at the thought of going into work, I couldn’t even put the frustration that I felt into words, because I couldn’t trust that things would be completed in the way I needed them to and so I was working all the hours and doing EVERYTHING myself!

But I found a way through because, I wasn’t about to let anyone ruin my opportunity to achieve greatness and that’s what I do for my clients, help them to realise their aspirations.

Like Sandy who previously hired a deputy manager who had misappropriated funds; and so while she had grown her business and hired other staff, she could not bear to delegate any of the people management or financial elements of her business and so was stuck doing accounts and chasing invoices, when she should have been creating value for her clients and opening up new opportunities.

Sandy wasn’t loving her business, because she never got to do the fun stuff anymore and was working long hours and weekends. We worked on a programme to train and empower her managers, and delegated all of the people management activities to the managers (as it should be!); hired administrative staff and recruited a deputy. This meant that Sandy had more time to focus on growing and scaling her business, her customers were happier because they no longer had one stressed individual as their point of contact. Also, a new automated system for invoicing and chasing was implemented. This has meant that Sandy has been able to build her team

All this was possible because Sandy got the right systems, policies and processes in place for her business, so that she could ensure she wouldn’t be burnt again and that any employees issues could be nipped in bud.

If fear is the thing that’s holding you back from starting or building your team, you can start building your confidence, with our FREE comprehensive hiring guide and join our FREE Facebook group, for business owners who have staff or are planning to hire staff, where you can ask questions and seek advice – Let’s make your dream a reality.

Are you loving on your Biggest Asset?

I don’t believe that any entrepreneur would deny that their team is their businesses biggest asset.

Even if you have an amazing product, without your team how would the world know about it?

There always comes a time in the growth of your business, where you come to the realisation that you need those with expertise that exceeds your own to boost the growth of your business. As it will enable you to focus on the areas that you are highly skilled in; but once you’ve found those amazingly skilled individuals, how do you keep them motivated and loyal?

We know that competitive remuneration is a must - after all, we’ve all got bills to pay! - no one who knows their worth is going to take a job paying less than the industry standard, but what else?

I want to look at starting well, by mastering the on-boarding process …

Throughout the recruitment process, we focus on creating an amazing candidate experience. It’s a two way selling process; we want the best person for our organisation and they want, well ... they want, what they want!

So once you’ve negotiated these waters, made an offer and had it accepted ... ask yourself “What’s Next?"

Often there is a gap of a month or more between getting that offer accepted and an individual starting with your organisation. So how do you keep them feeling warm and fuzzy, as well as helping them to settle in, once they do start?

Here are a few pointers:

Give them a Buddy

One of the best experiences of on-boarding that I had was being given a ‘Work Buddy’ before I’d started. I received weekly emails in the lead up to my joining date, was invited to payday Friday drinks before I was actually on payroll! Had someone to ask silly questions like where is the nearest sandwich place and is there a good place to get a lunchtime pedicure or how does my new boss like to be communicated with.

Day 1 Brilliance

Make sure their first day runs smoothly. I worked for one organisation, where on my first day the receptionist was waiting for me, my desk was prepared with my laptop, phone, note pad and other items and when I checked my emails, I had my induction meetings scheduled for the next few weeks (it included a trip to an international office). Everything was so smooth, I was able to hit the ground running and had access to all that I needed.

Induction Plan

So touching on Inductions, nothing is more frustrating than starting a role and having to find your way around an unfamiliar landscape unassisted. I remember starting a senior role with an organisation, and I didn’t even receive my laptop until three days in. I had deliverable's, but no way to deliver them! It was very frustrating and I felt like they were unprepared for me and had left me to fend for myself, with no support. Don’t worry I soon changed the starter process!

Having a detailed plan to introduce a new employee to key stakeholders, systems and processes cuts down on the time it takes to get a person up to speed, and allows you to get value from your new employee sooner.

Warmest Welcome

A welcome lunch on the first day/week is always good. Getting to know someone socially is always useful and it helps to build team rapport. I worked at one organisation where every month they had a welcome afternoon tea; you were tasked with speaking to at least three people you hadn’t spoken with before, it was a really good way to get to know people in different departments.

Implementing an on-boarding process is a great way to engage with staff before they even start and show them how valued they are as an addition to your team.