You’re a great manager! You’re always trying to find new ways to engage your staff, facilitating team-bonding activities, celebrating milestones, but still—there’s always more to do. As your staff changes and workflows ebb and flow, you’re probably looking for ways to make the office environment even more friendly, productive, and better-managed than ever before.
You know there are plenty of ways to improve your operations and be an even better boss this year— but where to start? To help inspire you to be the best boss you can be, we’ve created a list of 7 things you can do to be a better boss this year! From refreshing your feedback process to celebrating outstanding employees, there are plenty of ways you can impress the CEO and your staff with your expert supervisory skills!
Inspire productivity
Staying on track and focused all of the time is hard for any employee to do. Oftentimes the 3 o’clock blues hits and there’s not much to rescue your employees from the wall halting their productivity— especially if they’re not working toward specific goals.
Try implementing a personal and professional goals program for your team. Encourage each team member to set a few personal and a few professional goals to meet by the end of the day, month, or week, and track them using a goal-tracking app such as Strides.
You can track anything you want with this program, so your staff can personalize their goals to match their personal and professional lifestyles. Whether or not it may seem to be true, your employees do have a life outside of the office, so including personal goals can help you get to know them a little better and encourage them to do the activities they love!
Understand every personality is unique, celebrate it
Every personality is different— and that’s what makes your team so great! As a great boss, you know that avoiding difficult personalities and celebrating the quirks and strengths of each team member is how you can best utilize your department. Looking for a fun way to get to know your team? Buy an aura camera for the office and allow your team to get more in touch with their energy expression and discuss what work processes may work best for them!
In addition, you can have your staff take a Myers-Briggs personality test to help them understand themselves a little better, and help you gain insight on how you can work together best.
Trust your staff
Backing your staff up is one of the most important parts of being a good manager! If your employees don’t have faith that you have faith in them, they probably won’t perform at their best. Avoid micromanaging your employees and instead use a project management tool to keep employees accountable for their tasks and projects.
Read the room
Not every battle is worth fighting. As a manager, you’ll be working with a variety of personalities, skill sets, and triggers. Keep your managerial instincts at heart when you’re approaching an issue with a team member. Sometimes it’s better to let things pass— just read the room before you bring up nit-picky issues.
Hold regular check-in meetings
Communication is key for effective management. Make sure you schedule meetings with individual staff and your entire team on a regular basis. Miscommunication is where work gets chaotic— so avoid the drama by making sure you’re all on the same page.
Reward your staff with awesome perks
Did your team just reach a record-breaking sales goal? Or did they score a new lead for the company? Show them you appreciate their productivity with a reward! Whether you offer a gift card or lunch on the company’s dime, it’s important to make sure extraordinary work is recognized.
Accept constructive feedback
Check in with your staff regularly and be ready to hear positive, negative, and inquisitive feedback. Nobody’s perfect— so don’t worry about getting negative responses from your staff, just make sure you grow from it. Conduct regular surveys with your staff to make sure you’re available to hear their questions, concerns, and suggestions.
In conclusion
Being a great boss is no easy feat! As long as you’re always motivated to improve your processes and celebrate your staff, your evaluations will stay pretty positive.
