Successful workplaces are in a constant state of flux, growing and changing with every coming year. For project managers, it means more people on the team and extra responsibility. It’s not an easy situation to manage, but learning to cope and adapt is part of being an effective leader. You may feel overwhelmed in the early days, but there are many ways to nurture an expanding team and maintain an excellent level of performance from everyone – however many people are involved.
Adapt Your Management Style
As your small team blooms into a larger group of people, some changes will be forced upon you. There will be more tasks to delegate, more individual interests to consider, and more communication solutions to reach. People who have previously been the only point of contact may have to accept that this is no longer possible, certainly on a daily basis. If you’ve been a hands-on manager until now, you may be concerned about losing that direct influence. Try to see this as a positive – an opportunity to give more control to developing team leaders who can take on responsibility for set areas.
Know Your Team As Individuals
You might not be able to speak regularly with everyone throughout the day, but when you are taking on new people. It is important to stay in touch with each person as an individual. To manage competently, you need to be aware of who is on your team and what their strengths and weaknesses tend to be. It can help to start the day by interacting with the team on a casual basis at their workstations. Showing you care nurtures better relationships, and also gives you a heads-up on any family, health, or financial issues that are affecting them at work.
Upskill Yourself
Ambitious managers can take their people management skills to the next level by going back to university. Whether you are readying yourself for new challenges or you want to progress in your existing role, MBA programs equip you with the necessary tools. At Kettering, you can take an online course that fits in with your work schedule and graduate within a year. You’ll learn more about decision-making, successful leadership and critical thinking, and then leave with the confidence to excel in your workplace.
Create And Maintain Clear Procedures
Well-established processes ensure that the entire team and newly-hired people know the exact way that a task has to be done. The procedure can be written out with the help of experienced employees to ensure that everyone is on board. Organizational guidance fosters consistency and streamlines communication between team members. You won’t need to manage disagreements over how things are done, and your team members know what is expected of them with minimal input from you.
Growing teams signal prosperity for the company as a whole, but can leave managers with a heftier workload. Learn to cope by remaining flexible, staying mindful of your team, and keeping the lines of communication open.
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