If you’ve ever asked yourself how to be a good manager, you’re not alone. Thousands of women entrepreneurs want to know the secret.
Below are 5 awesome team management tips that will make team management much simpler for you! Let’s prove that women are just as qualified as men are to lead. Ready?
Be an Effective Communicator
What’s the difference between highly effective managers and bad managers? Remember: the best managers are effective communicators.
Effective communication helps build relationships, create shared understanding between you and your team, resolve conflicts easily, influence, etc. In other words, to lead others, you must demonstrate effective communication skills. This is the key to success.
Motivate Your Team
There are many bosses who only give feedback when they’ve got something to criticize! If you want your team to respect and love you, make sure this is not the case with you. Instead, motivate your team when the team meets or exceeds goals and expectations. Get together outside of the office periodically to talk about work in a more casual setting. Such gatherings will definitely lead to a stronger bond among teammates.
However, don’t forget to maintain a professional distance from your employees. You are their manager, not their friend, aren’t you?
Women Entrepreneurs: Balance Your Professional and Personal Life
Perfect mom or businesswoman! Which one to choose? Successful female entrepreneurs choose both!
For decades, organizations and firms strongly believed that females are completely family-oriented. That’s why men were more likely to be hired for serious positions than women.
I know that the shoulders of female managers are burdened with both professional and personal responsibilities, but successful entrepreneurs know how to maintain a clear distinction between career and family. Yep, work-life balance is so hard to maintain but possible to achieve.
Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube once noted: “I want people to realize that it really is OK, that you can have a family. I don’t feel like I’m a perfect mom, and then there are times at work where I feel like maybe I wasn’t perfect here because of constraints on my time,” she said. “But having the sum of both of those things going on in my life makes me a better mom at the end of the day, and I think gives me really important perspectives in the workplace as well.”
Develop Your Leadership Skills
Some people are natural leaders, some aren’t! However, anyone can develop the skill set that a true leader must possess.
If you wish to be a great manager, make sure to improve your effective communication skills, strategic vision, creativity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, confidence…In other words, develop your leadership skills.
And if you are afraid of failure, just remember the self-made billionaire Oprah Winfrey’s words: “Do one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”
Set a Great Example
“Is this what I would expect from my employees?’’
“Am I setting the right example?’’
“What kind of lessons am I teaching?’’
These are the 3 important questions to ask yourself if you expect the highest level of professionalism from your employees. Yes, like it or hate it, when you are a manager all eyes are on you. Your employees will watch, listen to you and learn what to do and what not to do. So setting a positive example as a manager is crucially important.
If you want to set a positive example you should:
- Arrive at work and meetings on time,
- Watch what you say,
- Be a continuous learner,
- Ask questions and listen to others,
- Show equal respect (regardless of their level or degree of influence), etc.
Final Thoughts…
Women constitute a majority of the U.S. population. And yet women represent a minority when it comes to their representation in leadership positions. That’s why the lack of female leaders has always been one of the most highly discussed challenges.
However, women are just as qualified as men. They’re motivated by challenges. They’re strong communicators and great listeners. They dream big. They’re good at multitasking. Simply put, women entrepreneurs rock!
Always remember, gender shouldn’t be a factor in whether or not a person can be a great leader. The job of a manager is, above all, based on his or her skills, experience, and personal traits.