6 Mistakes Even Well-Intentioned Managers Make
Written By Jennifer Niskanen, September 2015
Most of us know at least some of the theories behind good team management, or at least we think we think we do. Honestly, that might be your first mistake. As a subject, it has certainly been studied enough. There is a lot out there already to learn from, but it still seems like the best practices are rarely put in place. Even when they have the best of intentions, new managers, in particular, tend to make certain common mistakes:
1. Unclear Definitions of Goals and Obstacles
If you don 't have clear goals, your people won 't either. Productivity lags because people don 't know what 's important or how best to use limited resources. Create an overall …show more content…
Not Shaping the Team
Your feedback shapes your team. Be constructive and goal driven too. Use more than simple praise by giving them greater responsibilities and trust in the future. Your people are your greatest resource. Invest in them by broadening their horizons by continually adding to their work and leadership experience. Build for the future and remember to reward innovation and commitment. Pair the right people together, so they can learn collectively and mix things up occasionally to avoid stagnation.
Make your expectations clear from the beginning. If you find yourself correcting mistakes and continually playing catch-up, it might be your communication skills at fault or bad work procedures. There is an important balance between micromanagement and being totally hands-off. You need to follow-up without being obtrusive.
Don 't hurry recruitment and hiring. You don 't want to overload your team, but bringing in the wrong kind of help can just add to the stress. You don 't need someone who is ineffective to just fill a vacancy. The right kind of training is also essential, and it needs to be planned for with enough time for both the newcomer and your established work-base. The last thing you want to do is invest time and effort only to have people leave or worse you fire them because they are a bad fit. No one should have to carry under-performers either. Taking the time to recruit the right people in the first place will save you a lot of
Written By Jennifer Niskanen, September 2015
Most of us know at least some of the theories behind good team management, or at least we think we think we do. Honestly, that might be your first mistake. As a subject, it has certainly been studied enough. There is a lot out there already to learn from, but it still seems like the best practices are rarely put in place. Even when they have the best of intentions, new managers, in particular, tend to make certain common mistakes:
1. Unclear Definitions of Goals and Obstacles
If you don 't have clear goals, your people won 't either. Productivity lags because people don 't know what 's important or how best to use limited resources. Create an overall …show more content…
Not Shaping the Team
Your feedback shapes your team. Be constructive and goal driven too. Use more than simple praise by giving them greater responsibilities and trust in the future. Your people are your greatest resource. Invest in them by broadening their horizons by continually adding to their work and leadership experience. Build for the future and remember to reward innovation and commitment. Pair the right people together, so they can learn collectively and mix things up occasionally to avoid stagnation.
Make your expectations clear from the beginning. If you find yourself correcting mistakes and continually playing catch-up, it might be your communication skills at fault or bad work procedures. There is an important balance between micromanagement and being totally hands-off. You need to follow-up without being obtrusive.
Don 't hurry recruitment and hiring. You don 't want to overload your team, but bringing in the wrong kind of help can just add to the stress. You don 't need someone who is ineffective to just fill a vacancy. The right kind of training is also essential, and it needs to be planned for with enough time for both the newcomer and your established work-base. The last thing you want to do is invest time and effort only to have people leave or worse you fire them because they are a bad fit. No one should have to carry under-performers either. Taking the time to recruit the right people in the first place will save you a lot of