Leading by example: tips for managing and motivating staff

One benefit of running your own business is that you get to do things your way. But as your business grows and you start to bring new employees on board, you'll see that with more people come more styles of working.

As every leader is different, here are some key things to keep in mind when managing and motivating your staff.

Communication really is the most important thing

How you communicate with your team can influence your overall success. It can also help form the culture of your business and encourage other people to behave the same way.

Use language that your staff will understand. In the business world, there's a lot of management-speak and jargon that most employees will find confusing.

Instead, be clear and accurate in how you get your message across. That applies not only to speech, but when you're communicating in writing too.

Be fair and consistent

Always be consistent in how you speak, treat and deal with people. If you're rewarding employees for a job well done, for example, do this consistently across the team.

Similarly, if there are things you'd like to improve and you need to give constructive feedback, make sure you're being fair and applying the same standards to everyone involved.

Encourage the team to collaborate

Getting the team to work together towards a common goal will help your business thrive. When you have a common purpose, it can create a real sense of achievement and belonging – especially in a city as big as London.

Allowing employees to mentor each other can help them develop their management skills, while encouraging junior members of the team to learn and upskill.

Publicly reward hard work

If an individual or the whole team have exceeded expectations or received great feedback from a customer, it's well worth recognising. As humans, we love to be told we're doing a good job.

A gift or a bonus can help employees feel satisfied about the work they've done. But as mentioned, always be consistent when rewarding people's achievements.

Get to know your team

As your London business grows and more people join, you'll find that team members all have different preferences and personalities. Take the time to understand what makes them tick and where their priorities lie.

Setting out your own vision and principles whenever new people join the business can help you recognise whether there are common values you both share.

Be open and transparent

There will be times when you have sensitive business information that you can't share with everyone. But including people in what's happening inside the business as much as possible will show your team that you trust them.

Nurturing trust works both ways. Involving your employees in crucial decision-making can have lots of benefits. And you may well find that they have solutions to problems that you hadn't considered yourself.

Value other people's opinions

Encourage your team members to voice their views. The more people you have actively taking part in discussions and trying to improve the business, the better.

There are a few ways to do this. You could set aside time in meetings for an informal Q&A. You could organise a regular 'open door' event where your staff can directly speak to you about their concerns. Or, you could just grab a cup of coffee and chat.

Listen and ask questions

Consider adopting a coaching style of conversation when discussing things with your team. Ask what else you could do to help them carry out their roles more efficiently and effectively.

Ask how they feel about a project or a customer relationship, and about the work they're doing. It's amazing what you can learn if you're willing to ask and listen.

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