Business and team management roles exist, in many ways, to make things happen. While everyone else is getting on with their day-to-day tasks and duties, business managers are the ones thinking about what the company needs to achieve over the next month, quarter, or year. They’re the ones looking at the big picture and thinking of new ideas and strategies that will lead to success. They make sure these business ideas and strategies are implemented and their goals reached.
We could argue that while business managers are focused on the company’s objective, team managers focus more on the day-to-day execution. In practice, however, these two people are oftentimes the same person, especially in growing organizations and SMEs. And so although these concepts are sometimes used interchangeably throughout this article, we thought it’s important to point out the distinction between the two in the beginning.
In this article, we explore why having a great team manager is essential in any company. We’ll also take a look at the essential leadership skills that business managers should possess. Whether it’s to enhance your team management skills or to hire an effective business or team manager, we’re positive you’ll find value in this article. We’ll also explore how to keep your team motivated and the best practices to solve conflicts in the workspace.
Table of Content:
Employee Development and Training
Best Business Management Tools in 2022
What is Team Management?
A team manager’s job is to ensure that the goals of the company are achieved. They do so by coordinating the efforts of their team towards the company’s aims. Consequently, a team of people working towards a common goal requires effective team management to produce value for the company.
Any efficient business leader requires core team leadership skills to be able to direct the actions of the team towards their goals. There are several important aspects that need to be considered for this role. These include motivation, decision-making, employee training, effective communication, and more. These aspects can be integrated into a single, cohesive approach through team coaching.
By enhancing your team management skills, you will be ready to solve the common problems faced by managers today. This includes absenteeism, poor communication, and low productivity. In the end, the aim of team coaching is to achieve better performance by facilitating communication amongst employees. Furthermore, team managers are also responsible for encouraging team members’ potential in relation to their role in the organisation.
Essential Business & Team Management Skills
Every leader should be aware of the aptitudes needed to drive a team to achieve the company’s goals. But how can you improve team management abilities? And how do you hire a business manager that takes your team to the next level? Here are the basic business management skills that every professional should refine to become a better leader:
- Delegation – the ability to delegate tasks to others and give them the responsibility to carry out the task within a certain deadline.
- Communication – the ability to provide feedback in an appropriate way and control conversations effectively during meetings.
- Motivation – the ability to motivate your team members so that they are enthusiastic about their work and feel that their efforts are being recognized.
- Problem-solving – the ability to act as a leader and find solutions when problems do arise, as well as prevent problems from arising in the first place.
Besides these core team management skills, here are some other important qualities a successful business manager should possess:
- Flexibility – being able to adapt easily when dealing with people, even if this means changing original plans. It also entails personalizing work based on each team member’s skill set. Lastly, it’s being flexible in their approach. For example, by acknowledging input from others rather than just sticking to what they know.
- Objectivity – being able to make decisions without letting your personal feelings get in the way. It also includes being able to see situations for what they truly are.
Employee Development and Training
As a business manager, it is not enough to just hire talented people. You need to take a proactive approach to employee training so that your team is equipped with the skills and knowledge to perform their jobs well. You need to see the potential in each employee and work with them on developing their strengths so that they feel like they can make a difference in the company.
If a task isn’t being done correctly or efficiently, then you need to show your employees how to fix it so that things are done correctly from then on out. Sometimes it will demand personalised support, but investing in your employees’ careers ensures long-term benefits for the team and the business objectives.
How to Manage Conflict in a Team?
Conflict can be a frequent occurrence in teams consisting of strong personalities. It may be argued that conflict, to some degree, conflict increases productivity. Difficulties in the workspace can serve to open new doors and to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team members. Disagreements can also spark interesting and creative debates, which leads to new ideas and innovative solutions.
On the other hand, if a team is not equipped with the right tools to deal with conflict, a team can quickly become a dysfunctional one. To manage team conflict effectively, you should follow best practices that will strengthen and enhance the team:
- Address problems early on – don’t wait until the conflict has escalated before trying to resolve it. If you let things fester too long, they’ll become more difficult to deal with and you’ll waste time acting on past issues rather than solving current ones.
- Tackle issues directly – don’t dance around problems or pretend they’re not there; confront them head-on with kindness and without judgment or anger. This will help you address the issue at its core and make it easier for your team members to participate in the solution.
What Makes Teamwork Effective?
The relationship between individuals in a team is essential to any team’s success. And while teams can differentiate in many ways, there are some important factors that most effective teams have in common:
- Trust – is key to any productive relationship. When people trust each other, they feel confident approaching and talking to each other about all things bigs and small. This can make the whole team function better. In an ideal world, trust is developed naturally over time. But sometimes it must be worked at – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can build trust by encouraging openness and being honest with yourself. Be fair and consistent in your dealings with others, and don’t play favourites or tell people what they want to hear just because you like them. Honesty and transparency are a big part of building trust.
- A shared vision – this isn’t just about knowing what your boss wants you to do; it means having a shared idea of where your organization is going and how the individual efforts impact the results. Emphasising team values and vision makes it easier for your team to relate to the business efforts and drive them further.
Best Team and Business Management Tools in 2022
As a team manager, you must keep on track of your team performance to ensure your efforts are bringing meaningful results. And as your team grows, you’ll need extra help to manage and report your results. There are many useful tools on the market in 2022 that you should take advantage of, especially if your company is managing remote teams.
Talent acquisition and onboarding tools can help to streamline your recruitment process which is very useful in growing companies. Tools that allow your employees to clock in and out of work can give your employees autonomy over their working time. At the same time, managers can know that their team is fulfilling their shifts. A time-off tracker can keep track of bank holidays and your team’s annual leave to be able to set project timelines more efficiently. Performance review tools allow you to more accurately and objectively assess your team members and their capabilities. This will help you place them in positions that are suited to their skillset.
Tools like these will help you optimise your processes to better scale your business. Furthermore, by adding reporting tools to the mix, you’ll also be able to make better, data-driven decisions for your business!
Fortunately, Factorial offers a software that combines all of these tools and more, saving you time and money in the process of managing and growing your team. It’s the perfect solution to track employee performance, work shifts, generate reports, and understand your team’s needs at an individual level.
Sign up for a free 14-day trial and take your team to the next level!
