Being in charge of people is something of a mixed blessing, even at the best of times. On the one hand, it can be an exciting and rewarding experience which affords you many diverse skills. On the other, it is often a real challenge – it can be more than a little stressful. Trying to manage a whole team of people can be tough, but anyone can do it with the right tools and a sliver of confidence. One major part of being the manager in any situation is showing the staff that they are important to you. When it is your own business, the overbearing importance of this becomes crystal clear. The last thing anyone wants is to feel undervalued at work. That’s why showing that you care should be a main focus of yours. Treat your staff well, and they are likely to do a better job of looking after your business. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can achieve this with your staff today.
Be Generous
Generosity is the backbone of any relationship, and that includes your relationships with your staff. This doesn’t mean going overboard and lavishing gifts on your employees. It does, however, mean that you should treat them occasionally to small tokens of your appreciation. For most people, this is enough to keep them happy within their role for a long time. Being generous to your staff gives them the feeling that working for you is worthwhile. What’s more, it is likely to improve their perception of you as a person – and a boss.
Be Consistent
There are few things more frustrating than when a manager is inconsistent with their approach or their attitude. To be the manager that everyone respects, you need to treat everyone the same way in the same circumstances. This goes far beyond any legal requirements. It is more to do with showing an equal amount of respect to everyone who works underneath you. There is even more to it than this, however. You need to ensure that all employee-related processes are kept above board. Use the best hr software you can afford to make sure that things like holidays and absence are properly recorded. Otherwise, you might find it hard to be consistent in your approach to these matters.
Be Soft
There is a certain line which you need to try and tread as a manager. Finding it and maintaining it can indeed be a challenge – but it is worth the effort. A good manager is strict when they need to be, of course. Otherwise not much will get done. However, you also need to learn to be soft when appropriate. If your staff feel that they can come to you with their problems, then you know you are doing well. It is vital that you remain approachable to all your staff; that way, you can be the go-to for any problems which might arise. This benefits you as well, as it means that you know exactly what is going on with people.
