Summary: The success of a business depends hugely on the employees. If they aren’t committed to the goals and don’t put in their best efforts, achieving success can be extremely difficult and maybe impossible. Even if you have achieved considerable success till now, sustaining it in the future and taking your business to the next level is a whole different ballgame. You need to be able to manage the people working for you in the best way possible to make sure they are working towards your business’ success. You need to make sure each and every employee is motivated and working towards the end goal. This requires you to share your vision for the company with them. It is easier said than done though. There are many things you need to do to improve your management skills and manage your employees in a better way. Let’s explore 8 tips that can help you manage people better. 1. Define Values Every business, regardless of scale, needs to have a set of clearly defined values. The values for your business are basically a code your employees follow when performing their day-to-day functions. Not outlining the values of your business causes confusion. The employees are not clear about what to do when faced with any given situation. Defining values also makes your expectations of the employees known to them. That way, they can perform to the standards you expect of them. For instance, the punishment for failure to complete work or violating a business policy should be made clear so that the employees don’t step out of line. 2. Build Teams Some entrepreneurs use the strategy of pitting employees against each other and creating a competitive atmosphere. The idea behind it is clear that employees get motivated to work hard and outperform their peers. However, for a company, it is better that the people learn to work together than on their own. You can think of your business as a well-oiled machine. All the cogs need to be working perfectly and more importantly, working in tandem to make the machine work. 3. Foster Accountability Accountability is a crucial ingredient in a work environment. You need to foster accountability and hold your employees responsible for their work. This results in them taking on more responsibility and makes your job of managing them easier. As you know, added responsibility can be a source of motivation for the employees. They begin feeling that you are relying on them to play a major role in the success of your business. To create the right environment for accountability, you need to outline your expectations clearly. Then, if the employee doesn’t fulfill your expectations, you can reprimand them. All good business owners do allow a grace period for the employee to rectify the situation but don’t make it too extensive or it can cause other employees to not take you seriously. Take the necessary action at the appropriate time. However, don’t try to make an example of the employee just for the sake of intimidating others. 4. Rewards & Punishments The best tools you have in your arsenal for managing people are rewards and punishments. The fear of punishment and the aspiration of a reward are the foremost sources of motivation for most people. You need to use them according to the situation. Make sure there is a balance between rewards and punishments. None of your employees should feel unfairly treated. Using rewards and punishments perfectly can help in managing people better. Punishments are often linked to low productivity and employee morale but can eventually get the work done. Rewards and punishments both can be categorized under tangible and intangible. For instance, simply pestering an employee until they complete their work is an example of intangible punishment. On the other hand, if you issue a written notice or cut the salary of the employee, it becomes a tangible punishment. Same goes as far as rewards are concerned. A pat on the back or a word of encouragement is an intang
