By Levi Lapp, founder and CEO of Atlantic Outdoors, an outdoor living company that builds structures for your lifestyle.
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Hiring the right manager (i.e., department head or team leader) should be a serious process. You need someone responsible who you can trust to lead when you are away; someone who can take on duties that are becoming overwhelming for you to do alone. You need someone who wants your business to grow and who has the skill set to make that happen.
Below are five ideas to keep in mind when you’re hiring and supporting a manager to help you grow your business and lead your staff.
1. Hire the right person.
This is one of those occasions where you should trust your gut. Hiring has a lot to do with personalities, but following some basic guidelines will also help you find just the right person. Keep the following points in mind:
• A good manager will not only be a responsible employee but also someone who will give you a straight answer—good or bad—so you can clearly assess any situation.
• A good manager has the ability to bring out the best in people while setting parameters and goals. They should be willing to take charge, which means not always being a “friend” to others on the team.
• A good manager will become a great manager, as they are willing to learn from their own mistakes.
2. Always keep your door open.
I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping all lines of communication open. In today’s world, there is no excuse for not being able to reach someone, especially in your own business. But somehow, things get missed. It happens, but as the leader of the company, you should establish expectations and boundaries and apply them to the entire company. Here’s how:
1. Start from the top down. You hire a manager to be able to provide duties and set goals for the team. For you, this manager should provide a level of confidence, but don’t take yourself out of the picture. With your “step-back” viewpoint, you should be able to see weaknesses and accomplishments. Be sure to acknowledge those in order to reinforce that you are paying attention, even if you are not with them on a day-to-day basis.
2. Establish the manager’s responsibilities. Schedule mandatory manager meetings where all managers have the opportunity to share their progress, goals or issues. Even though each manager is only responsible for their specific department or team, it is important that they know what other managers are doing for the good of the company.
3. Establish a voice for the team. Team members need to feel they have a voice as well, and if there are conflicts, make sure managers are resolving them sooner rather than later and including team members in the process. If something about an employee’s job performance needs to be addressed—whether it is good or bad—make sure the employee hears it from their manager and that you confirm the message.
4. Act swiftly. If the conflicts involve other employees, it is important to address them immediately. Encourage them to work out any issues directly between themselves and their manager and refer to your employee handbook for direction in order to avoid disciplinary action before getting involved.
3. Set attainable goals.
A manager will rely on you to provide the structure for your company’s well-defined goals. These goals should match up with your company’s priorities.
Meet first with your managers and clearly spell out the goals and expectations for which you are aiming. As your first commanders, these managers will need to be able to deliver your plan to their respective teams. They should be able to answer any questions, provide a timeline and hand out specific tasks to accomplish these goals.
Do not overlook the fact that your teams and managers will likely be more motivated if you are part of the goals. Share your contributions with them, and be open to innovative ideas that could greatly contribute to your goals.
4. Spoil your managers… just a little.
Once you have assembled managers, you will want them to stick around. In order for them to feel like they are making a difference and growing professionally, you can encourage them and maybe spoil them once in a while.
• Provide feedback to them. Even if they just did their job, hearing positive reinforcement from you will go a long way. If you are sharing negative feedback, do it privately and allow time for discussion to make sure you resolve the issue. If you have professional discussions about any issues without making them personal, your managers are more likely to trust you.
• Give bonuses. Maybe it is not feasible to provide a monetary bonus, but find a way to show them they did a good job. Maybe you could provide a day off, gift them tickets to a game or offer some other gesture to show that you respect their contributions to your company.
• Allow them to grow. An easy way to increase a manager’s impact is to allow them to take continuing education courses (which your company should pay for). This gives them the opportunity to become sharper in their field.
• Allow them to go. Should an opportunity arise for them at a different company and they give you the proper professional notice, by all means, respect their decision and keep the lines of communication open. You never know when your paths may cross again, and if you trusted this person once, you should keep that trust going.
5. Keep it real.
Your place of business should be kept professional; however, it’s okay to get personal once in a while. Asking about their families or hobbies is not out of line. It shows you have an interest in their overall well-being. It’s perfectly reasonable to care about their life, both at work and at home. It does no one any good if your leaders are stressed, so reinforce your open-door policy.
Remember that when you hire a manager, you are still in charge. They are there to help take on some of your workload, but ultimately, they answer to you.
