Team management – how to do it effectively?

To a large extent, the success or failure of a given project depends on the manager. Of course, even though unforeseen circumstances may arise, the approach and actions of the leader play one of the crucial roles. So, how do you manage a team? Have a look below at our pieces of advice for the manager.

We have put together a list of a few valuable tips for managers who want to manage their teams efficiently.

Get to know yourself and your team

Before you start managing people, you need to develop the ability to understand yourself, including your emotions, expectations or intentions. Then, learn to control and manage them depending on the given situation. Such an analysis of behaviors and thoughts will allow you to determine your strengths and weaknesses and the impact they have on those around you. On the other hand, self-regulation allows you to make rational decisions even under pressure or during difficult situations.

Your team consists of people who differ in character traits, ambitions, background, experience and other factors that have shaped their personality and approach to given issues. As a manager, you should be able to see these differences and use them not only when distributing tasks, but also when determining how to motivate or reward for completed work.

Ensure team communication

Open communication in the team can encourage employees to share their ideas and insights, which, if well-developed and implemented, can bring measurable benefits to the company. Employees who feel heard and know that they can count on the manager’s support are also more likely to open up about their fears and problems, which helps to avoid mistakes and financial losses. 

Define goals and expectations

Thinking that employees read in minds is a typical mistake made by managers. If you want something to be done correctly, you need to present your expectations precisely.  It is also important to familiarize the team with the purpose of a given project so that employees understand the context of the actions taken.  Sometimes it’s good to find a project manager to help you out with that. Be sure to state your intentions clearly so that your team does not have to guess what you expect from them. 

Create a culture of accountability

Employees who only perform their tasks do not feel a great sense of belonging to the company. Therefore, they will not show initiatives that go beyond the scope of their duties. You can change this by giving them more space and holding them accountable for the actions taken. This solution helps to locate the so-called bottlenecks in processes, motivate employees, and build trust and a sense of responsibility for the company’s success.

Look for solutions instead of problems

How to manage a team? Firstly, you need to accept the fact that during your managerial career and team management, you will encounter many problems caused by both internal and external factors. However, as a leader, you must become aware that analyzing them too thoroughly will not benefit the organization. Instead of looking for the culprits, try to draw conclusions and find solutions. Thanks to this, you can gain allies in the team who will not be afraid to admit their mistake. Instead, together, you can devote time and energy to repairing the damage. 

Lead by Example

According to the principle of leadership ‘leading by example’, team management should not only be about defining rules and commands, but also adhering to them. Such behavior is positively perceived by employees and encourages them to follow the same pattern. The manager, on the other hand, shows that they are consistent and honest, because, like others, they carry out tasks according to applicable standards. So, if you want your employees to perform their duties in a certain way, you need to become a role model for them.  

Ensure the smoothness of company processes 

The smoothness of processes is also important in effective team management, especially, if the team consists of many subcontractors/freelancers.

If you are looking for additional subcontractors for your team and would like to simplify this process as much as possible, the Useme freelancer database comes with help. On this platform, an entrepreneur can easily reach people with specific skills, and then send a job invitation to a selected specialist. It is also possible to publish your job advert and choose the best offer. 

Thanks to Useme, you will not only find new freelancers but also easily settle accounts with existing subcontractors without signing contracts. How does it work? The freelancer uploads the finished work to Useme, and you pay pro forma. After the freelancer uploads the work, you download it from the Useme panel. Together with the completed work you receive a tax invoice, regardless of whether your subcontractor owns a company or not. It’s much easier, faster and cheaper than signing traditional contracts. This makes it a great way to optimize company costs.

How is that possible? Useme takes on the role of the employer. Thanks to that the entrepreneur does not have to worry about preparing the right type of contract or thinking about legal complexities. When cooperating with freelancers all administrative tasks are taken over by the platform. Useme then resells the freelancer’s work to managers like you on a purchase-sale transaction.  

After the end of the cooperation, the freelancer receives payment in 48 hours, and you receive a tax invoice. Even though the platform charges a service fee for transactions, the cost of billing freelancers is still lower than in the case of signing traditional contracts with freelancers.

The key to successful team management — summary

Tips for managers on how to manage the team mentioned in the text above will give you insight into where to start your journey with more effective and efficient team management. These tips also reveal what skills a good manager should have, i.e.: communication skills, the ability to listen, solve problems, organize work, consistency, as well as self-awareness and self-regulation. 

In addition, it is worth looking at the processes in the company (such as hiring or settling subcontractors) and striving to simplify them as much as possible. In this case, it is a good idea to delegate some of the tasks to freelancers at Useme. 

If you’re not sure if hiring freelancers is good for your company, read these business statistics.