Treat Everyone with Respect
When you're building a team or company, you simply can't afford to lose great people. Treat them with respect and you're one step closer to keeping them on your team long-term.
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To do great things, you and your people need to consistently think outside the box. You need people who feel very comfortable disagreeing with you, trying new things, tossing out new ideas, and being okay with the fact that several of their ideas may turn out to be outright awful.
If you are the manager, make final decisions. And to do so decisively: evaluate all the options in front of you, hear and absorb everyone's arguments, and ultimately make the final call, with arguments.
Even if you've expressed dissent as an employee, it'll benefit you to let your manager make their call and then focus on what's next, rather than staying preoccupied with past decisions.
Your team members need to know that they are part of a larger purpose. They need to know that whatever task they're doing ties into the larger company goals.
They need to know that their work matters. If you believe that a motivated and happy employee is a better employee, then take the time to explain to them why you are asking them to do something, rather than just asking them to do something.
The benefits of brevity must be included in these golden rules of collaboration.
Say what you need to say as efficiently as possible. Give some color, some background, and certainly any necessary context. But the more efficient you can be in communicating what needs to get done to your team, the more likely they will know in no uncertain terms what is expected of them and why.
When someone isn't carrying their weight or is causing unneeded chaos, you need to try to remove them.
It's unfair to your truly great team members if you keep a personality on board who is inhibiting their ability to work. And if you don't have the authority to change your team, talk with someone who does and clearly communicate the problem.
You better make it fun to work with you. Let your people know why your mission is important, why it matters, and what difference your project will make in the world. Give your people the freedom to — and the support to — push the envelope and think outside the box. Make the work that they're doing for you, for the team, and for the company, fun and interesting.
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You don’t need a pool table or dress code abolition to make work fun. You can make the workday more enjoyable with things like surprise lunch outings, a dedicated break room or even just casual conversations with your workers.
Help your people enjoy coming to work, and they’ll do their best work for you.
- Thinking your current job knowledge and technical skills are enough to be a manager. Good management and people skills can be more important than technical skills.
- Failing to consult regularly with your boss, in an attempt to show that you can cope on your own.
- Approaching your boss without having thought a problem or its solutions through.
- Failing to assess what your customers want from you and your team.
- Using your authority inappropriately or not in the interests of the organization.
Before discussing performance in a 1:1 meeting, check your empathy first. You want to add value and find out how your direct report feels.
- Does the person you're managing feel invested in your company or team goals?
- Does he/she feel as if you've got his/her back?
- Do you know what motivates him/her?
- Both parties must get something out of this relationship. What are you offering vs. what you're expecting?
- Does your direct report understand what he/she is supposed to do? How to do it?
- Does he/she have the right training, right scope, proper authority, right resources, and enough time to do as you need?
- Does he/she know how important your ask is?
- What does he/she need from you or other colleagues?
- Is he/she encountering bottlenecks?