It’s no secret that managing a group of people is a tough task. Doing it well means you have a loyal team ready to help you every step of the way. But when poor management strikes, there can be strife, tension, and failures to meet goals. Sometimes management can be a delicate balancing act.
It’s going to take multiple types of approaches and systems. Looking at a software list for marketing agencies, there are lots of different options for managing your team. Keeping open communication will also help. Here are tips about those and more to consider if you’ve hit road bumps along the way.
Realistic Goals
Reality doesn’t always mix with expectations. Setting realistic goals for yourself and your team will go a long way in keeping your team together. By setting realistic goals with benchmarks along the way, you’re showing your team you know whatever the current situation is, and you have a plan to keep it together. While you’re setting goals, keep your team in the loop. We’ll talk about ways to keep everyone up to date below.
Teamwork and Accountability
“Teamwork makes the Dream work.” You’ve heard that one before, right? It sounds a little cheesy but there is truth to it. Making sure your team is working together well is important. No matter what pops up, you and your team need to be able to collaborate and solve issues as they arrive.
Ideally, your team will be able to adapt quickly to challenges and be able to fill other roles as needed. That way, all of the experience and expertise your team has can come together to quickly work through any complex projects that come your way.
In saying that, it’s important to establish that your employees must be accountable for their tasks. When one set of tasks does not get done, it makes it hard for others working on the same project to progress to the next stage. Firm but reasonable explanation of what their duties are and why they are important can go a long way to keep your team on the right track. For more, click here. You’ll find more tips and tricks for managing your team.
Incentives
A tough and long running project might be necessary. When these projects pop up, your team may start out enthusiastic but that energy present when starting a new project dwindles down. When frustrations start to rise, it may feel like you’re losing control of your team.
Some of this energy can be recaptured by doing simple things like reminding your employees of the why of the project, or perhaps sharing positive client impact. Small gestures of appreciation such as bringing in some coffee and doughnuts for the team, or just taking the time out of the day to see how your team is doing and let them know you appreciate how hard they work.
These are kinds of incentives. As you can see, an Incentive doesn’t have to be a big deal. It doesn’t have to be a trip, or a gift card for X amount of money. Though highly motivational in the short term, they don’t have the same impact as reminders of how much their work is appreciated. Loyalty isn’t won through big incentives but instead of the small ways your employees see you lead.
For more, check out this link: https://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing-strategy/marketing-recruitment-and-management/managing-marketing-employees
Encourage Innovation
There are tried and true methods in the industry for a reason. That doesn’t mean you can’t shake them up. Encourage employees to look outside the box. The ways your team can market to your target audience are nearly endless, and the goal is to create something memorable. Interactive media can help for larger campaigns, and for any campaign looking back to older styles of advertising will invoke not only feelings of nostalgia but also novelty.
Goals and expectations
Here we see a return to those goals and add expectations. You’ve already set a goal for your team, but do they know it? Have you just given them the big picture, or do you have a plan laid out? First and foremost, when communicating to your team about a project, take the time to clearly state what your expectations for this project are and keep them consistent.
Goals as a whole can seem big and confusing, leaving your team with questions on how this goal should be met. Here is where you’ll want to break down the project into steps or phases. A set of smaller goals to lead to the bigger picture. This way your team will know the goal, the sub-goals along the way, and what is expected from the job ahead. Listen to your team–they may have better or more efficient ways for the goal to be accomplished.
Set up employees for success
All of the above leads to setting up your employees to be successful. Give your team the information, tools, and time they will need to complete a project. If there is new software needed for one thing or another, make sure you can get that set up. If the client has crucial information that needs to be known by the team, ensure that they are on the same page. For more, click here.
Weekly Check ins
How are you going to keep track of this information and remind your employees of what needs to be done? How will problems be resolved? When do you remind your employees of their goals after a long weekend? Why, this is simple: meetings.
We know that the word meeting can cause employees to check out, but two meetings every week might be all you need to keep things flowing smoothly. Firstly, you’ll want a Monday morning meeting. You can use this meeting to remind employees of their weekly goals, inform them of their tasks for the week, and catch them up on new developments. Next, you’ll want to have a Friday afternoon meeting. You can use this meeting to find out how your employees did for the week, and any issues that may have arose during the week.
Here are some more tips to help you out: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/marketing-team
Managing your team shouldn’t worry you. For the most part, all they really do need is some guidance from you, their manager. Keep in mind that you are part of their team too, and they’re counting on you as their leader to keep their department and projects running smoothly.