Becoming a manager for the first time in your life is a really big deal. You have to detach yourself from the value of your individual performance and tune into something bigger. Your value system, the way you navigate challenges, and how you do your job all have to adjust. And that change can feel overwhelming.
You can learn about team management, best practices, and tips, but so often, that information is geared toward people with years of experience who just need a refresher. That’s not enough for you. You need a step-by-step guide on how to manage a team and NOT screw everything up.
Yes, the general tips are helpful (and we have those, too), but we are going to go deeper than that. In this post, we’ll cover
- What is team management?
- Why you need to understand team management
- Understand your starting point
- How to not run over anyone
- Deciding on your management style
- Choosing practical strategies
- Tips for doing this thing
- Delegation
- One-On-Ones
You can click any of the links above and skip as your heart desires.
What is Team Management?
Here at A.McBeth Consulting, we like to define team management as “the act of using managerial tactics to meet business goals and improve performance. It involves a combination of guidance, coordination, teamwork, communication, and support. Paired with problem identification and conflict resolution, team management is best viewed as an amalgamation of skills.”
Sadly, a manager’s only job is not just working with the team. A Havard Business Review study found that the average manager spends
- 54% of their time on administrative tasks
- 30% on resolving issues
- 10% on finding new strategies (with technology, people, systems, and processes)
- Less than 7% on developing their people.
And we don’t know about you, but that’s not what we picture when we think about management—even if it’s the reality.
So, with those metrics in mind, it’s even more important to be systematic and careful about the interactions you have with your team and how you use those interactions to shape their success.
Why You Need To Understand It
Some of us can just “wing it” and be great managers who are thorough, never forget anything, share the necessary information, and make everyone feel special without even trying. But honestly, that’s not anyone we know. That means that for most out there, taking a “wing it” approach can have a widespread negative impact.
The business suffers, your team suffers, your stakeholders get mad, and your life is downright stressful. No one wants that.
By understanding aspects of team management systems, styles, and techniques, you can find your perfect cocktail. You might be a more serious person who sucks at small talk, which means you can get right to the point when you sit down for a meeting. You might really enjoy hosting meetings, which means you can lean into that form of communication and information sharing. You might suck at monitoring your email, and you can make adjustments for that.
Never take on a system in full force. Take the pieces that work for you, but you have to do the work of finding them in the first place. Also, decide on what your definition of a good manager is and work to be that—not what you think you should be just because that’s how your friend’s friend did it.
How To Manage A Team, START HERE
In this section, we are going to break down every aspect to consider when beginning your management journey, including
- Defining your management style
- Understanding your organization’s needs
- The difference between an established team and a newly formed one
- The storming after the forming
- The first day(s)
- The process of building trust
Define Your Style
We lightly mentioned it before, but we firmly believe you have to understand yourself before you can decide what type of manager you want to be. That doesn’t mean you need to do a 10-day silent retreat that focuses on breathwork before you can be a manager.
All we are saying is that you need to define team management for yourself. What do you think a good manager looks like? What do they do? What do they avoid? How are they viewed by their team?
Don’t think about what you’ve been told they should be. Define it for yourself.
Your Organization
Next, consider your company, organization, business, etc. What are they looking to accomplish? What is the purpose of this team from their perspective? Is the organization or task-driven? Do you work on a project-to-project basis, or are business operations ongoing? Then, consider what behaviors those actions require of the team.
For example, a creative organization will hold individuals who require autonomy and the ability to take risks and make mistakes safely. A task-oriented organization might have less room for creativity but can thrive with a different type of innovation where people contribute to the improvement of processes and procedures. Think about that.
New Team vs. Established Team
Only after you’ve defined a “good manager” by your own standards can you then look at the team you are about to head. The first interactions you have with them and how you handle those interactions will vary drastically depending on this detail—is this a new team or an old one?
If it’s brand new, you must IMMEDIATELY agree on your collective goals, objectives, and expectations. Everyone needs to be starting this chapter on the same page. It’s also helpful to understand each person by making a clear effort to get to know them. There isn’t much to learn about outside of who everyone is and how they’ll come together to meet your organization’s goals.
But, if the team is older and established, and you are the new guy, your directives are completely different. In fact, we’d encourage you to ignore the urge to “manage” for a while. For the first few weeks, sit back, observe, and listen. Ask questions and show that you are curious about how things work and not that you are a big, scary monster coming in with the sole intention of stomping all over their peace of mind.
Show them that you aren’t above them or their suggestions.
Don’t be offended if they are suspicious, resistant, and judgemental. They are expecting you to throw your weight around and run them over. Don’t do that, and things will ease quickly.
The Storm After You’ve Formed
After you’ve been in the role for a few months after the team was originally formed, the team gets more comfortable with expressing themselves. You’ll notice an intense increase in pushback, fallouts, and people asking for more. They’ll fight to be heard.
And while it will feel scary, you’ll need to stay strong, don’t panic, and be insanely patient.
The First Day(s)
Basically, don’t give them a reason to doubt you at the onset. Be prepared, and come on to the scene with your best. Things will go wrong, and that’s okay, but try not to let them shake you. You aren’t going to make everyone happy all the time. There will be people you don’t get along with, and that’s okay. Just be fair and consistent.
Also, don’t be afraid to get rid of toxic people. That’s not uncomfortable things you don’t feel comfortable with. We are referring to people who are hurtful, corrosive, and aggressive. No matter how good they are at their jobs, let them go.
How To Manage A Team, Making Change
When you land that position, you’ll probably notice a long list of things you want to change. These things could be subtle, they could be in-your-face huge, or they could be things that others think aren’t broken. Suddenly, you have the power to bring about that change.
Remember, it’s not uncommon to feel some type of pushback once the dust has settled, so you may need to do this slowly. Also, always make sure the team feels both a part of the change and focus your efforts on making things better for them. How? Well, take baby steps, such as
- Establish a culture of feedback from the start
- Lean on trust-building patterns and rituals
- Kill off blame culture
- Ask for help
- Zoom out and see the team
A Culture of Feedback
There are only two important points here. 1) This starts with you. Don’t start by handing out feedback. Start by asking for it. If people feel safe giving it, they will be far more receptive to receiving it. 2) Don’t wait for the yearly reviews to get feedback. Ask for it all the time.
In all reality, you should be setting up regular meetings with each person you manage to keep the channels of communication open, flowing, and honest. Distance and time make people feel hesitant.
Ask your team things like the following.
- Am I clear in the expectations I set? Is there any way you feel I can improve that?
- Do I give you enough time to complete your tasks, or do I undercut you?
- Does my style of communication work for you?
- What do you need from me to be successful? What do you need from the company?
Building Trust
More and more teams out there are going to use virtual team members and either become fully remote or some type of hybrid. These teams present a couple of extra challenges when figuring out how to manage a team.
We recommend that your chief objective is to make them feel like a team. Have meme Mondays where people submit a meme to the group chat that represents their weekend or mood. You could also have people share one good thing and one bad thing that’s going on with them. We are all just people, so humanizing the team helps improve communication and understanding of who exists across the screen.
Kill Off Blame Culture
When you use blame to explain an event, you turn yourself into a passive victim of an event. And if your team sees you doing that… Well, monkey see, monkey do. You’ll soon find yourself wondering why no one takes accountability when things go wrong.
So, instead, look at the problem as a whole ecosystem, not just in parts. Ask where the process, procedure, or system failed rather than asking about who is at fault. Think about what caused the problem and try to address it holistically. Discuss prevention tactics with team members. Don’t shame them.
Ask For Help
Set the example. Be collaborative and show people that you don’t know everything. No one does, and by using others as a resource, your team will follow suit. When handling stressful situations, ask your team for help.
Focus On Team Performance
Zoom out. This isn’t about one person anymore. When you are trying to establish how to manage a team in a way that works for you, focus on supporting the success of your team by supporting individuals. You might be doing less yourself in this role, but that’s okay. It just means effective delegation will be key.
How To Manage A Team, Strategy is Everything
When managing a team, you have to be systematic. Your mind is not a steel trap. You are not Megamind. You are not nearly as consistent as you think without assistance, and that’s okay. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be more strategic in this role.
You are going to need client management software, project management software, calendars, to-do lists, etc. Get used to writing things down if you can’t take care of it immediately. Your phone is an amazing resource—use it.
But more than that, you need to have the following.
- Communication Plan
- Stakeholder Management Plan
- Training & Improvement Plan(s)
Communication Plan
Communication cannot only happen when you think of it. There will be crucial elements that you miss. You are human. It happens to the best of us. Begin by understanding your communication objectives. What does the team need to know? What information do they need/want access to?
They may need to be briefed on tasks, given feedback on progress, or encouraged through a problem. Match those objectives to the best-matched form of communication.
Pro Tip: Email can’t be everything. So, only use that form for sharing small details. Then, for the big stuff (sharing ideas, plans, vision, etc.), only use meetings. Seriously, do not email a life-changing memo and call it a day.
Stakeholder Management Plan
A huge aspect of a management role is working with and answering stakeholders. A stakeholder is anyone who has a direct interest in your project or work outcome. They are a big part of a business’s landscape, and they cannot be ignored.
Develop a plan for meeting with stakeholders at various stages of the project or at times relevant to decision-making or chapter-ending. You might have monthly meetings that allow stakeholders to see progress for themselves, recommend changes, and ask questions. But please, don’t ignore this.
When trying to determine how to manage your team, don’t skip it or downplay it’s importance. It will only hurt you.
Training & Improvement Plan
There are few out there who want to be in the same role, doing the same thing for years to come. Not only is that insulting, but it’s also wasteful. People learn and improve with time. Not letting them use that knowledge and award them for their growth is completely counterproductive.
So, you need first to understand the personal goals of each team member. What is important to them? What do they like to do? What do they like to learn about? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
Then, help them figure out a way to improve. That might be through training, education, or some additional form of personal/professional development, but it’s very important that people feel able to grow.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s not impossible to be a good manager. It’s not even that hard, but it can be. One of the most important aspects of managing others is understanding that they are, in fact, people—not machines. Have empathy. See what they see, learn about their experience, and work to improve it.
By using things like regular meetings, team building, support, and feedback, you will absolutely succeed in your new position. Congratulations on your new position. Now, get to it!
