Partner Article

Managing a Team

With Business Link Debbie Lee from Business Link looks at how the effective management of your team can help boost your business efficiency.Taking a step back from the day-to-day demands of running a business and looking at the way your team works together could enable you to identify ways of improving your management procedures.For your teams to work well you should ensure you set clear goals, put in place clear lines of communication and responsibility and involve all team members in decision-making as much as possible. Further key skills for managers include leading effective meetings, encouraging training and personal development, building in regular reviews, listening to employees, motivating team members and rewarding initiative.Building your teamBuilding a management team is an essential part of any business’ success. A dynamic management team that works well together will impress outsiders and give your business a competitive edge. A badly run management team is likely to put off customers and investors, however brilliant an idea or product your business may boast. When looking to build a management team it is important to bring in a mix of skills and personalities that complement and reinforce each other rather than simply duplicating each other?s characteristics.Try to find people who are team players, who trust each other and will interact well. Then clearly define everybody’s role and responsibilities within the team and relate these roles back to your business strategy. It is always important to ensure those you employ are in tune with the goals of your business and the way in which these will be achieved.Remember - you may have to look beyond your existing employees to build a successful management team.TrainingJust as with staff training and development, you and your management team need to have the right skills. Without these key management skills, there is a risk that you may hold the business back and reduce productivity.Taking time to assess where your strengths and weaknesses lie will help you identify where you might benefit from external help. Businesses don?t always recognise the value of external support, yet it can make a big difference to your performance.For Business Link services in your local area, please call: 0845 600 9 006. For further information from Business Link, visit: www.businesslink.gov.ukBusiness Link services in the North East are supported by the European Regional Development Fund, through the Government Office for the North East, and One NorthEast.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .