One of the most difficult management challenges today is managing change. why is this?

Table of content

• 1. Knowing your team
• 2. Creating reassurance
• 3. Being a source of motivation
• 4. Managing team conflicts
• 5. Training employees effectively
• 6. Hiring the right people
• 7. Communicating effectively
• 8. Beating burnout
• 9. Managing employee performance
• 10. Letting employees go

Introduction

A manager is not a person who can do the work better than his men; he is a person who can get his men to do the work better than he can. – Frederick W. Smith

When people advance up the career ladder, it is common for them to become managers at some point. While this progression can be rewarding, it also comes with its own set of challenges. There will be difficult times when you will be responsible for the development of your employees and the success of your team. To be a successful leader, you must constantly update yourself on the changing demands of the business environment so that you can adapt as needed.

As a manager, you will encounter new problems regularly, but how you handle these problems will determine your level of success. To assist you in preparing for any situation, here are the ten most common challenges that a manager faces, as well as tips on how to overcome them.

1. Getting to know your team and their concerns

You can hold all the group meetings you want and gather information from your employees, but the human element of purposefully getting to know them is often lacking. Great managers understand the importance of getting to know their employees and treating them as individuals rather than just employees. If a manager does not understand each employee’s strengths, weaknesses, work ethic, and communication style, employee productivity and morale can suffer.

How to overcome this:

Schedule regular one-on-one meetings with each member of your team. This will allow you to hear them out, understand their perspectives, and set better expectations and objectives. You will also learn to shape your leadership style so that it helps every member of your team develop rather than being a generic and one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Creating a sense of peace and reassurance during times of instability

Exciting opportunities can arise when businesses grow and change. Unfortunately, they can sometimes have unwelcome effects on their employees. These events can cause uncertainty, confusion, and frustration among teams members, which managers must address.

How to overcome this:

Maintaining open communication with employees will reduce employees’ frustrations and will keep their trust. Your primary focus should be on reassuring your employees that they are trusted and communication should be as free as possible. When you accept questions and provide updates, your employees will feel comfortable if they know what’s going on.

3. Being a constant source of motivation

We all want our work to be interesting daily, but it isn’t always attainable. Employees can become bored and may even question the necessity of particular duties. This is where one of the most difficult tasks for a manager emerges: you must endeavor to motivate your employees in all scenarios.

How to overcome this:

The ability to see the larger picture is a valuable skill that you can cultivate. Help your employees get excited about the future of the company. Tell them how they will help the company reach its goals, and give them a goal to work on and accomplish right away.

4. Managing team conflicts

When it comes to teamwork, conflict is inevitable. But when conflict arises between colleagues, it can negatively affect the whole team. Some managers try to avoid these conflicts. However, ignoring these conflicts is a terrible strategy.

How to overcome this:

One way to navigate conflict is to remind your team of the company’s culture and values. Values like trust, respect, and positivity help your employees work well together and will help them avoid conflicts on the job.

5. Training employees effectively

Training employees can be a tricky business. Company leaders may want workers who are well-trained but may not be willing to invest in training. If this is a problem in your department, you might want to consider new methods of employee training. This will help boost your team’s efficiency and production.

How to overcome this:

Managers must provide opportunities for employees to learn new skills. Mobile learning is a great way for employees to stay up to date on new information while also assisting them in adapting to new situations and acquiring new skills. You can provide “just-in-time” training to your teams wherever and whenever they need it. Instead of waiting until the next course is scheduled, teams can simply log on to their platform and upskill right away!

Upskill your entire team using Albert’s mobile training solution.

6. Hiring the right fit for your company

There are a lot of job candidates out there who may have the experience and skills you’re looking for, but that doesn’t mean they’re a good fit for your team. Making the wrong hiring decision can have a negative impact on your team’s morale and performance, so you’ll want to get it right from the start.

How to overcome this:

Create a strong selection process first, and don’t just choose candidates based on a “gut feeling.” Using selection assessments can help show how the candidate would react in different situations and give you a better idea of what they’re like as an employee. Second, don’t be afraid to seek help and advice from other managers or members of the human resources team. Inviting other members of your team to participate in the process can also help ensure a good match.

7. Communicating effectively

As a manager, it is common to feel disconnected from the rest of the team. This presents one of the most difficult challenges for managers: bridging the gap of effective and timely communication skills. This means that when a manager fails to communicate effectively with their team about business matters or individual progress, it may not only impact the manager-employee relationship, but it may also contribute significantly to employees’ work-related stress.

How to overcome this:

Everyone communicates differently; some methods of communication may be effective for some employees but not for others. The best way to overcome communication barriers is to improve your verbal, written, and listening skills, as well as make it easy for employees to approach you with their problems.

Holding regular meetings with employees, establishing clear work standards, and reinforcing project goals can all be beneficial. Albert can also be used as a platform to send messages, publish posts, and distribute content to specific employees and groups in any language they desire, ensuring timely and effective team communication.

Learn more about why internal communication is important for your business.

8. Preventing brain drain or burnout

Over the last year, burnout has been a hot topic in the business world. As a manager, finding the right balance between great performance and taking care of your own and your team’s health is critical.

Managers who do not take time off and do not recharge their batteries eventually burn out. This not only undermines their happiness and engagement but also sets an unrealistic example for their employees. When managers behave in this manner, a culture of overworking can spread throughout the office, reducing productivity and morale.

How to overcome this:

One of the best ways to boost the productivity of your employees is to help them increase their well-being. This does not imply forcing them to work longer hours; rather, it means encouraging them to take regular breaks, use their annual leave, and be mindful of other factors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

We’ve also created a list of productivity techniques you can incorporate into your working routines.

9. Managing employee performance issues

Managers must strike a balance between meeting goals, managing workloads, and motivating employees while providing consistent and constructive feedback. These tasks can become difficult to manage if managers are unaware of how their employees perform at work.

How to overcome this:

Setting goals is an important way to encourage good performance. When both you and the employee know what’s expected, it’s easier for you to evaluate what’s been done. In order to ensure accountability, incorporate continuous feedback into the performance management process. This allows you to provide personalized support, compensate for the employee’s work, and improve organizational engagement and productivity holistically.

Read to learn more about employee performance.

10. Letting go of an employee

Firing someone is never a pleasant affair, whether it is due to poor performance, misconduct, or economic constraints necessitating layoffs. This will be one of the most difficult things you do in your job, particularly if you’re new to management.

How to overcome this:

Have a 1-on-1 meeting with the employee to discuss how their behavior or work isn’t meeting the performance standards of the company. You can give them a chance to voice out their concerns or maybe a trial period to check if there are any changes. If not, clearly provide an honest explanation about why you are firing your employee.

Conclusion

It’s no longer a secret that one of the most difficult aspects of being a leader is managing a team. Every day, managers face new challenges and a long list of responsibilities. With each of these challenges comes a solution that promotes healthy working relationships, productivity, and personal development. Holding regular meetings with your team is an excellent way to navigate these challenges, and with the right tool, such as Albert, there will be no obstacle that you cannot overcome. Hopefully reading this article will help you to start thinking about the right strategies to take on these challenges with confidence.

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