6 Secrets of Highly Productive Managers
Managers are responsible for maximizing their team's output and keeping everyone on the same page concerning the company's objectives. Taking this a step further, successful people management encourages employees to contribute their best to their job.
But how can a manager lead their team to boost morale, increase output, and reduce turnover rates, among other positive business outcomes?
Highly productive managers are committed to their employees' personal growth and success. They are leaders at heart who emphasize highly productive behaviors and skill management. Their personal beliefs and principles profoundly affect an organization's culture and productivity once applied to management.
Read on to learn how to be a productive manager and discover some of the traits shared by the most influential managers.
How to be a Productive Manager?
A productive manager understands the importance of leading their team to success. To be a highly productive manager, you must work on your leadership skills and prepare for the future by remaining current in your field and looking for ways to share your knowledge with your colleagues. Implement different communication and time management approaches into your work routine to get the best results.
Here are six tips to boost your management skills and build a productive team.
1. Be A Leader
Most employees take their cues from higher management. Therefore, the leader's principles, tone, work ethic, values, work style, energy, and drive will greatly affect and determine the corporate culture. Leaders who inspire their teams to perform by setting an example and expressing and evoking passion for a common vision and goals are more effective than their subdued counterparts who 'manage' rather than 'lead.
While managers tend to manage, meddle, limit, and demoralize, leaders, in contrast to managers, instill the organization with their own contagious positive energy, enthusiasm, and adherence to professional ethics and goals, as well as their firm, passionate, and unshakable commitment to the company and its clients.
Leaders manage less, and while directing and monitoring large strategic concerns and communicating with their staff, they avoid intervening in day-to-day chores and responsibilities or micromanaging regularly.
2. Use Your Time Effectively
Great managers know how to prioritize tasks that require their time and effort. Consequently, they are great at management and scheduling. On the other hand, managers who often complain about their lack of free time tend to be the least disciplined in terms of scheduling. The phrase "I didn't have time" is code for "It wasn't significant enough to me."
Everyone has the time; the problem is that they all mismanage it. An easy way to overcome this problem is to learn to prioritize and manage your time effectively. Keep in mind that the most productive 20% of your efforts will yield the majority of your outcomes. So, determine the top 20% of your responsibilities and devote most of your time and energy to perfecting those.
If your teams are showing signs of persistent underperformance, you may want to have them keep and discuss a one-week time record.
Managing your time will also require you to exert self-control. Two types of activities occupy our time: those that are absolutely important, such as monitoring, reporting, and training, and those that are completely superfluous. Select your focus areas wisely. Create a list of things you want to stop doing as well as things you want to start doing. You don't waste your time on something that isn't essential or helpful.
If you are frequently distracted by alerts from texts, emails, and project management applications, you may want to consider turning off notifications. Distractions must be eliminated in order to focus on your task and achieve the greatest outcomes.
3. Promote Open Communication
If employees feel they cannot approach their superiors with questions or concerns, they will not be able to perform to their full potential. This makes it important to maintain a social and conversational atmosphere at the office.
You should be open, honest, and upfront in your communications with your team in order to provide them with the knowledge they need to succeed. Communicating the company's long-term plans and objectives will reassure employees that they are making a difference.
If you want to be a productive manager with effective communication skills, here are some suggestions for managing workplace communication effectively.
Select the appropriate communication medium: Consider your company's present communication habits. It could be anything from email, instant messaging apps, and intranet systems. What is the effectiveness of these channels? Knowing the answers to this question will help you select which communication tools will best suit your workers' communication styles.
Make efficient use of in-person communication: Internal communication may be easily maintained via email and text messaging. Face-to-face communication, however, remains important, especially when dealing with a sensitive matter. Even if in-person meetings are now mostly done online, the impact is the same, providing a quick response and lowering the likelihood of a misunderstood "tone."
Consider the tone of communication: What resonates with your audience is not just what is said to them but also how that message is presented to them through tone of voice and communication style. A conversational, welcoming tone will resonate with your staff, so be genuine and friendly.
Promote a Culture of Recognition: Employee appreciation, whether done through business newsletters or at all-hands meetings, improves communication, teamwork, creativity, and engagement. Employee appreciation gestures, such as thank you cards or a gratitude wall, may also assist team members in connecting to your larger mission.
4. Listen Attentively
Competent managers are attentive to their employees and keep tabs on any difficulties they may be facing. The goal is to provide a safe space for them to bounce off ideas.
As a manager, you need to be friendly and approachable so that people will feel comfortable talking to you. Develop your capacity for attentive and empathic listening. It is essential for managers to listen to employees when they come to them with queries or concerns. Your people will gain confidence when they see their opinions are valued and considered.
Finally, you need to share what you've learned and provide advice when it's needed. If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask. Make sure you have a firm grasp of the material by reviewing important topics again.
To encourage and inspire the staff to work together toward a single objective, a manager must first understand their individual requirements.
Beyond just listening attentively, good leaders motivate and coach their teams, provide timely delivery of both positive and negative news, publicly and privately praise employees for jobs well done, and seek and acknowledge team input on decisions that directly affect them.
5. Focus on Training & Skill Development
In today's workplace that is more influenced by technology and global markets than ever before, positioning yourself for the future is crucial for the success of the firm and the team. Education, skills, and expertise fast become obsolete in this knowledge-economy age. Therefore, it is critical to remain ahead of the productivity and innovation curve through continuous training and education.
The most effective managers teach and train their staff to help them reach their full potential. People are drawn to leaders who can help them achieve their goals.
Successful managers motivate and equip their staff to not just complete their tasks but to do them effectively and efficiently. Plus, leaders that take the time to coach their teams on the job have a greater chance of keeping their employees focused on the organization's goals, as measured by performance metrics.
The time you spend educating and coaching employees will provide a high return on investment, with positive repercussions that should permeate many levels of the organization. Moreover, your own learning and grasp of the subject will improve as you teach.
Ensure that critical resources are allocated to regular and continuous employee training and development, including part of your valuable time.
6. Recognize and Reward Good Efforts
Gratitude and appreciation are sometimes neglected in performance-driven companies. Thanking employees for their efforts demonstrates that they are recognized and respected. Saying "thank you" just takes a few seconds but creates a lasting effect.
Effective people managers understand the importance of telling staff when they've done a good job, and they show it regularly. Giving credit when it is due and recognizing their employees' accomplishments are two ways that managers build high-performing, productive teams.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to leading people, the most successful managers embrace a mindset that prioritizes the well-being of their staff. Consistently helping and motivating employees to achieve their best work demonstrates management's dedication to them, which is reflected well in the manager's productivity.
Moreover, if you wish to be a highly productive manager, focus on the greatest training possible while always updating, refining, and upgrading your own abilities to groom your employees for success and produce outstanding future leaders.