Management Techniques

What does it mean to be a great boss? Well, there are a few ways to answer that question because balancing the responsibilities of managing people and your company’s trajectory is no easy feat. In fact, it can be quite a struggle, unless you’re aware of and practicing healthy management techniques that is!

Effective managers believe in their organization’s vision, employees, and potential. Their energy and dedication are what powers the company’s engine, boosts employee productivity, and elevates their organization’s overall rates of job satisfaction and success. While each successful manager employs a different set of practices to motivate their team and push them forward towards their goals, you can bet that every single one of them regularly practices similar management techniques.

Employee productivity and company success begin with good management. That’s why being aware of key management techniques and prioritizing their implementation into your company structure and practices is key for all employees, no matter your status, position, or ranking. So, whether you’re a manager hoping to improve their leadership capabilities, an HR executive aiming to enhance the practices of their company’s top-tier management, or simply an employee who wants to be informed, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’re going to define management techniques, describe the most important practices that we recommend you incorporate into your organization, and list the 10 rules that are fundamental to practicing successful management techniques.

What Are Management Techniques?

So, first things first, let’s explain what a management technique truly is.

A management technique is a recognized method of analyzing and handling a management problem in a detailed, constructive, and systemic way.

Though the goals and management styles of organizational leaders may vary, management techniques are key to the success of every group. This is true for both big and small businesses. Incorporating regular and smart management techniques won’t just enhance the fulfillment of your employees, the atmosphere of your work environment, and help with team building, in the long term, it will make a leader’s job easier too. That’s because it will motivate your team to do their best work, encourage them to thrive, and overall, improve the sustainability of your company.

Though becoming aware of effective management techniques and starting to implement them into your practice from scratch might feel daunting at first, the good news is that it will be worth it in the long run.

What Are The Best 5 Management Techniques?

Now that we’ve explained what exactly a management technique is and why incorporating them into management strategies is important, it’s time to outline our top 5 practices.

Give Earned Recognition

Everyone responds well to positive recognition, no matter your employment level, industry, or personality. It feels good to know that your contribution to your organization isn’t only going unnoticed, but is actually valued.

Employees who are regularly acknowledged for their good work tend to feel an emotional commitment to their job, their team, and their company’s vision. It helps inspire employees to believe in the principles of their organization, enhances their professional development, and encourages them to feel proud of their profession. This, in turn, has been proven to have a direct connection to the effort they put into their role and the potential of your company on the whole.

Though having high emotional intelligence might inform you of when a certain employee might be due some recognition, we advise all managers to not leave their system of giving recognition up to emotional chance. Instead, we recommend that you implement a management software system of regular check-in meetings and performance reviews so that all employees feel seen and know that their personal development, and contribution to the company vision, are recognized.

Provide Training And Career Development

As mentioned above, all employees want to feel inspired. This is why providing for ample training and career development in addition to offering them earned recognition is key.

Goal-oriented and motivated employees don’t just want to know that their contribution to their company’s vision is recognized, they need to be sure that your company is invested in their progression. If they sense that this might not be the case, you may risk losing them to a competing employer who does offer them the support and development that they’re looking for.

To provide suitable training and development for your employees, have regular meetings with them where you identify their preferred areas of growth and ask them what aspects of the business they’re interested in. Additionally, schedule in regular sessions where you offer them constructive feedback on how they can reach their aspirations. By demonstrating this interest and acting upon it, you’re helping them develop new skills that long term will prove to be a valuable asset to your own business goals, and employee loyalty, too.

Have Clear Company Goals

Sometimes in a larger company, it can be easy for individual employees to feel like their own daily tasks aren’t connected to their company’s overall goals. This can result in a huge decrease in their motivation.

For this reason, we advise devising a clearly structured company goal strategy. While this sort of system may look different from company to company, there are some common company strategies that many successful companies use to connect the success and motivation of their individual employees to the overall arching goals of their company.

For example, many successful and motivated companies utilize a system of OKRs to enhance their company and individual development and success.

Troubleshoot Problems Early

Company issues and problems won’t solve themselves, and as an organization’s leader or HR executive, you’re responsible for how a problem is handled and ultimately, whether or not it is solved.

First things first, we advise being clear with your workforce about your expectations of them off the mark. Give your employee's regular and honest feedback and ask them, in turn, to do the same with you. This kind of open communication lowers the risk of a lot of future problems arising down the line. Clear expectations through open communication are vital, but empowering managers with well-defined standard operating procedures (SOPs) takes it a step further. It equips managers with systematic operating procedures to quickly diagnose and resolve issues before they even impact performance.

Know When To End The Employment

If there is no improvement after exhausting your methods of constructive feedback and trying to solve the problems associated with a particular employee, know when to cut ties with the said employee and how you should do so.

Though ending employment should be a last resort after several rounds of feedback and constructive criticism, it is an important and necessary step to take if an employee’s performance does not improve or it becomes clear that their attitude/vision does not align with that of your organization.

When/if this moment does arise, be sure to handle it with care. If you’ve input an appropriate amount of energy and time into their progression and their skill set does not reflect this, whether it be in terms of their workflow management, problem-solving skills, poor time management, inability to reach milestones on time, etc. then this is not your personal fault nor does it make you a bad manager. In fact, knowing when to draw the line and terminate the employment of an employee whose trajectory no longer aligns with your organization makes you a good manager.

Remember that while it is never nice to terminate someone’s employment, it’s arguably worse to receive news that your employment is ending. It should never be a surprise and should always be handed in a kind, legal, and timely manner.

Remember, though terminating contracts is not a nice activity, it is probably what is best for both your company and the unsuccessful employee. It will allow your company to find a more suitable individual for the role and in turn, will give the employee space to find a role and environment that truly suits them.

What Are The Least Effective Management Techniques?

Now that we’ve run through the most effective management techniques, it’s time to outline the least effective ones. These management practices are not constructive and the regular incorporation of them into your strategy will not yield positive results. With this in mind, it’s good to be aware of them so that you can avoid integrating them into your company practice.

Focusing On Short Term Results

Whether you’re a manager, HR executive, or base level employee, exclusively honing in on short-term results is a bad game plan. This is because while punitive goals may yield immediate gratification or satisfaction, they are not conducive towards long-term success. As a manager, your mind must be focused on the long term and short term, not just what’s immediately in front of you.

Not Embracing Diversity

Though at first glance lack of diversity may appear as a social issue, it is actually a business issue too. Modern companies and their workforces should reflect the society that we live in. This means that all managers and HR executives should make it their priority to avoid hiring homogenous teams and instead employ individuals from a spectrum of backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and communities.

Businesses and business owners who fail to hire diverse teams don’t just put themselves at multiple disadvantages, they rob their organization of the opportunity to utilize a broader set of skills and perspectives. This means that their company’s vision will only reflect the minds of a select few instead of the collective vision of many and will prevent their progression from developing past a certain point.

Being Indecisive

When it comes to managing people and goals, being indecisive is a no-go. A leader should be sufficiently competent and informed in their field to be able to provide adequate and timely solutions to their employees. This is true for all company matters, whether it be about discussions over topics such as work-life balance, adequate pay, or company goals.

Although it’s important to give employees sufficient autonomy to grow as individuals, it’s equally important to provide support for them so that they know that the organization backing them is competent.

The Top 10 Rules Of Effective Management

To help you and your organization embrace the above-mentioned positive management techniques, we’ve put together our top 10 rules of effective management.

Keeping this list close by and referencing it regularly should keep you and your company on track to achieve your collective goals and maintain workforce fulfillment.

• Be consistent
• Communicate clearly
• Prioritize teamwork and collective progression
• Recognize team and individual successes
• Lead by example
• Practice transparent management and set clear goals
• Tailor your management to each employee
• Encourage your workforce to be open with their ideas
• Prioritize the maintenance of a happy work environment
• Listen to your workforce

Conclusion

So, that concludes our article on effective management techniques! We hope that you can use it as a point of reference to spark enthusiasm within your organization, encourage individual employees to thrive, and improve your competency as a manager. Good luck!

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