A lot of time, effort and capital goes into opening a small business. Furthermore, a considerable amount of effort is needed to make that business thrive. Given how many small businesses close their doors within their first year of operation, it’s imperative that you and every member of your staff consistently go above and beyond. However, if you have little to no managerial experience, suddenly being thrust into the role of boss can be a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, with the following pointers at your disposal, effectively managing a staff should be well within your abilities.
Set Clear Boundaries When Hiring People You Know
It’s easy to see why so many small business owners opt to hire people with whom they have preexisting relationships. After all, if you’re in a position to extend a helping hand to a friend, family member, neighbor or anyone else in your regular circle, it’s only natural that you’d seek to do right by them.
However, while hiring people you know can provide some level of comfort, it can also pave the way for a number of challenges. For example, reprimanding an employee who’s also a close friend or family member can place both of you in a very uncomfortable situation. By extension, asking this person to make revisions to their work or calling their dedication to the job into question may prove downright impossible.
Furthermore, if your other employees become aware of the fact that you know one or more members of your workforce, you’re liable to be accused of giving preferential treatment to these individuals, regardless of whether or not this is actually true.
With this in mind, make a point of setting clear boundaries when hiring people you know. In doing so, make it clear that while you will continue to value your personal relationships with these individuals, you expect them to perform at the same level as the rest of your workforce and will be unable to provide them with special treatment.
Encourage Employees to Ask for Help
Some small business owners actively discourage employees from asking for help. In the minds of these individuals, requesting assistance with difficult tasks or even asking questions means that workers are ill-suited to their jobs. Needless to say, such policies are hardly conducive to fostering a happy, productive workforce.
If employees are afraid to ask questions or speak up when a task proves overwhelming, you may save yourself the trouble of providing assistance, but you’re also likely to wind up with subpar work and a disheartened workforce.
That being the case, you should actively encourage employees to come to you with any inquiries they may have and stress that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. This will help ensure that your team remains on the same page with a variety of projects, reduce the need for revisions and result in some very happy customers. Anyone looking for additional pointers on cultivating a capable, educated workforce should give a listen to an informative female entrepreneur podcast.
Avoid Micromanaging
While wanting to be in complete control of every aspect of your business is certainly understandable, this desire is simply unrealistic. Although you’ll maintain final say over all large decisions and be in charge of delegating tasks, attempting to micromanage your workforce is unlikely to work out well for you or your employees.
Unless an employee regularly displays a fundamental misunderstanding of their job duties, spending every workday hovering over your team members can be mentally draining and conducive to resentment.
If you’ve recruited talented employees with a proven aptitude for their respective jobs, it’s in everyone’s best interest that you let go of the need to meticulously monitor everyone’s every move. Just remember: the more trust and respect you show to your employees, the more you’re liable to get back.
To say that small business ownership requires ample hard work would be an understatement. This is particularly true in the case of fledgling business owners who are getting their first taste of managerial experience. Many first-time business owners struggle to find the right balance between lenient and authoritative and make a bevy of rookie mistakes as a result. While the occasional bump in the road is inevitable, the advice outlined above can make managing a staff feel considerably less overwhelming.
