Start Up Management 101

We’ve all had them – whether inapproachable, lacking focus and attention, unclear, too chummy – whatever the reason, bad managers can make your work life unbearable, and it’s definitely not what you want to emulate for your start up. Below, you’ll find five tips to guarantee you’re the manager that makes people want to try a little harder, push themselves further – invaluable from your employees, especially in a start up.

1 – Share your passion.

Although you can’t expect everyone to have the same level of enthusiasm for your new business as you do, sharing your dedication and love with your start up team is a guaranteed way of getting people on board. Speaking to anyone who is truly passionate about something is infectious and will spread amongst your team members and employees, pushing them to give just that little bit more.

2 – Get them trained.

Offering the opportunity to gain professional certifications and giving career development opportunities will make your employees feel valued. It shows them that you care about their careers and progression and want to help them move forward. If you don’t know what opportunities might be most appropriate for them, make it a shared job to find out. You can ask them (see point five) – what do they want? The answers might surprise you and give you ideas for directions you hadn’t thought of before.

3 – Notice them.

An observant manager is a great manager. Has an employee been coming in early? Leaving late? Working over lunch to get a project finished to a good standard on time? A quiet word in their ear to let them know they can head off a few hours early on Friday will go a long way and make your employee feel great that you’ve acknowledged the extra effort.

4 – Be friendly (but not too much).

There are loads of great ways to socialize with your team, and it’s an important part of building a good working ethos and creating a positive atmosphere and environment. But if you’re likely to get messy after one drink too many, stick to a strict limit. Remember, at the end of the day, these are people who respect you and blearily telling them your breakup history is not going to maintain that. If after-work drinks aren’t for you, there are plenty of team activities and events you can go on to get you all bonding.

5 – Dedicate time to them.

Although it might feel weirdly formal to have one-to-one meetings with your team, it can really boost morale and let them know you value their thoughts and opinions. Have something to discuss with them, whether it’s taking on more responsibility, catching up about a project or finding out about their workload. You also need to offer them the chance to tell you any concerns or worries that they have, or anything they think is going great!

Remember, your employees are there because you think they bring something to your start up, whether it’s their enthusiasm and passion, expertise or a particular required skill set. Whatever it is, you want them to look forward to coming into work every day and successfully managing them is a huge part of that.

This is a contributed post.