Effective Managers: Balancing Ongoing Tasks and Aspiring to Be the Manager You Want to Be

Are you finding that certain ongoing tasks are consuming too much of your time? Are you striving to not only work efficiently as a manager but also become the manager you aspire to be? In this post, we will explore strategies to help you manage your time effectively and develop the skills and qualities necessary to fulfill your managerial aspirations.

To be honest, being an above-average manager doesn't have to be difficult (although the standards are low, I must admit).

The real challenge lies in prioritizing your efforts and time. However, the tasks themselves are not complicated. If you're starting out as a manager or if you want to help your own manager improve, here are some suggestions:

1. Schedule regular one-on-one meetings. Ideally, have them weekly, but if that's not feasible, every two weeks or at least monthly will do. Focus more on personal development rather than just providing updates.
2. Provide feedback on your team members' work in a timely manner. Don't wait for meetings; offer asynchronous feedback whenever possible.
3. Plan their careers, at the very least the next steps, and discuss it with them. Many people struggle with this aspect.
4. Share your own challenges and vulnerabilities with your team. By showing that you have anxieties too, you can coach them effortlessly, as they aspire to be in your position.
5. Involve your team in the decision-making process whenever appropriate. Often, people feel disconnected from the decision-making hierarchy. You can fix this by providing clarity and explaining why their work is important and valuable to the company. Offer them a framework to prioritize their tasks based on company goals.
6. Express appreciation for your team members' efforts. Consider creating a Kudo channel where everyone can acknowledge and praise each other.
7. Organize activities outside of work or team-building exercises to foster a sense of fun and creativity while establishing clear team norms.
8. Listen more than you talk. While most managers enjoy talking, it is through active listening that you can uncover inter-team issues, ambitions, and anxieties. Address them accordingly.
9. Adjust the challenges you assign to team members according to their preferences. Not everyone wants bigger projects or more exposure. Design an environment that allows each person to excel in their own way.
10. Streamline and improve operational processes, ceremonies, and tools to boost your team's productivity. Look into tools like Nova and Loom to facilitate this process.
11. Monitor your team's well-being regularly. Conduct surveys or include health check-ins during meetings.
12. Dedicate time to provide feedback on individual performance, helping team members achieve their goals through coaching and establishing commitments.
13. Foster a culture of belonging within your team. Create an environment where everyone feels included and valued.
14. When hiring, consider personality traits, work ethic, and task compatibility. Make sure you recruit individuals who genuinely enjoy the majority of the tasks they will be assigned.
15. Guide and share your knowledge with the team to facilitate their growth.

How can you measure and improve your team's health and productivity?

Let me share with your the 12 dimensions of a thriving team.

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing work environment, things like trust, conflict, enjoyment, and a sense of belonging are crucial for building a successful team. These aspects of teamwork not only contribute to the happiness and well-being of team members but also affect the overall productivity and performance of the team.

The first three dimensions are considered the fundamentals of any team. The first fundamental dimension is trust. Trust is the ability of team members to show vulnerability, share their opinions, and discuss mistakes. How often do managers show their vulnerability and recognize that they don't know or that they have made a mistake? How often do they recognize that they are having a bad day? How often do they manage from a "human" perspective instead of power and authority?

The second fundamental dimension is conflict. It's not about the ability a team has to manage conflict, but rather the opposite. It's how comfortable team members feel to share opposite ideas without the fear of being punished and how likely it is that a team member does not agree with the highest paid person in the room.

The third dimension is enjoyment. Enjoyment is key at work and is really connected with the ability to hire the right people based on the type of tasks they will need to get done on a daily basis to ensure that those are aligned with what they love to do and their experience so they enjoy going to work.

Moving on, the next section includes sense of belonging, commitment, and accountability. In this section, it's important that team members are involved in decisions that affect them so that whenever they are doing the job, they are committed because they believe in the process and the results. It's also important to keep in mind accountability and creating a space where team members (including managers) hold each other accountable and they feel that they can count on each other. It's never nice when you start your day feeling like you have to follow people to ensure they are getting things done. We have all been there.

The next two dimensions are performance and sense of belonging. Belonging impacts the bottom line – from lowering employee turnover by 50% to increasing job performance by 56%. Belonging is connected with the self-sense of purpose and value. One is the ability of oneself to understand one's purpose and value and how it feels like one is needed or missed when one is gone, while the other one is the sense that other people recognize, welcome, and admire your work. Do you think each person in the team feels like they belong? Do they understand how they provide value and where their place is at work? Does the team spend time getting to know each other? Is there someone making people feel welcome? If the answer is yes, your employee turnover is probably low, and your performance is higher than the average organization. If your answer is not, spend some time exploring how you could create a space where people feel like they belong.

These dimensions need to be measured and you need to build a success plan.

Here is the framework you need to define a strategy.

Here is the survey. Use this survey to gauge your team's sentiment and gain insights into areas that require improvement in order to enhance engagement, productivity, and overall team happiness.

You can find both template at Nova https://novatools.org/management/ . You can customize all our templates.

How can you manage a team effectively?

To successfully manage without control - trust and empowerment are essential. Both you as a manager and all team members need a transparent and visible space where progress and responsibilities are evident to everyone.

Here's how Nova can assist you:

1. Prepare for your one-on-one meetings by keeping all your notes in one place. Nova provides adaptable templates that help you get ready quickly.
2. Encourage your team to share work, designs, and proposals through Nova. This allows for feedback and approvals to be accessible to everyone involved.
3. Explore coaching tools and methodologies within Nova to discuss career growth and other topics.
4. Define OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and company objectives using tools like Nova.
5. Express appreciation using tools like Gratitude, available in Nova.
6. Utilize a collaborative and productivity tool like Nova to work from anywhere. Track tasks, whiteboards, approvals, feedback sessions, surveys, and more.
7. Define your employee profiles and create a coaching and growth plan. This understanding will enable you to design an environment where team members can thrive. You can even conduct sessions to understand individual preferences and establish team norms.
8. Leverage tools like Nova and Loom to reduce waste, and automate processes.

It's not rocket science, but being an above-average manager requires some key elements: prioritization, effective work management, and finding ways to save time on preparations. We understand that it can be particularly challenging when you're juggling multiple responsibilities or when your own manager is pushing you in different directions. It can feel overwhelming to find time for everything.

However, by implementing these suggestions, you'll show your team how much you support them, and you'll gain peace of mind knowing that things are progressing well and your team is delivering results. Your team will truly appreciate your efforts.

By the way, if you're looking for additional support, consider accessing Nova and our toolkit for managers. It provides a great return on investment and offers various tools that can benefit both you and your team. You'll find the perfect fit for your needs and enhance your management skills.

Give it a try!

https://novatools.org/management/