So, what does it take to manage a team so that they are more productive and effective? This is a question that many managers and team leaders struggle with. A lot of people are looking for advice on how to manage their team better. They want to know your biggest piece of advice, or what you think is the most important thing to do.
There are a number of factors that need to be considered, such as team size, individual skills and personalities, the work itself, and the company culture. With so many variables at play, it can be difficult to know where to start. This is important because everyone wants a productive team that can help their business grow.
In this episode, I'll be giving you the number one tip that will help you manage your team. Now, it's probably not the only tip you need, but it's my one tip on the best way to manage your team.
Listen to the Episode
Atiba de Souza: You know, so many people are looking for the secret, the tip, the silver bullet, the thing to help them manage their team. And, you know, they ask, "What's the, what's your biggest piece of advice?". "What's the one thing I've got to know that's going to make all of this work?". Because everybody wants a productive team for their business, because that's why you hired them. Let's face it, right?
Well, today I want to share with you my one tip. Now it's probably not the only tip you need, but it's my one tip on the best way to manage your team.
Welcome to the Build Your Team show. I am your host, Atiba, and here we talk all about how to build the perfect team for your business. Best practices, what you need, skills, everything. We put it all together here so that you can learn how to build your team. Because after all said and done, you need a team for your business in order for your business to grow.
So let's dive right in. What's my number one tip: patience. Patience. Yeah, that's probably not what you wanted to hear. And you're probably thinking, "You know what? I'm not even sure if I like this guy anymore". But if you're still here, you still do like me, go ahead and hit that like button. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button as well because patience, that's the number one tip I have for you today.
Number one tip I have for you overall when it comes to building a team. Because the thing that you have to understand is that you have an idea. You have a vision and mind. You've been thinking about this. You've been dreaming about this. You know the role that you want done, and it has led you into a place where you've thought about it and dreamt about it so much that you start to make assumptions.
And when you impart that role into someone new, whether it's a virtual assistant or a hire, heck, even a contractor, very often you forget all of the assumptions you've made. You forget the journey that you took through getting, just thinking through all the steps to get to where, what it is that you want. Especially, especially if it was a role that you were doing, you forget what it was like when you started and all the lessons that you've learned along the way. And you expect someone else to come in, pick it up and run from right where you are, and that's just not fair to them. It sets them up for failure. And more importantly, it sets you up for frustration. Yeah!
Frustration. Frustration with them, frustration with yourself, frustration with the entire situation. And it's unfair. It is absolutely, absolutely unfair to them. And it's unfair to you and that's why you have to exercise patience.
And it's not patience with them. I'm not talking about patience with the employee or with the VA. I'm talking about patience with yourself. Patience with yourself, because you're going to get to it, and I'm telling you this because I've been there, you're going to get to the place where you're going to try. You're going to hire some people and it's not going to work out. You're going to bring some people in and it's not going to be the right fit and you're going to get frustrated and you're going to wonder, why is this not working?
Listen, we all go through it. You're not alone, but you're going through it. And you're feeling it because you've not had the requisite amount of patience with yourself to look at yourself in the mirror and realize that you're the one who screwed this up. You're the one who made the assumptions. You're the one who didn't communicate well to that employee.
You're the one who wasn't able to take your thought and ideas and put it clearly onto paper and impart it to someone else. And you say "No, no, no, I did. I did. I did!". Let me tell, let me just stop you right there. If you've hired more than one person to do the same role and neither one of them worked out, and they're gone, and you're still there in the company, you have to start asking yourself a question.
Who's the problem? Is the problem the people who left? Or the problem is the person who is still here? Is the problem the person who was here all along, through both of them? Or was it them? And that's why you have to exercise patience. Patience with yourself, to look yourself in the mirror and realize, okay, there's clearly something I'm missing here. Okay. There's clearly something I'm not imparting here. Let me go back to the basics. Let me go and figure out what am I missing before I bring that next person in, before I hire that next virtual assistant or hire that next consultant or that next employee. So that I can be better for them. Exercise patience.
Absolutely. Absolutely exercise patience. Now you're going to say, "Well do I-- so this is only about me?" Now, yeah you also need to have some patience with the employee too, the VA or the contractor too. When they come in, give them some, some leeway to make a mistake, recover and do better. But if they're making mistakes, recovering and doing better and things still aren't working out, then again, you got to go back and look at yourself.
You got to look at, am I giving the correct direction? Am I telling them which way to go? Am I actually getting rid of all of my assumptions? Have I, are there things that I'm not imparting because I'm just thinking it's common sense? Or I'm thinking it's a dumb moment or I'm thinking it's a, well, of course everyone knows this moment because guess what? Everyone doesn't know it. Everyone doesn't know it, okay?
So that's my number one tip for you when managing your team. You must have patience! Patience with yourself. To realize that if things aren't working out, it's probably your fault. It is probably your fault and you need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what are the assumptions that you have made that you did not impart to your staff, to your team, for you to have success.
All right, everybody! I'm Atiba. I will see you real soon! Bye-bye
