Hiring, managing and fostering a quality team of employees should be among a small business owner’s top priorities. Every employee's contribution becomes critical to your business's success when a team is small. Issues with individuals or poor synergy between team members can lead to lackluster progress, increased downtime and damaging overall team performance.

Read on to learn how to manage a small team successfully and discover the tangible benefits of effective team management.

Managing Your Team
How you manage your team members can play a significant role in their success and that of your business. Some ways you can best facilitate this include:

Communicate Clearly and Transparently
Most workplace misunderstandings occur due to miscommunication or confusion, which can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. When speaking to your team — especially if you are instructing or delegating tasks — make sure you are clear on all your expectations, including deadlines and goals.

Encourage Collaboration
Collaboration is especially vital in small teams. When employees are encouraged to work together, they can share knowledge, overcome workplace challenges and develop new skills. This type of workplace growth can help teams feel accomplished and more confident in their goals.

Appreciate — and Learn From — Constructive Feedback
Even the best-laid plans can go awry sometimes. If an employee approaches you with a workload or process issue, you must take their concerns seriously. Doing so will increase their comfort when bringing up challenges in the future and give you valuable insight into any pain points within your team that might inhibit their ability to succeed. In turn, this provides short- and long-term job satisfaction for all your employees. Your transparent leadership demonstrated your willingness to hear out employees regarding their struggles, plus you implemented positive change for all.

Give Recognition When It’s Due
Achievements deserve celebration. Recognizing your team’s hard work, whether with workplace rewards — such as a catered lunch, free time off or a gift card — can motivate your employees to work harder. It can also let them know their efforts are appreciated, strengthening team spirit and enhancing their loyalty to your business.

Keep Workloads Fair
Workplace overload can inhibit job performance, leading to feelings of physical and emotional tiredness, increased absenteeism and lower job satisfaction. Often, this can increase the perception of having too many responsibilities or tasks to accomplish. Distributing the workload fairly, whether by matching responsibilities with those you know can do them well or assigning a collaborative team, can boost morale and positive workplace accomplishments.

Be Proactive When Conflict Arises
Workplace conflict is inevitable. Employees might not agree on how to handle a certain project or who should be assigned to what aspect. It may stem from a more personal subject, such as an off-color joke or a comment made in poor taste. When these issues arise, approach them head-on before they spiral into bigger problems. Employers who are in tune with their team will have greater success in this arena. Your connection with your employees will help you catch changes in an individual’s or the overall group’s tone before the specific issue is brought to your attention. Your intuition will help identify and mitigate potential conflicts before they become serious issues.

Benefits of Effective Team Management
Aside from making sure everyone is carrying out their duties efficiently, there are other advantages that come from how you manage your small team:

• Happier employees – When employees feel good about their jobs and the work they’re doing, they’re more creative, engaged with their work and likely to contribute to a positive workplace culture. Not only does the work environment improve, but their work quality can also increase. According to research by the University of Oxford, workers are 13% more productive when happy — that’s like getting more than one extra work day per content employee every two weeks!
• More productive employees – Through your management, you can create an environment where employees want to thrive. By fostering collaboration, clear communication and uniting the staff on shared goals, they will feel valued and, therefore, inspired to contribute their best work.
• Less staff turnover – Replacing employees can incur significant costs, not to mention the time it takes to find a qualified candidate. By creating a positive workplace culture through your management, you can develop an environment where employees feel appreciated and stay longer. Long-term employees not only prevent the hard and soft costs of personnel turnover, but their institutional knowledge and dedication to your company’s success — and their job security by extension — creates efficiency and can help bump up your profits each year.

With proper management, small teams can become a powerhouse for the small business owner. If this article was helpful and informative, visit southernconsumers.org to learn more about how the Southern Consumers Alliance (SCA) can support your business.

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