As a small business owner, you didn’t start your business for the inimitable joy of managing people. You started your business because there was something you had to do, something you knew you could improve upon, and you knew how to do it. But then you knew you couldn’t do it yourself, or the business grew to the point where you had to bring people on…and now you’re a manager. Congratulations!
Management is not an innate skill. Yes, some people tend to be more organized than others. Some people can communicate more effectively. Attributes of excellent managers can seem easy, or like some people are born good managers. The reality is that management is a learned skill that must be cultivated, and every manager will tell you that they are constantly learning how to do it better.
If you’re a small business owner with a small team, getting people to do what you need them to do on time and with consistent results can be a challenge. How do you take time to learn to manage effectively when you have everything else to do as well? This is the Achilles’ Heel of many business owners.
Here are three management principles to help you tackle this challenge!
- Never Hand Off A Mess
- This is not a new concept, but it’s critical. When you hand a mess off to someone else, you guarantee that you’re going to get a surprise back. Sometimes you may be surprised by how the person took initiative to improve the mess and clean it up – but this is the exception rather than the rule.
- Rely on Process
- Process is your best support when you need to hand something off. Your process does not need to be perfect in order to hand it off – but it does need to exist. Processes that are ready for hand off are written down clearly, can be waked through and understood, and are simple to follow.
- Set Clear Expectations
- This is possibly the hardest principle for small business owners because. We have a lot going on, things are moving at a fast clip, and we often make the mistake of expecting people to live in our brains or be great minders readers. When setting expectations with your team, ask them if they understand the result you want and if your expectations are clear. This sets you and them up for success and improved communication.
Activity: Whether you have a team currently or not, consider how you are implementing these three management principles across your business. Where might you have opportunities to clean up a mess, implement a process, or set clear expectations?
- Hint: Even if you’re a solopreneur, clarifying expectations for yourself or clients can improve your management of the business.
- Hint: A great resource to learn about management is Julie Zhou’s The Making of A Manager. It’s written for managers of teams, not specifically for founders of small business, but her treatment of concepts related to management is fantastic.