Business In Washington - Business Operations & Management Consulting

Managing people is one of the most difficult and ultimately rewarding jobs anyone can have in business. For most of us, it doesn’t come naturally. Part science, part art, and part psychology, it is a learned and practiced skill that has to bend to suit the situation and the individual employee. Management training (it was called “charm school” when I went) helps initially and refresher courses over the years help build on what you know. However, the primary management “teacher” is experience. You learn to face and deal with difficult management situations by working through each challenge and learning as you go.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was the importance of communicating regularly with employees. They need to be kept in the loop and informed of a company’s goals so they can be active participants. Nothing is more demeaning to workers than to feel as if they are nameless cogs in a corporate machine that has little or no meaning to them. When fully informed, they are far more likely to buy into your mission and help you achieve it.

In addition to understanding what they are working towards, employees need feedback. They need to know when they are doing well, and also when they are not. That’s the tough job for most of us - how to look an employee in the eye and say that his/her performance is not up to par. I always got over my natural hesitation and dislike of confrontation by reminding myself that not giving an employee this information and allowing a chance to fix a performance issue was to do him/her a very serious disservice.

So, take some time to praise and also to correct. Remember to praise in public, but discipline in private. Don’t overdo the praise, or you will erode its value. Don’t avoid the criticism when it is warranted. There needs to be responsibility and accountability from employees.