How to manage a team of 10 people. How to lead a team without experience
Knowledge of how to properly lead a team is rarely given to anyone from birth. A person appointed to a leadership position has to independently develop a style for managing subordinates, and some advice will help him with this.
The ability to lead a team is a rare quality that only a few are endowed with from birth. Such people are usually called charismatic, capable of captivating others and rallying like-minded people around them to achieve their goals.
The question of how to lead a team often falls to those who have naturally received more modest talents. They managed to achieve a leadership position through their own perseverance and professionalism, but they are not enough to successfully manage their subordinates. This statement does not mean that such people cannot become good leaders. They will be able to achieve such a goal by developing certain character traits, choosing the right behavior strategy, and developing suitable style relationships with employees.
How to lead a team without experience: leadership qualities
Before you think about how to properly lead a team, you will have to thoroughly work on yourself. Only a person who has developed the appropriate character traits will be able to earn authority among his subordinates. One of them is iron composure, unprecedented endurance. The department that a specific person is assigned to manage has to solve many work problems every day, and the stress associated with such work contributes to the emergence of a nervous environment. It will be relieved by a calm, optimistic boss, infecting others with his own enthusiasm and cold-blooded confidence in the success of his undertakings.
The following quality is useful to any boss, including those who lead a choir. Demandingness is the key to ensuring that the work of the unit does not stall. This quality should not be confused with despotism or authoritarianism - these are anachronisms that worked a few decades ago, in modern conditions are not suitable as management methods. Demanding means the ability to get employees to complete assigned tasks.
Those seeking to understand how to lead a team will need to develop strict self-discipline. A good boss demonstrates through his behavior the style of work that he requires from his subordinates. If he scolds employees for lack of punctuality, he himself is obliged to appear at workplace“on call” (in the absence of scheduled business meetings outside the office). The carelessness and inaccuracy of the boss will be mercilessly ridiculed by colleagues and will prevent them from taking him seriously.
How to lead a team if you are the boss: building relationships
People who are familiar firsthand with how to manage a women's team note one of the difficulties of such management - the flourishing of gossip. Such an unhealthy atmosphere has a negative impact on productivity. The tactic of treating all subordinates equally will help prevent such a development of the situation. You can’t single out favorites and outsiders, or encourage flattery towards yourself, but it’s worth discreetly praising an employee for a job well done.
One of the principles of how to lead a new team will be useful to every boss. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know all the members of your unit and remember at least their first and patronymic names. If, due to the huge number of subordinates, personal communication with everyone is impossible, it is advisable to review their files stored in HR department. It is worth remembering the key circumstances of their life: presence/absence of family, professional skills.
Specialists who have knowledge of how to properly manage a small team remember the hackneyed truth: the boss shows friendliness to his subordinates, but avoids familiarity. The latter is detrimental to labor productivity. An employee who tolerates a familiar attitude towards the boss will stop taking his words seriously and will begin to work half-heartedly.
Distribution of duties
Advice on how to effectively lead a team often includes a recommendation to learn how to delegate. Proper organization of collective work involves allocating to each individual that area of common work where he is more competent than others, establishing clear deadlines, and periodically monitoring the progress of tasks. It won’t hurt the boss to train several people from among his subordinates, who will then replace the boss himself while he is on vacation, a business trip, or sick.
If necessary, it is easier for a woman to find out from personal experience how to lead a female team, since she knows the psychology of representatives of her sex. Ladies, in addition to a certain penchant for gossip, are distinguished by their ability to imitate vigorous activity, in reality doing needlework and other things far from work. This kind of thing needs to be monitored and stopped. The cure for such sloppiness is work. Its high-quality implementation is worth rewarding - at least with praise.
One of the main tasks of a leader is managing people. Since up to 70% of information is not perceived verbally, influencing through emotions is an integral part of the task of managing subordinates. A leader must manage his emotions well in order to be an emotional leader and successfully influence his subordinates. The emotional leadership of a successful manager consists of the following components.
The ability to track and recognize your moods and emotions. Do this not when emotions are “unwound” and you need a lot of effort to somehow work with them, but at the stage of their inception.
The ability to manage your emotions, restrain negative ones, choose the necessary and appropriate ones.
Ability to set thoughtful goals and maintain what is needed emotional condition in the process of achieving them.
The ability to understand the emotions of other people and influence them.
Be flexible in choosing ways to influence. Combine logic, factual material, emotions.
To make important decisions you need to be able to enter into desired condition, do not give in to the momentary mood. Draw final conclusions free from the influence of any emotions.
Having high level emotional competence, the leader can influence the emotional mood of his subordinates. This may be necessary for different stages management communication, one of which is effective management.
Effective command is not simply the transfer of information from a leader to a subordinate. This is a system of emotional, verbal, motivational influence, which consists of successive stages.
Attracting the attention of a subordinate
Usually, in companies with a good corporate culture, a scheme for calling a subordinate to a manager has been worked out. This can be a call through a secretary, assistant, intercom, using a local local network, by phone, etc. The main thing is that the subordinate has a clear understanding that he is called to the management at a certain time and place. This means that you need to take a break from current affairs and switch your attention to the upcoming communication with your manager. Most likely, attracting attention should be accompanied by calm, businesslike, firm intonations. In some cases, to highlight the significance of the upcoming conversation, emotions that convey seriousness, urgency, and the need for a meeting can be useful, for example, slight concern on the face, a quick voice, short phrases. Accordingly, these emotions can only make sense when a boss personally addresses a subordinate. If the call comes through a secretary, then direct emotional impact is impossible.
Demonstration of authority
Quickly orients the employee to comply with subordination and other corporate etiquette established in the organization, and, just in case, reminds him where he is and about his responsibilities. As a rule, the manager’s office and the environment in it testify to his capabilities and authority. A better and larger table, more chairs, etc. In addition, authority can be demonstrated through voice and emotions. For example, a friendly instruction: “come in - sit down” can be friendly in form, but in content it is an indication of a demonstration of authority. The one who gives the orders has the power.
Indication of current behavior
For example, “write down what I will say” or “there is an important task, I will formulate it, and you listen, note what is not clear, then ask a question.” Emotions - business cooperation, care, interest.
General formulation of the problem
This is a statement of any facts, circumstances, events. Maybe telling an employee previously unknown information. The problem is stated in business terms, calm tone, if there are no special tasks to exert an emotional influence on a person. If you need to influence at this stage of giving orders, for example, to show the seriousness of the problem, then some dramatization of the transmitted information, accompanied by excitement, concern, and urgency, is possible.
Formulation of the problem
It is possible to solve a problem, but it is better to solve a problem, so a manager should set tasks, not problems, to his subordinates. The wording must be clear. What does the employee need to do in connection with the problem outlined? It is useful to speak about the task in a firm tone, expressing confidence in the possibility of solving it.
Specifying the task step by step
If the task is large, then it is correct to give instructions on what specific steps need to be taken to solve it.
Designation of the time allotted for solving a problem
There are people who are time-oriented; they clearly understand how many days, hours, minutes they will need for a certain job. Other people are process-oriented; they will solve a problem without considering how much time it takes. It may turn out that the result will not be needed, because it is too late. The manager’s task is to establish and agree on a time frame for solving the problem.
Warning about possible errors
The manager knows more, so it is better to immediately prevent possible obvious mistakes that a subordinate may make while performing the assigned task. It is better to talk about possible mistakes, showing care, attention and focusing not on the qualities of the subordinate, which can lead to these mistakes, but on certain objective circumstances, without taking into account which the task may become more complicated. This is important for two reasons, firstly, to optimize work, and secondly, to motivate the employee, since, speaking openly about possible difficulties, the leader shows, on the one hand, the complexity of the task, and on the other hand, trust in the subordinate who can cope with all the difficulties.
Motivation by benefits and/or possible negative consequences
In other words, what will the employee receive by following the order, or what will he lose if he fails to complete the task. It is important to accompany positive motivation with emotions of joy, success, pleasure, and Negative consequences express, accompanied by emotions of disappointment, regret, sadness. Depending on the specific subordinate, you can limit yourself to only positive motivation, or only negative, since the manager must know what influences the employee more effectively.
Ending with a positive, “first step” motivation
When the subordinate understands the task at hand, it is important to end the conversation on a positive note. This could be gratitude for cooperation, confidence that everything will work out in the best possible way. the best way, since the performer is an intelligent, professional, competent, promising person. Emotional uplift, inspiration from communication, and confidence in success will be very appropriate. In conclusion, it is useful to ask what the subordinate will do first to achieve the task, approve this decision, and end the conversation with an emotional parting word: “Go ahead, everything will work out!”
IN practical application the sequence of giving effective orders by a leader to a subordinate can be changed depending on specific circumstances, for example, if the subordinate has high motivation, then there is no need to spend a lot of effort on an additional positive attitude, everything is good in moderation.
Many leaders have difficulty formulating positive statements. It turns out that the negative is born on its own, easily and simply, but it can be difficult to reformulate it in the opposite direction. Therefore, it is useful to master the rules for composing positive statements.
1. Speak in short, energetic sentences.
They are better remembered as slogans. Energy gives them weight. Emotions of confidence, calm, significance make the phrase convincing.
2. Speak in the present and future tense, all actions in speech should take place now, aimed at a successful and attractive future.
The past tense directs attention to what has already passed. It is better to talk about what is and what will be.
3. Use positive language.
Say what needs to be done, not what to avoid. For example, “you shouldn’t set unrealistic goals,” it’s better to say: “you need to set real goals.”
4. Use beautiful images, the words should be pleasant.
Create attractive images. As in the film "12 Chairs" Ostap Bender painted a picture of the great chess city for the residents of "New Vasyuki". But why can’t we also talk attractively about real projects?
5. You can and should change yourself, not the world around you.
A positive statement should puzzle what exactly you need to do to change the reality around you, and not how the world should change for a comfortable and good life.
So, you have successfully climbed several steps on the career ladder, and now you are faced with the very real prospect of becoming the leader of a team. This is both pleasing and a little scary, since now you will have to answer not only for your own actions, but also for the actions of other people. How to become a good leader? Which ones exist today? general rules people management? Is it possible, adhering to these rules, to lead a company without constantly encountering the same problems? Let's try to understand this issue.
How to manage a team
The current level of production development contributes not only to global changes in the business sphere, but also to a colossal revolution in the socio-economic situation of society. The old mechanisms for managing this production, when the staff was perceived as a kind of faceless and sexless mass fulfilling a specific goal, are now happily forgotten. Today, management of anyone, even the most small organization, requires completely new tactics and strategies. New psychological aspects of team management have emerged, which are the main tools of the current manager’s work.The classic, time-tested theory of management is based on three pillars: people, financial policy, technical issues. In first place, of course, is human factor. Subtle, wise use of the creative potential of each employee, regulation of relationships in the team increases the productivity of not only subordinates, but also the company as a whole. Effective team management primarily focuses on the human factor.
Knowledge of psychology is a tool for a good leader
It is now impossible to become a good leader without studying the psychological aspects of communication with subordinates. It can be said that labor collective as an object of management is a kind of living creature with its own character and habits. Knowledge of the peculiarities of people’s perception of each other, orientation in the nuances of relationships between the team and the management apparatus are fundamental components in managing people. Only by taking them into account can you know exactly how to become a first-class leader.This requires an understanding that any employee is, first of all, a person. This serves as an excellent incentive for the coordinated work of the organization and provides an almost complete answer to the question of how to become a first-class leader. Treating subordinates as mechanical performers is very dangerous. For example, everyone, even a person with tremendous creative potential, is characterized by stages of decline in psychological activity, when excessive stress only reduces overall productivity. It is inappropriate to demand maximum dedication from him during such periods. Quality work is involuntarily replaced by a certain surrogate, which, instead of the expected benefit, can cause significant harm to both the production process and the performer himself.
People’s feelings can be not just their subjective experiences, but also an excellent indicator of the general psychological mood of the team. A good leader should be open to emotional exchanges in order to adjust their own actions when negative situations arise. And such situations, as a rule, arise from time to time in any organization.
Be attentive to employees
Another important rule for successful team management is attention to the interests of employees. Each person is unique, with unique motivations and goals, so an attempt to impose public interests at the expense of personal interests can be fatal: the company will lose a valuable employee, who will not be easy to replace. But combining personal interests in any form for the sake of public interests will have a beneficial effect on both the atmosphere in the team and the overall productivity of employees. When personal goals coincide, it is quite easy to create human groups, which are much easier to manipulate than each employee individually. Within such a group, as a rule, there is some competition, from which a competent director can derive significant benefits for the organization.However, we should not forget that competition often turns into conflict, when everyone strives with all his might to be the first to destroy the competitor. This situation, of course, is destructive, and it is necessary to be able to stop it at the very beginning. This will require emotional openness and psychological flexibility, based on close attention to internal state employees.
This management tool is quite effective, but its danger lies in the fact that the manager’s work will be reduced to control and maintaining a balance of power. A kind of dual power may involuntarily form in a team: the manager’s control over employees, on the one hand, and his dependence on the behavior of these employees, on the other.
To avoid such a dead end, you need to learn to maneuver between loyalty to subordinates and authoritarianism. One of the methods of such maneuvering can be the unobtrusive orientation of the interests of groups of subordinates towards the goals of the organization. And then leaving the solution to the issues of achieving these goals to the subordinates themselves. This situation in the team is quite favorable. The manager's task in in this case there will be delivery of the necessary information and regulation of administrative issues. Therefore, in order to know exactly how to lead a team of one kind or another, you need to take a closer look at each of its members and determine exactly what role can be assigned to them. But first you need to learn how to choose the best employees, while adhering to certain conditions. 
How to become a successful leader? Some managers try to apply proven “good” techniques: selecting a team of like-minded people or introducing a professional leader into the organization who ignites others with his example. However, “kind” methods may in fact not be so kind. No professional leader can replace an entire organization, and the most devoted like-minded people always remain separate, independently thinking people. And their goals, ultimately, may be different. In addition, for the successful development of any business, an established mechanism is needed, where each part performs a specific function. And in the case of like-minded people, distributing these functions is quite difficult. After all, each of them strives to do exactly the work that he considers most acceptable for himself. One inevitably wonders how to properly manage a team of this kind.
In other words, the main thing for a novice manager is the ability to determine the place of each subordinate in the labor mechanism. Some will be most useful as a generator of ideas, some as a performer of routine work, and some as an inspirer, creating in the team the atmosphere necessary for productive work. In general, this is precisely the psychology of team management. This task is not easy, but it is completely solvable if you select people not subjectively, from the position of “like it or not,” but in accordance with the task at hand. The coexistence in an organization of different people, with all sorts of tastes and habits, is one of the most important incentives for its development. The unity of opposites always implies progress.
There is a lot of advice on how to become a leader, but they are based on one principle: a modern manager should remember that an organization is an association of people, and its goals are achievable only if their cooperation is successful. Plus, you need to learn to appreciate an employee, even if you don’t like him as a person. Can you leave your personal preferences behind the office door? You will become an excellent leader. And learn to control yourself. Sometimes we really want to take our anger out on those who depend on us. Yell at one employee, scold another subordinate. But before you do this, think about what is driving you? Dissatisfaction with the work done or just a desire to let off steam?
Finally got a promotion? Congratulations! You have already proven your professionalism, now is the time to demonstrate your management and organizational abilities. Because a new position means not only new responsibilities, but also a new role in the team. Are you ready for this?
I decided to collect recommendations for aspiring heads of departments, divisions, and companies. After all, promotion career ladder one person can become a problem for the rest of the team and even negatively affect the working atmosphere.
Which leadership style should you choose? How to motivate employees? What is psychoclimate and how do you understand that it is negative? I turned to Antonina Ulyannaskaya, a psychologist-consultant at the Wezom agency, with these questions. According to her, 80% of novice managers do not know or do not even think about psychological aspects team management. And there is something to think about if you don’t want to see a decrease in productivity and a stack of resignation letters from disgruntled subordinates in a month or two.
What should a new manager do?
1. Choose a democratic management style
Of the three styles - authoritarian (decisions are made by the leader alone), democratic (decisions are made collectively, the boss controls execution) and liberal (the team makes decisions itself, the role of the leader is minimal) - it is the democratic one that can provide a comfortable working atmosphere and maximum productivity. Because the boss is a democrat:
- does not give strict orders, like in the army, he works as a team;
- provides subordinates with the authority to solve problems within their competencies independently;
- involves employees in solving organizational issues;
- encourages creative ideas, initiatives;
- builds trusting relationships with colleagues: informs about the current state of affairs in the company and development plans;
- sees and helps to reveal the employee’s potential.
The democratic style makes subordinates feel like partners rather than just performers. For a novice leader, this style will be the key to the success of the team of which he has become the leader.
Nuance. If the manager comes from outside (not from among the employees of the department or company), we recommend:
- ask what the predecessor was like in this position, what management style he used;
- get to know the team and organizational processes;
- identify priority work goals, discuss them with senior management, and then with subordinates.
Don't forget to listen to the suggestions of the department entrusted to you.
2. Motivate not with orders, but with the help of involvement in solving problems
This method will help increase self-discipline in the team. After all, responsibility for decisions made passes to employees. This implies a democratic management style. Make employees feel important. The feeling of a simple cog in a huge mechanism is unlikely to arouse enthusiasm. And when subordinates become important participants general process, will take a more responsible approach to business.
If employees fail to cope, the democratic boss does not use domineering methods and in no case scolds in public.
Remember the rule: praise in public, punish in private.
Subordinates should not be afraid of being called to the carpet. Punishment in a democratic style means explaining what is wrong, finding reasons and ways to eliminate it.
3. Create a team
Remember that you are leading a team (section, department or company), not each individual. Form a team that will implement your planned projects. To do this, develop management skills. Be ready to set goals for the team, determine results, transform goals into clear tasks, motivate performers to solve them, monitor implementation, eliminate problems and conflicts that arise.
And also learn to select people appropriate to the tasks. In other words, don't squeeze a lemon in hopes of getting tomato juice.
The mistake of novice managers is to pull the blanket over themselves with the motivation “I will do it faster and better myself.” It will not be possible to build a team with this approach.
4. Don't be arrogant
- admits that a promotion is not the crown of a career, and he is not the ruler of the world;
- understands that a new position is a big responsibility;
- takes into account personal experience before promotion;
- continues to work on himself, improve personal and professional skills;
- does not abuse his position, does not shout at every corner that he knows everything better.
Arrogance, like know-it-all behavior, will not help you gain respect in the eyes of your colleagues. The principle “I’m the boss, you’re a fool” is a sign of an authoritarian management style. You don’t want people to quietly hate you behind your back, do you?
5. Maintain social distance
Finding the perfect balance between friendship and service is not easy. Not every experienced manager succeeds in this, let alone a beginner. Some young bosses build friendly relationships with one subordinate, thereby creating a negative attitude among other employees.
There should be no familiarity in the team. Adhere to a culture of business communication. Build relationships on mutual respect.
If you are a supporter of using a first-name relationship between subordinates and bosses, make it clear to employees that this is not a reason to be frivolous with tasks.
Nuance. How to build communication if the subordinate is older than the boss? Follow a partner line in communication. Use the pronoun “you.” Don't be afraid to ask for advice. Messages such as “I wanted to know your opinion”, “What do you think” will demonstrate respect for the senior employee, increase his sense of importance, and help identify valuable experience and use it for the development of the company.
The main thing is not to hurt the subordinate’s ego, but to create a comfortable business relationship. Set the distance gradually.
The psychoclimate that prevails in the team largely depends on the management style of the leader.
What is psychoclimate and how to understand that it is negative
Psychoclimate is a comfortable emotional mood, the atmosphere in which employees work. Indicators of a negative climate in a team are:
- staff turnover;
- frequent sick leave;
- low labor productivity;
- tense relationships between colleagues;
- general irritability and dissatisfaction;
- employee reluctance to improve;
- mistrust;
- psychological incompatibility;
- lack of desire to work in the same office.
Signs of a positive climate include:
- friendly relationships;
- high degree of trust among team members;
- desire to be in a team work time and spend leisure time together (corporate recreation, joint trainings, outings, etc.);
- absence of internal conflicts and “groupings”;
- cohesion of employees in force majeure situations, high level of mutual assistance (not every man for himself);
- free discussion of current issues (no one is afraid to express their own opinion);
- healthy business criticism;
- lack of pressure on subordinates.
Except internal factors, the atmosphere in the team is influenced by:
- physical working conditions;
- the current state of affairs in the company;
- economic, political, social situation in the state.
Analyze how sponsored people communicate and interact with each other, whether they often conflict or express dissatisfaction, how employees from other (related) departments are treated.
Psychologists recommend conducting an anonymous survey to find out what kind of psychoclimate prevails in the team. And if the head of a department is unable to influence the state of affairs in the country, then he can take care of working conditions and find out the reasons for discontent.
And finally
There are many more recommendations for novice managers than five. But we tried to select basic advice, following which the young leader will smoothly enter the new role and will not become the object of negative discussions in the team.
Each production has its own characteristics, but for department heads there are general rules of behavior and principles by which they will act to ensure that the department entrusted to them copes with the assigned tasks. Lead department, this is not only honorable, but also responsible, since it is the manager who has the task of organizing the work of the team, providing his employees with everything they need and motivating everyone.
Instructions
First of all, think about your department - what tasks are assigned to it and what means and methods you have to successfully solve the problem. You must clearly understand all the nuances production process and have an understanding of all the technologies that are used in it.
A lot depends, so you must know the capabilities of each person, their character traits, and psychotype in order to competently set each person’s task. Talk privately with everyone in your department, tell them about the tasks that you will have to solve together. Tell the employee what will be entrusted to him and emphasize the importance of it. Listen to the proposals that may be made during such a conversation, think about them.
On general meeting set goals and tell us what will be the criterion for you to work conscientiously. Immediately discuss issues of control and reporting. Motivate your team and talk about how conscientious and creative work will be stimulated, get people interested in solving common problems.
Make it a rule to have periodic planning meetings where employees will report on what has been done and what is planned to be done. Each employee, therefore, will be responsible not only to you, but also to the team, so there will be fewer people willing to let their comrades down.
Do not encourage denunciations and gossip. Express your dissatisfaction with the employee to him. Don't have favorites or favourites. Grade