Managing your people is second in importance only to managing yourself. A manager is only as good as the people he has working for him, because a manager achieves his targets through his people. Nevertheless, a manager’s people will respond to proper treatment by a skilled manager. People work at their best when they are happy. .

   1. The first thing a manager must do is create a good working environment. There are many ways to do this. It depends on too many things to mention them all here. However, we will have a look at a few. Help people to understand the importance of their work. It will go a long way towards improving their performance if they understand the importance of their efforts. A policy of internal promotions tied to an education and training scheme will encourage staff to go the extra mile. They will be able to see the possibilities for the future. It will create an environment where they will feel valued and appreciated as workers and as human beings. They will feel the extra effort that they put in will bring rewards.
      If it is necessary to promote from outside make it clear that you had very good reasons for doing so. Do not approach the situation as if you were answering to your staff. Never forget that you are the boss.

   2. Pay your people a fair salary/wage for a fair days work. No matter how happy people are with their achievements, education, promotions etc. if you do not pay them properly they will leave. Pay establishes a value for a person’s work and a measure by which they compare themselves to others inside and outside their work-group or company. .


   3. Do not keep secrets. Secrecy is the origin of rumour. If you keep secrets, your staff will fear the worst and this atmosphere of uncertainty is bad for the working environment you are trying to create. If there is a problem within the work-group, company or marketplace tell them, they may even come up with a solution. .

   4. Be friendly and businesslike. That is how the ideal management-staff relationship was described when I was starting out in retail. There is a lot to be said for this approach. They should not be afraid to bring problems to you when necessary, but not so familiar that discipline and respect are lost. Treat people as valued individuals not as a bunch of slaves. Make allowances for their individual likes and dislikes and their strengths and weaknesses. If they are falling behind in some way, tell them directly so that they know where they stand. Make sure that you agree to a solution and a timetable before the conversation ends. Do not walk around dropping hints and hope that they will understand and deal with it by themselves. Lead from the front. Be seen to work as hard as your team. Reward effort publicly. .

   5. Think of your staff as a team. A team will have the right people in the right positions doing what they are good at. When you employed them, you gave them or should have given them, a job description. This outlines their responsibilities and duties. Make sure that they are living up to their responsibilities. If they are not then they are letting the rest of the team down. If they are not it is your responsibility to notice this and deal with it. Do not encourage your team to talk about each other. You do not want to propagate an environment where your people are looking over their shoulders and spying on each other. That would not help anyone.

Part 2 of this article is to be found in the business pages at: www.gerryonline.com

Dan Jacobs after more than twenty-five years in retailing and finance, now among other things, writes business articles for Gerry Online.

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