Employees can be challenging as they come with different styles of communication, motivational levels, attitudes and desires. If you only have two employees to manage, well you life is certainly easier than a manager who has many employees. Yet you have to do the same thing they do…..get the most from your employees in order to meet your business objectives.

In your role as a manager, your primary responsibility is to maximize the performance of your team. Most managers don’t receive training on how to be a good manager. If you are one of them, then let’s start with step one:

Find out the strength and weaknesses of each of your team members. If you have a performance management system at your company, you may groan and say I do this once or twice a year already. This is more informal and for your eyes only. A strong manager knows what each employee is capable of doing and if there are any weak spots in their team. I would suggest that you create some quiet time with a great cup of coffee (or drink of choice) and start evaluating each employee. You will not regret the time as this information will be helpful in building a strong team.

If your company has an evaluation system in place, then use their key attributes or devise your own. Here are some common key attributes and use what is important:

Attendance
Communication (oral, written)
Creativity
Customer Service
Decision Making Abilities (judgment)
Enthusiasm
Initiative
Innovation
Quality
Respect (other team members)
Position Knowledge
Teamwork skills
Time Management
Willingness to learn

You can take each employee and rate them against each attribute 1-5, or A-E or Exceptional, Average, Below Expectations. Does an employee need some training in order to develop a potential strength? You will use this information to complete the puzzle of building a strong team.

Stay tune for the next bit of information I will share with you.

Pat

Other Posts:
Strengths Of Your Employees
High Maintenance Employees
How To Handle An Employee With An ‘Attitude’