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One of the keys to management, effective management, is growing the team that you lead.

Not everyone subscribes to this theory in reality.

Example 1: Area Manager (2006) - “I’ll help my team as soon as I know I’m on track” 

Example 2: Sales Manager (2007) - “The other offices are having record breaking years and we need to as well. It doesn’t matter what they doing, we need to be making record sales.”

The above two examples were relayed to me by sales people attending sales meetings.  The point I need to add here is that both the Managers were very concerned about their team and are considered “good” managers.

So what are the keys to building a team that will reach record heights in whatever they are pursuing and what is the manager’s role?

I like what Brian Tracy says about success: “Success is like a combination lock. So get to know the actual numbers of the lock and then find out in what order the numbers need to be and you can’t help but open the lock.” 

Effective managers work out what will lead to their teams success and work like crazy to help their teams implement those strategies.

1. Find out what other successful teams do and replicate, replicate, replicate.

2. Be sure to get more than the headlines - I once was advised to copy a colleague’s efforts in a sales campaign but something didn’t ring true about how their efforts were conveyed to me. I investigated myself and found out that while the strategy targeted over 600 people, they only got one sale.

3. Measure and reward - make sure you measure what you actually want to get and then reward the appropriate staff. Always look for small achievements from individuals and you’ll be very surprised how much some recognition will reinforce that behaviour.

4. Coach, don’t tell - people, I have found, confuse the two and think telling someone a new way is actually coaching. It may be helpful but it’s not coaching. Coaching asks questions and digs into what the team member already knows. It draws out hidden knowledge and talent. Telling can just infuriate. Talented people just get frustrated because they know what they’re being told already.

5. Ask for explanations, don’t assume -  if a team member isn’t performing, ask them what is going on sensitively. Telling them they are unmotivated will actually do just that - demotivate them. Telling them their figures/performance is low won’t help either because they already know that. If there is a gaop in performance try asking the question: “Can you explain this to me?” It sounds harsh but asked well, it’s just a discussion.

6. Talk with, not to, your staff - okay so it’s a business - true. We don’t always have to be business focused. Get real and talk about social stuff. You never know what you’ll find out and you may just resemble a human.

7. Set clear objectives (for everything) - okay this is where you really make headway. Clarity.

• Going on a sales call? What do they want to walk away with?
• Dealing with a complaint? What’s the best outcome?
• Going to a training event? What do they expect to learn?
• Struggling? What will they do this week to grow?

You will get more progress from staff who have clear objectives: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly than almost anything else.

In the end, it’s not about you (well, it is, but you might want to consider the above points as your game plan) if you develop your staff and lead and managem them (as oppsoed to doing their job for them when things are tight) you will find you are greasing the wheels of success and the resukts come far easier and, in the end, much faster and, finally, much Bigger!

In the end, you grow exponentially as a leader.

Off you go then!

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