Before this article where I’ll be covering managerial styles, I told you guys how too choose the right person for the job, and to how to work together. Let’s see how this new one can help you.

Choose the right managerial style.

You’ve picked your team. You’ve assigned the tasks. Now what? You have to decide how you are going to lead your team. There are reams of books you can read, endless classes you can take all with the goal of developing the best managerial style. However, if you don’t have time to get your MBA there are a number of simple styles that can be used. As with anything is life there are no absolutes. Every situation is different and every managerial situation may call for a different style.

First evaluate the type of people you have working for you. Do they function better with little guidance? Do they need constant supervision to ensure the task is completed? A balance of both these extremes?

If you have team members that function best under little or no supervision, you could just leave them be. You could choose to not expect updates and only review the work upon completion. This approach can lead to major problems if your team misses the mark with what was expected of them. The entire project may have to be redone.

You could choose to micro-manage your team. Hovering over them constantly to ensure that they are progressing in the task and that they are always on the right track. While this ensures that the job is being completed to your satisfaction it also fosters negative feelings amongst the team. They will most likely come to feel that you don’t value their abilities and have little faith in them. Chances are that they will be more concerned with your opinions and reactions than dedicating their focus to their task. They might even, consciously or unconsciously, resort to requesting your approval on inane things which decreases your productivity as well as theirs.

Personally, I find a balance approach the best. Make sure they understand that you are available for them should they need the help and make sure they are aware that you expect to be updated on their progress on a regular basis. This approach builds self-confidence in team members. They know that you respect their abilities and have confidence that they are capable of completing the task. They also know that should they need help you are willing, without reproach, to step in and guide them. Expect regular progress updates to ensure that the team is achieving the required objectives. Unexpected review of the job is also a good idea. This gives you a better idea of how the team works before they polish things up for your review.

One last point, should things fall apart, which they are prone to do, make sure you are willing to roll up your sleeves and get in there with your team. People respect those that are willing to pitch in, especially when not required, and help out.

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