Management Tips

Effective management is paramount to the growth of your team and your business. Forward Science has been able to grow tremendously throughout the last decade because of the value each department manager has added.

A few Forward Science managers from varying departments (sales, media, human resources) met to discuss their management styles as well as effective managers they have had in the past.

Here are a few of their tips for effective management below:

Clear, constant communication

· Your team members should hear from you frequently and they should know what is expected of them. Being on the same page as your team and checking in frequently are essential to their success.

Schedule regular meetings

· Just popping in on your team can feel overbearing and intrusive. Stick to coordinated meeting times to discuss goals, projects and progress. It helps to create an agenda to ensure you stay and track.

Define your expectations

· Clearly outline what success looks like for your team. Give them tangible goals, consistent feedback and clear coaching on how to achieve what is expected of them.

Take a break from coaching

· Not every call or meeting needs to end with a lesson. Taking time to simply listen to your team is essential to your success as a manager. The more you listen, the more they will share, which will increase the value of your coaching later down the road.

The person is more important than your leadership style

· Get to know your team and work with what makes them successful. Some will need more frequent check-ins, some will need more positive feedback, and some will work best when left alone. To ensure success, adjust your management style to best suit those you are leading.

Keep your team in the loop

· This is particularly important if your team works remotely, much like the Forward Science sales team. Keeping your team updated on any changes and in the loop about news around the office encourages them to stay more engaged. Make sure your team members don’t feel blind-sided.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire

· If you are noticing a change in your team member’s work or attitude, don’t ignore it! When you sense there is an issue, there usually is. Tackle issues when you see them coming -- don’t ignore them until it’s too late.

Hand out praise, but accept the blame

· Effective managers give credit to the hard work of their team, but take the blame when something falls through the cracks. As a manager, you accept more responsibility than the average employee -- which means taking responsibility for errors of your team.

Empathetic leadership

· This point was reiterated most by the Forward Science team -- manage like you would want to be managed. Be consistent, understanding, encouraging and empathetic to those you manage.

Promote to your position

· The end goal for all managers should be to promote your team members to your position. In the end, their success is your success!

Ask us about how Forward Science Solutions can help you improve your management skills.
Email us at Solutions@ForwardScience.com