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Managing People In Small Business: 7 Issues The Books And Training Courses Ignore
Author : Leon Noone
The small-medium business manager has lots of "balls to juggle". The job is far more demanding and difficult than managing a section in a large business. And, on top of everything, there's people management. Employee management practice in small-medium business requires special skills. You won't find them covered in books and courses.
1. Exposure. As a small business manager, you're far more exposed than your big business counterpart. Your behaviour is readily observable. If you fail to "walk the talk", your inconsistencies are obvious to all. Be composed and positive no matter how worried you feel.
2. Staff Reliance. No matter how good you are as a manager you're totally dependent on your employees. If your staff miss deadlines, upset customers or simply do shoddy work, you're often left to "sort it out" and "carry the can". Try to anticipate problems before they occur and teach your staff to do the same. Resolve staff differences very quickly. Have plans in place so that unexpected staff absences aren't too disruptive.
3. Management Co-operation. The small business management team must co-operate very closely. Small-medium business is no place for "turf wars". When staff observe friction between small business managers morale plummets quickly. The top management team must agree on business focus and systems and present a united front to staff.
4. Staff Versatility Small business can't afford many staff who are narrow specialists. Tradespeople must become skilled salespeople. Accountants must be competent in customer service. Drivers must be schedulers. Look for staff who are willing to help outside their specialist areas and who enjoy variety in their work.
5. Instructions and Systems Managers in a small-medium business have lots of demands on their time. To get maximum value for effort you must give very clear and accurate instructions. Develop and implement systems that staff can use effectively to enable them to succeed with minimum management help.
6. Informality You may be a Vice President or a Director. But you can't expect much formal recognition of your status in small business. Flexibility and adaptability are features of successful small business. There's no time for acknowledging status or "standing on ceremony".
7. Livelihood Employees in your business depend for their livelihood on the success of the business. They lose their jobs if your business goes under. They can't be "absorbed" into other areas. They can't "transfer to another department" as in big business. And because the business is small, it's more vulnerable to market forces. Let staff know that you acknowledge these concerns and ensure they understand what you're doing and why.
Conclusion. As a manager in a small-medium business you already know that good people management is essential. But because of the size of your business, your staff can "make or break it" more readily than in large business. Keep them well informed, establish good and workable systems, give them genuinely rewarding work and responsibility and they'll respond positively. But don't expect to learn about how to do it in the formal courses and books.
Author's Resource Box
Leon Noone helps managers in small-medium business to improve on-job staff performance without training courses. Some say his ideas are too unconventional. Find out for yourself by reading his free Special Report “49 Practical Tips For Better People Management In Small-Medium Business”. Simply visit http://www.leons7secrets.com and download your free copy now.
Article Source:
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Tags: small-medium business, managing employee performance, better work from employees, management training shortfalls
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Submitted : 2010-03-18 Word Count : 1 Popularity: 115 Times Viewed: 12
