You’re working even harder, the pressure is even greater, and sometimes the perks aren’t even that good. Not to mention that people are notoriously difficult to manage. Working within recruitment means that over the years we’ve witnessed some incredible leaders, as well as some not so great ones. So we’ve put together some of the best advice for all leaders, whether you’re new to management or you’ve been doing it for years.

They will follow you

Quite literally, they will follow what you do. If you come to work late, leave early, spend long periods of time on your phone and take days to respond to an email, your employees will begin to follow suite. Whether they should or not is completely irrelevant. Your behavior enables theirs and gives them permission to act in certain ways. Now we’re not saying you need to be in the office every hour of every day (because healthy work-life balance is a must), but how you act when you’re there will inform their behavior. Always be aware of what you’re doing; there is an army watching you, even when you think they’re not.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Always be aware of what you’re doing; there is an army watching you” quote=”Always be aware of what you’re doing; there is an army watching you”]

You’re not the best

There is a common misconception that managers are the best at everything, when actually, your team should be the best. If you’re always at the top, know everything, and are in fact the very best, you probably don’t have the right team around you. Let your people excel and develop, and never shy away from hiring someone better than you. Good managers manage superstars.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Good managers manage superstars.” quote=”Good managers manage superstars.”]

Be the conductor

Hiring the right people is all good and well, but if you have a team of superstars who can’t work together, they’re useless to you. You’re the conductor in the orchestra pit that fosters collaboration and teamwork to create a beautiful melody. Encourage communication, create spaces for play, and always promote team culture. That stuff doesn’t just happen automatically; it is the result of hard work.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Encourage communication, create spaces for play, and always promote team culture. ” quote=”Encourage communication, create spaces for play, and always promote team culture. “]

Chin up

Confidence is key, and it seems to be a forgotten about skill for managers. People want to follow someone they believe in and are confident that they know what they’re doing.
Shuffling through your days with uncertainty is not going to fill your team with hope. That’s not to say you need to stomp around the office roaring—that’s definitely not a good idea. But confidence comes in many forms, and your team wants to believe in you.

Be you

Transparency is also key if you expect your team to get behind you. The concept of ‘wearing a mask’ to work is a tired and old dated one. People need to see the real you, understand who you are and what you stand for. A business robot is not going to inspire anyone at all.

[clickToTweet tweet=”A business robot is not going to inspire anyone at all.” quote=”A business robot is not going to inspire anyone at all.”]

Be kind

There are inevitably going to be times when you’re back is against the wall, and your team is driving you up the wall. There will be times they come to you with troubles that seem minor to you and work problems that you could have solved in a heartbeat. Those are the moments to be kind and remember to be patient. That one moment you snap at your team is a moment they’ll never forget.