How to manage a team: 4 Roles and tips for managing well

Unless you work alone or outside the framework of companies, generally, a professional activity brings together several individuals who form one or more teams. In a team, there is the leader or “manager” and the other members.

While some people have a certain talent for managing or managing a team, others encounter more difficulties. However, you should know that the art of team management can be learned. Similarly, it is possible to improve your team management skills thanks to tools such as interim management . How to manage a team ?

The 4 roles of the manager

The main mission of the manager is to lead and manage his team / collaborators so that together they can achieve their objectives. But you should know that to achieve this result, the manager must carry out various operations. Which ones?

1) Establish a team strategy

Within a company, the manager constitutes a bridge between the direction and the various teams. All directives from higher spheres therefore come to team members through the manager.

His first role, after learning about the corporate objectives that are set by management, is to establish a team strategy . In simpler and more specific terms, it is the action plan to be followed to achieve these objectives.

2) Define team goals

Once the corporate objectives and the strategy to be adopted have been communicated to the team’s collaborators, the manager’s second role is to define the team’s objectives. More specifically, he must:

• define and indicate to all team members the results to be achieved,
• define and indicate to each member what he must do,
• ensure that the work is distributed correctly and the tasks assigned correctly,
• monitor the progress of the work and the level of achievement of the objectives.

3) Define the procedures to follow

Within a team, all employees are not necessarily on the same footing with regard to skills and experience.

However, it is essential that no member feels overexploited or devalued.

In order to avoid this, the manager must define a set of procedures that the team must follow to the letter.

Establishing clear, precise and consistent procedures will also improve project management, trust between members and team productivity.

4) The skills that the manager must have

Managing a team is an operation that can be very complex . Here it is not only about managing people, but also about ensuring that goals are achieved. All this must also be done in the best conditions. In order to meet this challenge and accomplish his mission, the manager must possess certain skills.

First, it is essential that the manager has all the technical skills relating to the activity of the company and above all, to his position. If the manager is responsible for managing a marketing team, he must therefore have the necessary expertise in this area.

Then, to effectively manage a team, the manager must also have certain skills or “ soft skills ” in English. Among the soft skills that a manager must have are the ability to:

• Communicate with his team,
• Support employees,
• Value the efforts of each individual and the collective efforts,
• Demonstrate leadership, in other words, act as a guide and not as an order giver,
• Use emotional intelligence to exercise authority while remaining flexible.

Interim management to learn how to manage a team

Managing a team requires a lot of skills and know-how . But in practice, not all managers possess these qualities. In this case, it is essential that the manager undergo training in order to develop their skills.

If this is not possible for various reasons, the company can go through interim management. This involves using the services of an expert outside the company who will be responsible for carrying out a project. Here it could be:

• train the manager so that he develops his skills,
• supervise and support the teams in achieving their objectives.

The Interim Manager has all the technical skills necessary to replace the manager. However, this is not the objective of this strategy. Its objective is to allow the company to move forward more quickly or to carry out a major project, while waiting for the manager to acquire the necessary skills.

4 Tips to improve your team management!

In addition to taking training and going through interim management, other tips can improve team management .

1) Refocus teams when necessary

Another role of the manager, and which is rarely mentioned, consists in reframing his team or saying no in the event of excesses . Easier said than done, this operation requires tact, authority, but also a certain flexibility.

Here it is important that the manager does not act as a policeman, but rather as a controller. At all times, the manager must monitor the work of his team and issue a call to order when necessary.

2) Promote the involvement of employees in the life of the company

This is to encourage team members to take more interest in everything that the company does and offers as a result of their work. For this, it is, for example, possible to organize meetings between the different departments so that the different teams get to know each other.

Team engagement can also be improved by regularly updating members on company goals or ongoing activities.

3) Strengthen team spirit

Improving team management is not a process reserved for the manager. The members must also participate in the process, in particular by strengthening their cohesion.

To strengthen the cohesion of employees or more simply, team spirit, the most effective solution is to regularly organize activities such as:

• Seminars,
• Team buildings ,
• Brainstorms .

4) Meet individually with the collaborators of the team

Allow each employee of the team to discuss one on one with the manager makes it possible to reinforce cohesion, but also to loosen the tongues. In individual interviews, it is easier to talk about the problems that remain within the team and which constitute obstacles to the achievement of objectives.