Managing Your Junior Team

Managing Your Junior Team

Managing your junior team can be challenging. As a manager, it is up to you to inspire and motivate your junior team. However, learning how to do this without falling into the trap of micromanaging can be difficult.

The key to managing often comes down to strategic communications. 

You must ensure you have an open line of communication with your team. Miscommunication can happen when your junior team doesn't feel comfortable coming to you with issues. 

As a VIP Communications Pass holder, this article is packed with extra tips and tools to show you how to be a more confident communicator, including videos, downloadable tips, step-by-step instructions, and more! 

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/736856569

VIP Communications Pass Video: Speaking With The Junior Team

As a manager, you set the tone and pace for your junior team. Below we break down three strategies to help you successfully manage your junior team.

 

1. Open Communication

To ensure your team can come to you when issues arise, you need to have an open line of communication with them. This will also help you ensure everyone is on the same page, and keep your team apprised of any changes.

Consider the following:

• Be Available - Even though you are a busy manager, you must be available for your team. To do this, you must communicate to your team the best way to reach you and when you are available. For example, you can set up a weekly meeting and dedicate time for an open forum at the end. You can also set specific office hours, so anyone on your junior team can pop into your office or request a virtual meeting. You can also remind your team how best to reach you - especially if you are having a busy week or traveling. The more available you can be for your team, the fewer breakdowns in communication will occur. 

• Keep Everyone Informed - Keeping everyone up to speed can be challenging, especially if you manage a large team. However, keeping everyone on your junior team informed will help them feel connected and more prepared to do their job. For example, one way to keep everyone informed is to email updates weekly. You can share the progress of any projects or other essential pieces of information. Another way to keep everyone informed is to do weekly standup meetings. These meetings are where everyone on the team stands up and gives a 15-30 second run down on their week. This way, everyone on your team knows what each other is doing. When everyone feels informed, your team can be more productive.
• Share The Big Picture - As a manager, you are aware of the big picture. You understand why your junior team is working on specific projects, and how it fits into the company as a whole. However, your junior team may only see their role, and not understand why they are doing things in a certain way. You must share the big picture to help them see why their job is so important. For example, during your weekly meeting, you can share how the project they are working on will help another department increase the number of documents they can process. This, in turn, will allow for more revenue to be generated by the company. Your junior team will see their value and feel more inspired to do their jobs.

Open lines of communication will help you manage your junior team and give them access to you. When your team feels comfortable coming to you with any issues, less miscommunication happens, which increases productivity.

 

2. Show You Care

Being a manager means more than just making sure your team is productive. If you want your team to perform at their highest ability, you must show them you care. This is because when your team believes you are on their side and care about them as a person, they will be much more motivated to do their jobs. 

Consider the following:

• Invest In Your Team - A high turnover rate can be exhausting for you and your other team members. This is why you need to invest in your team. For example, one way to invest in your team is to take time to get to know them as a person. You can ask about their weekend, stop by their desk to see how they are doing, or spend a few minutes talking about everyone's favorite restaurants during your virtual call. The key is not to include work-related discussions during this time.
• Consider Your Team's Concerns - When your team brings a concern to you, do you do anything about it? If not, they will feel you don't care about them or their performance. Having an open line of communication is great, but if you don't act on any issues, your team won't continue to bring them to your attention. For example, if you have a team member who is concerned about an upcoming deadline, talk to them about it. If possible, consider moving the deadline, so your team member feels comfortable completing the workload. Or, you can bring in another team member to ensure the work gets done by the original deadline. 
• Think About Your Team's Perspective - In your communication, you want to be mindful of your team's perspective. Remember, you set the tone and the culture for your team. For example, if the only feedback your team ever hears is what they can do to improve, and what they need to do to finish a project, they may feel like you don't care about them. It would be best if you balanced the constructive feedback, with positive comments. Be sure to reach out when you see a team member doing well. A short email, or a quick slack message, can show your team you care about them, and their contributions.

Showing your junior team you care about them will help you be a more effective manager. Your team will be more willing to go the extra mile for you and increase their productivity.

 

3. Build Trust

Managing your junior team takes trust. Your team needs to trust you and your leadership capabilities. Following through, mitigating micromanagement, and giving your team priority will help you build trust.

Consider the following:

• Follow Through - To build trust, you must follow through. In other words, if you said you would get something done, ensure you actually get it done. For example, if you told your team they could all take Friday afternoon off, and then on Friday, you decided they couldn't, your team would have a hard time trusting your word. Make sure you follow through with what you say.
• Don't Micromanage - You picked the people on your team for a reason. Let them do their jobs. Micromanaging can make your team feel like you don't believe they can get their job done. For example, checking in on the project status is something you should be doing as a manager. However, checking in after your team member has told you the status repeatedly, will make your team member feel like you don't believe they told you the truth. Let your team do their work, and give them the freedom to do it their way.
• Give Priority - If you want to build trust, you have to give your team priority. This means ensuring your team knows you are looking out for their best interest. For example, one way you can give your team priority is to go to bat for them if necessary. Let's say your team desperately needs new equipment. However, the higher-ups don't believe it is required. As their manager, you have to be the voice for them. You build trust when your team sees you working for their best interest.

Building trust with your team will help them feel motivated to do their best work.

Keeping your communication open, showing your team you care about them, and building trust will help you manage your junior team successfully. 

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