Most entrepreneurs are first-time managers.
And let’s face it, doing things for the first time can be… intimidating.
That means you often have no idea what you’re doing.
Have no fear, managing people effectively is a learned skill, and with the right research and practice, you can get up to speed and build a great team.
Here’s what to do first:
- Remove ambiguity
The #1 cause of bad management in startups is ambiguity. This means people not understanding what their role is, what their goals are or who they report to.
Guys. That shit is an easy fix.
For each new person, write out a document on what their role and responsibilities are. At the top, write down who they report to. If it’s a small team, it’s probably the CEO.
Plan your goals every year, quarter and month. Get everyone together, brainstorm what is most important for your company to gain momentum and write that shit down. Post it up on the wall. Make sure nobody is confused on what it means.
- Create accountability
Look, if I knew I could eat Oreos all day and never gain a pound, I’d be sitting on a mountain of disgusting, sugary goodness right now.
But that ain’t how the real world works.
I’m accountable for my health: I know that if I gorge on Oreos, I’ll look like in 3 months.
You need to do the same thing for the team.
Everyone needs to have clear projects and tasks that they own and are responsible for. Each week, you should be reviewing everyone’s plans, progress and problems. Get this written down - I recommend using (because I made it for this exact damn reason).
If someone says they are going to launch a new landing page this week, and Monday rolls around and our website still looks like it was built in 1995, we know they didn’t deliver.
Hold everyone accountable for doing what they say they are going to do. Get that shit in writing.
- Focus on communication
Bad communication is like peeing in the pool.
Everyone does it, we all want to do better, and if the world knew how much we did it, they’d think we were the worst.
The best teams take on bad communication like the best damn pee detection system this country’s water parks have to offer.
Your team needs to be talking, a lot. If something is broken, it needs to be brought to the surface. If you need help, ask for it. As a manager, you need to build processes (like meetings and written updates) and a culture that encourages frequent communication. It will solve like 94% of your other problems.
- Give more responsibility
People don’t join startups because they love to work 80 hours a week and get paid in free Red Bull.
People join startups because they want to have more responsibility than they deserve.
Give it to them.
Find every opportunity you can to give your team members more responsibility and leadership opportunities. Give them ways to learn as much as possible. This is the #1 way to keep them motivated.
- Recognize positives and coach negatives
I’m not saying that if someone fucks up you should make him stand on a desk holding a sign that says “shame.” Or maybe go for it, it’s your company.
Good managers take every opportunity possible to give praise when someone does a good job. This provides positive re-enforcement… if we want someone to keep doing a good thing, tell them they did well so they know.
At the same time, constructive criticism is your best friend. Your employees will only improve if you tell them when they are doing shit wrong. This is a perfect opportunity to be a coach and guide your employees towards improving.