3 tips to being a good manager

For years, most of us have had a variety of managers. Some good and some bad. Many of us have also had the opportunity to manage employees, some better than others.

After years of producing corporate training videos for some of the biggest corporations in the country, and working for many startups, small businesses, and large corporations, I have been exposed to dozens of management and training styles.

The ultimate goal of any company is to make sure its employees generate more income than it costs to employ them.

There are a few very simple, yet effective methods that can be implemented, which will generate a return, while increasing employee moral and reducing turnover.

When I was producing safety training videos for some of the US Department of Energy’s principal subcontractors in Eastern Washington State, I was also producing food safety training videos for ConAgra Foods throughout North America, I realized how effectively a corporate culture can be integrated into a large group of employees.

One of the most costly parts of running a business can be employee turnover. It can take months or even years to bring an employee to a point where they are effective, proficient, and profitable. If your employees can generate the most profit or cause the most loss for your company, it is important to realize that a positive work environment and team buy in can be an a very profitable aspect of your business.

As an entrepreneur and startup business owner, I have developed my real estate marketing company’s corporate culture to be one of positive interactions, positive reinforcement. As a result, my small group of employees all choose to go far above and beyond their expectations. They understand that their success is my success, and if they do not succeed, the team will not. If the team does not succeed, everyone goes back to jobs that are not as positive, where they do not experience accomplishment on a daily basis.

Compensation is a very important part of the formula as well. I compensate my employees very well for good performance on top of a reasonable base-pay. This furthers their buy-in to the company’s overall goals, while providing positive reinforcement for a job well done.

Not every employee will be as good as my team has turned out to be, and sometimes you just can’t tell until you start working with them. Fortunately, in my state, you can use a temp staffing service to give them a test-run before bringing them on permanently. This is a vital and important part of my process.

By using the temp service, I remove any legal liabilities associated with hiring the wrong person and needing to let them go.

So my three tips for being a good manager are to:

1)  Commit yourself to developing a company culture of positivity both internally and working with customers.

2)  Find a way to compensate employees based on performance if possible, then provide a livable base-pay that would be lower than the competitors’ and generously compensate your team based on performance.

3)  Try before you buy- Use a temp service and work under the temp-to-hire employment model so that you ensure to hire employees that will excel within your environment of positivity and positive reinforcement.

Remember, a happy employee is a productive employee, and a group of happy employees will have far less turnover. The simple result is better profit margins, and a better bottom-line. At the same time, I bet you will enjoy your day at work more when everyone is in a positive place.

Article by Mike Gamache. Mike is the owner of Fleetfoot Marketing, a real estate video marketing company