Body Language: 6 Mistakes That Every Manager Should Avoid

6 Body Language Mistakes That Every Manager Should Avoid

It is a common misconception that managers should be hard-nosed and stern in their dealings with subordinates. However, managers need to have the right body language to build trust and create a positive working environment. In this blog, we have discussed body language, its importance, and what you should do to have the right body language while working as a manager. We have further discussed 6 body language mistakes commonly made by managers that they need to avoid.

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6 Body Language Mistakes That Every Manager Should Avoid
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What is Body Language?

Body language is one of the key indicators of someone’s personality. It is more than just the way a person stands, moves, and even talks. It’s your body betraying verbal signals that stem from emotions. It is more than the physical body and appearance. It refers to what you convey to the other person by just being there without saying any word. Your posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures are all nonverbal messages which collectively form your body language. Small things like eye contact and handshake are also parts of it. You can use your body language to communicate your feelings and intentions. And, your ability to understand and interpret other people’s body language can help you to pick up on unspoken issues or feelings. For instance, when you are feeling angry or in a good mood, your body language can display the same changes. It’s easy to spot some of these behavioral traits by just looking at someone. After, knowing what it is exactly, it is important to understand why having the right body language is important for people in managerial positions.

Importance of having the right body language for managers

A manager needs to have the right body language. The reason is that this creates an emotional connection between you and your employees. It’s not just about managing people It is also influencing their actions and building trust that cannot be achieved simply by telling them what they should do. It has to come from within and should reflect in your body language. Good body language skills can help managers influence and motivate their employees and improve productivity. It will allow managers to bond with their employees and present ideas with more authority and impact. By having it right managers can authentically project their brand of charisma, which is a powerful set of skills for any manager to develop. The importance of body language is that it assists us in better comprehending and decoding what someone is saying, as well as in comprehending other people’s moods and emotions. Having the right body language assures managers of the right message being passed on. it makes sure that they are interpreted correctly and eliminates the chances of miscommunications. But this doesn’t come inbuilt. It has to be built based on various experiences you get a long way. Expectations of people around you should also be incorporated in building your body language. While doing this managers are bound to make mistakes which can have a really bad effect on people’s perception of you. We accumulated 6 very dangerous but common body language mistakes from hundreds of managerial experiences to help all managers understand what to avoid. So, what are they?

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Body Language mistakes that every manager should avoid

1. Making facial expressions that indicate disagreement or anger

One of the biggest body language mistakes is openly showing disagreement and anger. This will only make your employees feel resentful and motivated to rebel, rather than work collaboratively. Even if you do disagree with something, you should still consider that input and should listen to it while your body language reflects the same. It is more than likely that you would have noticed your facial expressions as much as your employees. If they do not convey a positive message, it can lead to your employees avoiding meetings and hallway conversations. If your body language show disagreement or anger, it may make your employees hide information from you. It can lead them to alter information to please you. That can be harmful for your managerial position and it can also have bad effects on your image as a manager. Maintaining positive body language even when you disagree over things is the essence of a good manager.

2. Overexposing yourself unnecessarily when talking to employees

Intimidating body language can also create a chilly atmosphere in the workplace, discouraging employees from speaking up and improving communication between management and staff overall. Although it is your right as an employer, there are certain things that you cannot do without permission as a manager. One of these things is overexposing yourself to employees more than necessary. People are not your puppets. They have their preferences and will tune out if they perceive you as invading into their personal space. Overdoing it can cause employees to question what you want or need from them or how much respect you truly have for them. Showing tall parts of yourself may confuse the employee. It may make them unsure about where to turn when dealing with you. They then start showing resentment towards the manager. It can also result in other employees being uncomfortable around the manager and they do not feel comfortable disclosing information either.

3. Inappropriate or bad posture

Having a bad posture while communicating with your employees will make fall in the category of unprofessional and poor body language. Your employees may think that you are not considerate enough of them. Your postures should change according to your environment. For Example in meetings or discussions, you should sit or stand straight, look attentive. You should reflect that you are listening. On the other hand, while normal interactions like ones in the elevators or around the office, your Po should be relaxed and friendly. Having a good posture at all times will help you pass on the right perceptions of yourself to your employees. It will also reflect professionalism your professionalism. Likewise, it may also help you in building a rapport with your employees. You should be extra careful about your posture as it gives the first impression of your well-being when someone comes to see you.

4. Fidgeting and constantly moving around

A restless manager can be interpreted as one with no control over self. Managers are expected to maintain some discipline around themselves and set an example for their employees. Restlessness here can entirely bash that idea of discipline and will take away the seriousness and professionalism from the role. Therefore, a mistake like that should be avoided by a manager.

5. Not being attentive to what’s being said

This happens during office meetings or in open dialogue with employees. This can result in missed opportunities for problem-solving and tension building. Both of these will run counter to the objective of a productive workplace. Even if you are not able to pay attention you should at least show that you are by your body language. Lack of attention towards people you work with may badly affect your trustworthiness. Giving people direct eye contact when they talk, nodding your head when someone is speaking, and tilting your head slightly to encourage them to speak more are just a few examples of nonverbal signals that you should use while in a conversation or meeting. These will assure the other person that you are attentive to what they are saying.

6. Displaying an appearance that sends the wrong message about your attitude or professionalism

As we also discussed earlier, managers are expected to lead by setting an example. They should be the ones their employees look up to for taking inspiration about how to go ahead with their job. This includes inspiration over attitude and professionalism too. Therefore it is necessary that managers, through their actions spread out the right and the most appropriate message about their attitude towards their job and their professionalism. If managers show inappropriate attitudes towards their job and people around them and if they lack professionalism, these flaws will likely carry down to their employees. This will happen as employees will consider it to be accepted as their manager does so. This can ultimately create a very bad situation for managers and even their entire organization. Coming out of that situation will be extremely difficult.

Conclusion

Body language is one of the key indicators of one’s personality. It helps people build perceptions about him/her. While working as a manager it is highly important to have the perfect body language. It should suit your job and correctly displays your discipline, attitude, and professionalism. Setting up perfect body language is highly tricky and but there is still something you can do about it. We believe that if a manager can avoid the 6 mistakes we have listed above in this blog, the chances of them giving out the wrong message of themselves through their body language will drop drastically. Avoiding these mistakes won’t make you a body language expert. But it will drop down the chances of you going on the wrong track.

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5 Confidence Building Techniques To Unlock Success As A Manager

The term confidence is used to describe a person’s belief in their ability to succeed. Low levels of confidence can lead to problems for managers, such as poor decision-making and underperformance. The confidence building techniques written below are designed to help managers build their self-esteem and boost their self-confidence together with that of their team. But before we get into techniques, we should first understand what is confidence. We must also understand its importance and problems faced due to lack of confidence.

What is Confidence?

Confidence is a sense of well-being that is directly influenced by the things that surround a person. It’s the level of assurance a person has in her abilities and personal beliefs. It can range from having an optimistic starting point to a constant state of feelings of self-assurance. People pay attention to those with confidence and believe that they can reach great heights in life no matter how small their achievements were today! Having confidence means you know your skills, expertise, and what you’re ultimately capable of. Confidence can also be defined as a “belief in one’s skills, abilities or judgement”, that gets individuals to accomplish their goals and overcome failure. It is a trait of resilience that contributes greatly to the success rate of an individual. Confident people are more likely to accomplish new tasks and new skills as they do believe in their capabilities. Confidence is said to be directly influenced by personal factors such as:

> Recognition

> Positive past experiences

> Respect

> Competence

> Self-esteem

Therefore managers should incorporate these factors into their techniques to be able to effectively build confidence. But before we discuss techniques we should first understand the importance of confidence building at the workplace

Importance of confidence building?

Confidence is highly important for both managers and employees to perform effectively. We will now be explaining the importance of confidence building for both managers and employees.

Confidence building In Managers

Managers need to have confidence in themselves and their abilities. Confidence is often an important factor in making good decisions. It enables one to develop trust in themselves and allows them to be sure of the decisions they make. This confidence is helpful in situations when one doesn’t know what path to chose or doesn’t have all of the information required to make a decision. It gives the ability to managers to believe in their capabilities and shows them the right direction. Being confident allows managers to be more self-assured. They can develop a mindset that They can still choose an ultimately good decision after making a large number of flawed ones as time goes on. Managers with high levels of trust in themselves make better decisions than those who do not value their own opinion highly enough while making themselves trustworthy. A study was conducted to explore the concept of confidence in thirty managers and found that those with high levels of self-assurance made better decisions than those who felt less secure about their capability. It also revealed that these men tended to be more optimistic, confident, ambitious, and up-beat. They are not discouraged when they make mistakes as long as they learn from them. The higher-ups of businesses often felt quite satisfied and proud of their performance. The study also discovered that confident managers are more focused on meeting goals and demonstrate higher levels of team cooperation. Confident managers also are more willing to come out of their comfort zone to take risks and generate new ideas. This allows them to achieve greater success in the workplace as individuals. Confident managers are also known to have diligence as well as determination. They find a way without fail or push through instead of giving up when things get too difficult.

Confidence building In Employees

It is highly important for employees i.e. each team member under the manager should be confident as your team’s success is your success as a manager. By patiently assisting your employees in building confidence in their abilities, you will help them in adding efficiency to their daily tasks. In the long run, confidence will increase their willingness to accept and do new and risky tasks. Confidence in employees can positively affect their self-esteem and help them to pursue goals that may be difficult for them to achieve on their skill level. Confidence helps employees to be more productive and they perform their tasks with greater motivation. Confident employees are also willing to come out of their comfort zone and take risks. Confidence boost in employees can also have a positive impact on employee engagement. Confidence can push employees towards professional development. Therefore a team leader or a manager should assure employee confidence in their team or department. After understanding the importance of confidence within managers and employees we should also understand what problems do occur when they lack confidence.

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Problems faced by managers due to lack of confidence

The 5 main problems which managers do face due to lack of confidence either within themselves or their employees are as follows:

Employees may not take initiative or feel the need to perform well if they are not confident in their abilities.
This can lead to stagnation within an organization and a loss of productivity as employees stop taking risks and trying new things.
Poor communication is also likely to occur when managers lack confidence in their ability to communicate effectively with their team members, leading to misunderstandings and conflict resolution issues.
Low morale is often an outcome of a lack of confidence as employees start to doubt their abilities and feel demotivated.
In some cases, employees may even resign if they feel that there is no chance of them achieving career development within the organization.

It is therefore important that managers build and maintain confidence within themselves and their employees. But how do you effectively achieve that? Here you go..

Confidence building techniques to build your self-confidence as a manager

1. Practise self-acceptance for confidence building

When we feel good about ourselves, we project this energy outwardly to our relationships and work colleagues. Oftentimes, the first step in boosting confidence is recognizing that something is not wrong with you. It’s just part of who you are. Once you accept your flaws without comparing yourself to others or trying to change them, other people will start acknowledging your strengths too. When they do, it reinforces your confidence, making you even more likely to display those qualities. A manager who accepts and trusts himself/herself finds it easier to gain employee trust.

2. Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments touch us in the deepest part of our being, and that’s why they have such an impact. When we receive acknowledgment for something we’ve done well or contributed to, it makes us feel special. It reinforces good feelings about ourselves and gives us a sense of satisfaction which can spur on behavior that contributes to success. Therefore to build their self-confidence, managers should allow people to acknowledge their contributions.

3. Focus on your achievements for confidence building

When you think about all the amazing things you’ve accomplished in your career, what comes to mind? Probably things that made you proud and gave you a sense of satisfaction. That’s because focusing on the good stuff gives us confidence. It reminds us that we can achieve anything we put our minds to. Therefore to build confidence.

4. Surround yourself with positive people

If there’s one thing that boosts self-confidence more than anything else, it’s being around “people who believe in you”. Because they see in you the same traits and abilities that will propel. you forward as a manager. Showing them confidence can boost their own. Everyone wants to come around people who have self-belief so others feel confident enough for them to promote a great culture of collaboration and transparency too. When you put these ideas into practice, it will be easier to feel confident in your skin.

Confidence building techniques to build the confidence of your team

Here are a few techniques you can use to build the confidence of your team:

1. Ensure everyone has a voice

Encouraging team collaboration and communication is important, but it’s even more important to make sure that everyone feels comfortable contributing their ideas and sharing their opinion. That means allowing everyone to have their say, whether that’s through face-to-face meetings or open discussions on social media.

2. Promote an anti-bias culture

Believe it or not, there are some unconscious biases present in our brains that can influence how we view others and therefore the way we behave towards them. Therefore working to eradicate these hidden behaviors is a key step in creating a positive environment for everyone. It will help your team to anticipate knowing what’s expected from each other. That ultimately leads to greater growth in the confidence of individuals. It ultimately leads you to potential success for your business and the greater good.

3. Set realistic goals for your team

Setting ambitious but achievable targets also helps boost the confidence of some people. They may feel stuck in a particular role or believe they can’t reach their potential because it seems like everyone else is doing so much better than them. Realistic goals on the other hand will eventually give them assurance over their capabilities which ultimately will boost their confidence. Read more here to know if your goals are realistic or not?

4. Provide constant recognition

A feeling of being ignored or overlooked is one of the biggest factors contributing to low confidence within individuals. It gives them a feeling that their contributions are not valuable which can drastically from down their confidence. So when you recognize and reward your team for their efforts, they’ll believe that you value them and want them to succeed. This will ultimately add a lot to their confidence.

5. Acknowledge and celebrate their achievement

You can do this by sharing high-level achievements and positive feedback via email updates, social media channels, messaging services, etc. The little sense of being in the spotlight which these acknowledgments will create for the employees will add a lot to their confidence.

6. Invest in team bonding activities

To boost the confidence of your team, scheduling fun parties for people is a great way. It will get them together away from work and create an environment that helps build up a culture where everyone feels part of something bigger than themselves. This successful strategy is proven to help employees achieve great confidence levels. It can also increase productivity by breaking down barriers amongst peers.

7. Encourage higher engagement

Create an engaging environment where employees are motivated to achieve things at their own pace. Allowing and encouraging employees to strive for higher engagement will encourage them as a whole. It will give everyone confidence in building healthy relationships within the organization and achieving their milestones together. This strategy also comes with the benefit of reducing employee turnover when they feel more satisfied working under people who truly value what they do.

Conclusion

Confidence is an important factor in the performance of a manager. It is also a very difficult thing to boost. in the blog, we have given some techniques which proven to be able to help you to boost your confidence and make you feel comfortable in front of your team members. We have also given techniques which can make your team members more confident too and we hope the information provided comes out to be useful. Stay tuned for more relevant information.

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FAQs

How do manager show confidence at workplace?

Managers can show confidence in the workplace by being decisive, taking ownership of their decisions, and being accountable for the outcomes. They can also demonstrate confidence by being open to feedback and criticism, admitting mistakes, and working collaboratively with their team members. Additionally, confident managers communicate, set realistic goals, and empower their team members to take ownership of their work.

How confidence can build your self-esteem at work?

Confidence can build self-esteem at work by enabling individuals to feel more competent in their roles. When individuals are confident in their abilities, they are more likely to take on new challenges, speak up in meetings, and share their ideas with others. This can lead to a sense of accomplishment, greater job satisfaction, and increased confidence, creating a positive feedback loop that boosts self-esteem.

How leader’s confidence can inspire team?

A leader’s confidence can inspire their team by creating a sense of trust and belief in the leader’s abilities. When a leader exudes confidence, team members are likelier to follow their lead and trust their decisions. In addition, a confident leader can motivate team members to take on challenges, think creatively, and work collaboratively to achieve shared goals, creating a positive and productive work environment.

How confidence at workplace drives efficiency?

Confidence in the workplace drives efficiency by enabling individuals to make decisions quickly and effectively. Confident individuals are likelier to take the initiative, communicate clearly, and take calculated risks. This can result in faster and more effective problem-solving, improved productivity, and streamlined decision-making, leading to increased efficiency in the workplace.

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Setting Smart Goals As A Team Manager (Examples & Tips)

Many managers are finding success in achieving their goals by setting SMART goals. However, many fail to make them a reality by missing important information and guidance along the way. This blog aims to give a simple method to all managers to make their smart goals a reality. We will start by explaining what smart goals are and provide seven practical tips for managers to set smart goals for their teams. We will further give tips on smart goal setting along with plenty of smart goals examples for work.

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Setting Smart Goals As A Team Manager (Examples & Tips)
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What are smart goals?

The SMART goal-setting style is one of the most popular goal-setting frameworks managers use globally. Goal-setting is essential for team managers to achieve professional targets promptly. However, setting poor goals can leave managers feeling dissatisfied and burnt out. SMART goals put forth guidelines for setting goals that work for you and your team! The SMART goal-setting technique calls for improved goal-setting practices, which make acting towards those goals easier. The acronym SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. These five words form the fundamental tenets of the goal-setting habits used by great managers. In the following sections, we will understand these qualities of smart goals in greater detail with smart goal examples for work that managers can use.

Specific

The first principle of the smart goal-setting framework, denoted by the letter S stands for “specific.” Accordingly, the goal should be extremely clear. Everyone involved in the goal-setting process should be able to understand it without confusion. For instance, if the manager is setting goals for the entire team, they should explain the ideas behind them and the process of achieving them in substantial detail so that the team is updated and motivated. The goals you set should be so specific and should have such clarity that they leave no room for misinterpretations and going off track. A specific goal comes with a specific action plan to pursue, making it easier for an employee to carry it out. Smart goal – We will target the age group of 15 to 30 years for our new product. Non-smart goal – We will be targeting young people for our new product. More such specific goals examples for managers are listed below:

Specific goal examples for managers #1: Increase customer satisfaction ratings by 15% within the next quarter by implementing a new feedback system.
Specific goal examples for managers #2: Reduce employee turnover by 25% within the next year by improving communication and recognition efforts.
Specific goal examples for managers #3: Complete a leadership training program within the next six months to improve management skills and become a better leader.
Specific goal examples for managers #4: Increase team productivity by 20% within the next quarter by implementing a new project management tool and establishing clear goals.
Specific goal examples for managers #5: Reduce workplace accidents by 50% within the next year by implementing a new safety training program and enforcing safety procedures.

These goals are specific because they clearly specify what needs to be done, attach it to a particular timeframe, and further inform the team of the specific actions required to achieve those goals.

Measurable

The second principle of the smart goal-setting framework, denoted by the letter M, provides that goals should be measurable. You cannot measure an unknown quantity with success; goals need concrete targets and objectives that can be counted on. Furthermore, the outcome of a plan can only be measured along the journey and ultimately after its completion. Therefore, we need a method for measuring progress that is definite and consistent. The goal must be measurable through clear, predetermined means before it is put in place or after completion. In short- A measurement system for Smart Goals must include ways of tracking results so you know how close people are to achieving these specific goals. By having a measurable goal, employees can monitor their progress and adjust properly. Smart goal – Every member of the marketing department should increase social media following by 5%. Non-smart goal – Each team member of the social media team should make a good number of posts each day. More measurable goal examples for managers are listed below:

Measurable goal examples for managers #1: Increase website traffic by 25% in the next quarter.
Measurable goal examples for managers #2: Reduce customer wait time by 50% within the next month.
Measurable goal examples for managers #3: Increase social media engagement by 20% within the next six months by posting daily updates and responding to comments.
Measurable goal examples for managers #4: Increase sales revenue by $100,000 within the next year by expanding into new markets.
Measurable goal examples for managers #5: Reduce production defects by 15% within the next quarter by implementing a new quality control process.

These goals are measurable because the items are trackable. They can be quantified and measured using quality control metrics. The numbers provide a clear target to aim for and set milestones in between.

Achievable

The third fundamental principle outlined under the smart goal-setting framework, identified by the letter A, calls for achievable or attainable goals. Goals can often challenge the individuals aspiring toward them, but they should not be set out of their reach. Setting unrealistic goals does more harm than good. Managers should know the capabilities of their employees and the systems they have deployed in their team. They should then incorporate that information to set goals that can be challenging for their employees’ professional development but should be achievable. They should be within the intensity of their employees’ capabilities and the team’s needs. How to know your team better? Check out one-on-one meetings! Smart goal– Person A (a new business development executive) should call and send personalized emails to 10 leads per day this quarter. Person B (an experienced business development executive) should call and send customized emails to 25 leads per day this quarter. Non-smart goal – Every business development executive should call and send personalized emails 100 leads per day. A few more examples of achievable goals for work are listed below:

Achievable goals examples for managers #1: Increase email newsletter subscribers by 500 within the next three months by optimizing signup forms and offering incentives.
Achievable goals examples for managers #2: Reduce customer complaints by 20% within the next six months by improving product quality and customer service.
Achievable goals examples for managers #3: Increase employee satisfaction ratings by 10% within the next year by implementing a new wellness program and providing more opportunities for professional development.
Achievable goals examples for managers #4: Increase monthly website revenue by 15% within the next six months by optimizing ad placements and improving website user experience.
Achievable goals examples for managers #5: Reduce response time to customer inquiries by 50% within the next quarter by implementing a new customer support ticketing system and providing additional training to support staff.

These goals are achievable because they set realistic targets that can be reached within a reasonable timeframe through specific actions.

Realistic

The fourth principle of the smart goal-setting framework, denoted by the letter R, calls for realistic goals. Goals need to be in line with the surrounding environment. You should not set unrealistic goals but make them much more challenging while still being realistic if you want to overcome your limits. The goals should reflect the reality of your business’s current standing. Setting up unrealistic goals will demotivate your employees when they are not achieved. They may even deviate you from attaining the deserved strategic success by taking you and your team in the wrong direction. It doesn’t mean the goals should not be stretched to push the team’s and individuals’ capabilities. Smart goal – We should jump from 10% to 15% of the market share by the end of the quarter. Non-smart goal – We should jump from 10% to 50% of the market share by the end of the quarter. More such realistic goals examples for managers are listed below:

Realistic goals examples for managers #1: Launch a new product line within the next six months, targeting a new customer segment with a clear value proposition.
Realistic goals examples for managers #2: Increase employee productivity by 10% within the next quarter by implementing a new task management system and providing additional training and support.
Realistic goals examples for managers #3: Expand into two new geographic markets within the next year by conducting market research, building partnerships, and establishing a local presence.
Realistic goals examples for managers #4: Improve customer retention rate by 15% within the next six months by improving customer service and offering loyalty rewards.
Realistic goals examples for managers #5: Reduce operating costs by 10% within the next year by optimizing supply chain management, reducing waste, and improving efficiency.

These goals are realistic because they account for the team’s environment and the capabilities of the team members. Accordingly, it sets reasonable targets and a timeframe for achieving these goals through particular actions.

Timely

The last principle of the smart goal-setting framework calls for timely goals. The goal needs to have a Target Date. You cannot let a plan drift away and do nothing. If you make an achievable goal, drive it towards your Target Date. Managers should make sure that the goals they set are strictly time-bound. It will make it clear to the employees how much time they have to achieve the desired goals. Smart goal – Business analysts should submit the growth reports by Tuesday EOD. Non-smart goal – Business analysts should submit growth reports ASAP. Some more examples of timely goals for managers are listed below:

Timely goals examples for managers #1: Launch a new website within the next two months, with all content and functionality completed and tested.
Timely goals examples for managers #2: Complete a team-wide review of leadership skills with Risely’s free assessment within the next four weeks, providing feedback and actionable recommendations to all managers.
Timely goals examples for managers #3: Increase social media advertising spend by 20% within the next month to take advantage of a seasonal marketing opportunity.
Timely goals examples for managers #4: Launch a new product within the next six months, with all necessary testing, packaging, and marketing materials completed.
Timely goals examples for managers #5: Complete a company-wide diversity and inclusion training program within the next quarter, with all employees participating and completing required assessments.

These goals are timely because they define a reasonable timeframe to ensure the completion of tasks when the team needs them.

How To Write Smart Goals? 7 Essential Tips On Setting Smarter Goals

1. Establish a goal-setting process with your team

Smart goals are something you’ll always have to create and track, so a managers’ first step should be to implement a goal-setting process that ensures your team is all on the same page. This can ensure that everyone is on the same page, feeling safe and seeing a common goal. A team will always be able to communicate better if they understand how things progress together. By making your staff aware of this process you’ll all get there faster! The smart goal-setting process must be meaningful to each person on the team for individual and team goals. it should cater to the objectives to work, and an employee must buy into it. This method ensures that the employee and manager both understand the goal. This method will also have a positive impact on employee engagement as employees will feel involved in team processes.

2. Identify personal and professional drivers for success

Personal drives are what motivate you. They are the difference between going from 50% motivation to 100%. These can include things such as security, job satisfaction, and stability in your job. This will change over time depending on their needs for personal success. The professional drivers will include transparency of goals, soft skills, etc. These will also change over time based on their tasks, profession, and role. They should be included in the goal process for alignment with employee objectives either personal or professional goals. These drivers can be unique for different managers and identifying them will prove to be highly effective for the process of smart goal-setting.

3. Brainstorm potential smart goals that align with your personal and professional drivers of success

After identifying these drivers, managers can incorporate them into the smart goals and incentives of their employees. That will ultimately make goal-setting much more efficient. The goals and incentives should be able to foster the desired results that lead you in the direction of your personal and professional drivers of success. Managers should identify these potential goals and ask their employees for their input about the ones that will result in success for them either personally or professionally. Externally, employees will notice a sense of surprise and fulfillment that drives the success for their personal and professional purposes. Employees tend to feel motivated about doing more tasks that help them achieve success in every area including family, job security, or any of their own goals. The ultimate goal is making employees thrive as professionals by satisfying both external demands like work goals while also realizing inner desires such as achieving financial progress or becoming self-sufficient outside of your job role.

4. Make sure your smart goals are attainable

Make sure that your goals are realistic and measurable. Don’t expect your employees to stay motivated by setting lofty goals that are hard to achieve with unrealistic expectations. Set realistic, attainable, and measurable goals. Make sure that people have a chance to achieve what they make their mind up about. For example, if you’re aiming for more in your career and wanting to manage more employees, break goals down by month and year so it becomes attainable step-by-step. Attainability is extremely important when establishing personal or professional objectives or employee goals because it removes the possibility of failing up to a great extent. Job requirements should not exceed an employee’s capabilities nor cannot get any easier than what they have in their skill set currently.

5. Make sure all the smart goals have a specific deadline, metric, or target employees to ensure accountability & motivation

When setting goals, make sure that each goal is clearly defined. Goals need to have specific details about deadlines, means by which actual results are gauged (metrics/Targets), and how the objectives will benefit everyone involved in reaching it regardless of their particular roles or positions within a company. The clearer you can be about the deadlines, metrics, and target employees, the greater chance people have in achieving the targets laid out by your goals and objectives. If you are not clear enough with what the goal is when they start, it may put the fear of failure in them which might slow down their progress as a whole. Clarity on deadlines can help employees in time management. Clarity on metrics will help employees in understanding on what basis will their performance reviews be done. Similarly clarity on target employees will clear which of the employees are targeted for the specific goal.

6. Always assess opportunities that come up along the way

Another plus point of smart goal-setting is that you can change or upgrade your goals when new opportunities arise. Continue to assess opportunities that come up with regards to reaching your goal. It might be a great plan if something unexpected happens and you can take advantage of it. You may be able to create different goals that may lead to better outcomes. What you should understand is that even if your specific goal was not achieved, it does not mean your overall objectives for the company are also defeated.

7. Make sure goals remain realistic in order from priority

Make sure, though the Smart Goals are considered to be detailed and urgent, they still retain realistic priorities. They must not make impossible assumptions that will turn out to be another goal that doesn’t stand a chance of being achieved if it is unrealistic in any way. Don’t overestimate your goals but make sure you don’t underestimate them as well! Usually at first when individuals set smart goals they often can feel overwhelmed by where to start, what to focus on, or how much time will it take? The extension in between smart and old school timelines can seem painstakingly slow if you’re not careful.

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How To Set Smart Goals At Work?

Setting smart goals will help you perform optimally, but achieving them is another matter. All these smart goals have great potential to bring great success to your team and prove your effective leadership. But all these benefits will come up only if you can achieve these goals in the first place. Therefore we have these tips for you to make sure that you achieve these goals effectively.

> Create an Action Plan to achieve your smart goals

Many employees are confused because they don’t have a clear plan on how to achieve their goals. However, there is no doubt that without action plans you can’t get anywhere close to your goal. Action planning will help them in getting closer and more focused on their personal goals and that of their teams. They will be able to create a roadmap of all the key steps required for them to clarify their goals. Therefore, managers after setting smart goals should also create an action plan for their employees to achieve them.

> Revisit your goal-setting process regularly to ensure that you are staying on track & adapting as needed

Review your goals once a quarter. You should be thinking about how you see yourself or the company compared to these goals and what have you done so far as well. Reviewing your progress helps you make adjustments and it also gives you a chance to appreciate what has worked as well as identify places where there is room for improvement. You should also update your goals whenever information & research on the market changes. Check what other people, companies, or private sector projects are doing and make sure you give yourself a competitive edge. Make sure you do nothing that undermines your ability to achieve these goals. So, be cautious while making decisions and always remember the end goal.

> Stay positive, focused, and committed

Keeping an optimistic attitude should drive you during the journey of achieving your smart goals. If your goals are too ambitious and unrealistic, it can harm your whole team performance badly as we mentioned above. A team needs a strong leader and positive workplace environment to realize their purpose at work. This will also have a positive impact on employee morale and save them from burnout.

> Delegating effectively and communicating expectations as clearly as possible

Managers can achieve more goals by delegating additional tasks to their teams. Extending the work to your team members not only cuts down the workload that you might have but also helps them understand what’s expected of them and why it is important for everybody involved. Your team should feel assured in a sense as they know exactly where they stand with respect to this task or responsibility, and they should also deliver with pride. Every team member has a role to play in the team. They have to be responsible for their goal achievement too. Therefore it is highly important for managers to effectively communicate the expectations and action plans of employees to them. A leader keeps reminding the members that it is their task and every individual plays an important part in the team.

> Encouraging them to give constructive feedback in order not to let performance slip

Unreliable employees are the biggest headache of a manager. These kinds of people cause everything to get messed up because they do not take feedback appropriately. Their performance then goes down significantly. You have to motivate your team members that without proper constructive feedback there’s no way they can give best-in-class output or perform at such high levels as expected by them. To be sure on this point, it is better for managers to collect different types of feedback from their team and share it with them. This also helps in taking care of any possible conflicts between employees or getting things on track before these begin to take place.

> Running meetings effectively

A manager should run effective meetings so that they make all employee members more vigilant when needing to put things into action. These meetings can help employees in achieving desired results against time frames as suggested by their respective managers. Alternatively, having an effective meeting will also help members know about upcoming updates which then helps them in their work. it is highly important for employees to be updated on progress and time frames. It helps them evaluate their input over a period of time and they can then change it according to the shortcomings if any.

Check out the secrets of effective goal-setting for more.

Conclusion

Smart goals are goals that are attainable, measurable, and specific. They should be realistic and achievable, but at the same time, they should also be challenging. Smart goals must have a deadline so that you can measure your progress. Smart goals require an ongoing commitment from everyone involved in the goal. It means that they cannot be achieved overnight or by any one person. It is a manager’s responsibility to set goals for their team and only they are responsible to make their team achieve those goals. Setting smart goals for your team can evidently increase your chance to achieve strategic success. So, without further ado, start smart goal-setting today.

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5 Ways New Managers Can Create The Best Impression On Their Teams

Starting a new job as a manager is an exciting time because you’ve finally been given the chance to put your ideas into action. Also now you’ve got the staff to carry them out. A new manager, like any Manager, has a lot of power over the teams they manage. So, it’s crucial to get the relationship started on the right foot. In fact, a lasting good impression is all about self-promotion and the establishment of yourself as an effective manager. It also includes getting the team to take ownership of their own successes and failures. At a workplace, individuals do create multiple impressions of themselves while communicating, questioning, sharing their ideas, giving or taking job interviews, writing emails, greeting others, doing gestures, or sometimes even through their social media handles. This article will give you tips over what to do to make the best of all of the impressions one can possibly make while joining an organization as a new manager. Firstly, we will unfold upon the very importance of making the best impression on the team as a new manager.

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5 Ways New Managers Can Create The Best Impression On Their Teams
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Importance of making the best impression

It is highly important for new managers to make the best impressions on their teams Because you only get one opportunity to do it. Making a good first impression on supervisors, coworkers, and customers is critical. First impressions help you demonstrate that you’re trustworthy, confident, and personable. Setting a first impression in the workplace entails creating a positive impact through social confidence, sincerity, dress, and verbal fluency. As a Manager, you put your best foot forward while self-presentation and leave people with a favorable opinion of your character and abilities. You must be able to express yourself without copying other people. Also, you should always refer to their experiences as though they were yours. The first impressions that the new managers form will determine how well they are treated by their team. By gaining your immediate team’s respect, appreciation, admiration, and trust you gradually develop credibility among all levels of employees. Therefore it is only practical for them to make the best impression on them. That will help them form the best impression throughout the organization. The new manager needs to do the best they can in order to stay well received. First impressions have the potential to make or break a person’s perceived image. A positive experience can help them develop long-lasting business relationships. When it comes to delegating work, pitching your ideas, leading meetings, or conducting interviews, a good first impression is particularly important. here are the 5 most efficient tips for impression management. These will help you set the best impression possible on your new team as a new manager.

5 Tips to create the best impression

1. To create the best impression, Listen attentively to what your employees have to say

When managers listen to their employees and are involved in the conversation, they build cohesive teams. The members of this team will always have conformity with their leaders. Meanwhile, when they ignore their staff’s ideas and concerns, they create churn. All levels of staff should be encouraged to speak with their direct supervisor or management. If you explain to your employees that their feedback is important and that you encourage their feedback and have conformity in their ideas, you must first listen to them in order to show them that you are open to listening and making changes based on their concerns. You need to have empathy which is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings. Good eye contact, open body language, facing towards your conversation partner and nodding and smiling on rare occasions, all demonstrate that you are all ears and listening attentively.

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2. Don’t be a control freak

Let your employees work autonomously in most situations. At the same time ensure that you are always aware of their progress. You should keep them appraised of any changes or updates that may affect their workflow or duties. Avoid becoming a “control freak” by not micromanaging your staff. You need to know what’s going on, but you don’t necessarily have to be in the middle of it all when it happens. Turn over the reins and let them do whatever they can for themselves without anxiety whenever possible. In business relationships personal honesty is key. So, once you’ve made up your mind about an issue or decision make sure that no one knows about it but yourself. This is because when you dishonestly withhold information such as this from your staff, they will become less trusting of what you have to say or do for the company. They will think that their opinion does not hold anything worth stating. This increases resentment towards you in a time when employees are underutilizing cheap tools to save them money without informing anyone else. This also causes issues with employee relationships speaking negatively about management results − all of which lower the employees’ performance. This extends to how you make decisions too. It needs to be with after giving your staff as much input (and maybe even agreement) as they need before making a final decision, or before looking back on their concerns and changing things again. Always keep the process of decision-making open to your staff by gathering their concerns and dealing with them honestly. To make everyone feel at ease, you may even want to allow a discussion before you give an answer.

3. Reward outstanding performance to standout as the manager with the Best Impression

Happy employees are productive and will go above and beyond for you. One of the top ways to deter bad employees is keeping them on a high standard. Show personal appreciation and celebrate achievements with them. Make sure that there are occasions where their performance is reviewed and recognized upon which they can receive praise or rewards for it, otherwise this will not work as well. Of course, while your specific reward system may be slightly different. Do recommend that you keep in mind how important having enthusiasm/excitement, in general, is for the job. A positive environment will ensure a happy employee and one fired or left on their own terms doesn’t happen to you. Even if they are not so pleasant when forced elsewhere. Rewarding employee performance can be a highly effective method for keeping employees motivated and working toward a business’s success. This can be done with financial rewards and non-monetary incentives. They should be providing recognition, appreciation, and compensation for employees who have worked hard and put in the extra effort. Managers can not have a better impression on their employees that being the ones who recognize the good work appreciate it and even reward it. Therefore, for making the best image of oneself as a manager, rewarding outstanding performance will be a good idea without saying.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Leadership fails when it overlooks the value of asking questions. A manager that doesn’t know how to ask and challenge his/her employees may be doing their staff a disservice instead by not giving them tools in which they can handle and overcome challenges. Asking questions to the employees about themselves will also help new managers. Managers need to know the names and backgrounds of all of their team members. They should understand where they are lacking and what all of the initiatives would make them better professionals. Knowing employees well leads to better results and productivity. That can only be possible by asking questions. A new manager asking questions will have a positive impact on their team. Their employees will be more willing to share information with them and help the company grow in its operations. It also gives your employees an idea of where you stand, exploring issues pertaining to growth potentials and the growth vision of the company. Staying informed about what’s going on with operations or aspects above your head will ensure you notice potential problems before they occur. You can then take steps to remedy them before they become big problems. But that can happen only if you frequently ask questions. Open-ended questions can prevent you from making judgments based on assumptions. They can also result in unexpected answers that can lead to better results. New managers who frequently ask questions give out an impression of being interested in learning about the business and the employees, whom they are going to manage. It will help them with the information they require to effectively manage their teams. It will also create a positive impression on their employees.

5. Make yourself available to your employees at all times in order to create the best impression

A manager should be always available for his team. This will show that you value their input and appreciate their hard work and dedication. Your team will be more willing to lend them their valuable contributions. That can give you advantages with the information they might have. This concept can also apply if you are missing and not available because of vacation or retirement. Team members don’t mind being asked for advice during that time either. All this, as long as you follow up immediately when/if circumstances permit. This will keep them in a constant loop of the progress of your team, which is essential for their growth and expansion. Your employees will be more likely to give you their feedback if they are pleased with the way in which you work. By making yourself available, even when it’s not needed, they will see you like a caring, supporting, and friendly boss no matter how busy or minimal your administrative duties may actually be. It shows that a manager is willing to hear suggestions from his/her team members. It also shows that he/she expects them to add value to the company’s growth. As a general rule, show your employees that you value them and their opinions. Once this happens then they are more likely to be loyal to your company. This way making the best impression of yourself will be much easy

What to avoid as a manager while trying to make the Best Impression?

There are a few things to avoid in order to impress your employees.

– Don’t be too busy for them

Remember that your team members are there to help you, not take over or do all the work for you. If it looks like they’re struggling because of how much work is on your plate, try and delegate some of the tasks so that they can feel appreciated.

– Avoid being rude or unyielding

Treating people like a number and not as individuals will only lead to people distrusting your leadership, therefore eventually their loyalty once. These two Traits are actually traits of the worst managers. To make the best impression on your employees, you should avoid giving them even the slightest of doubt that you may have these traits.

– Don’t isolate yourself from your team

If you work in a large company, chances are that you will be working alongside many other people. Even if they may not know each other as well or often, remember to extend the hand of friendship to them and reaffirm their importance within the workplace. Just like any other relationships at home where family members hang around with each other regularly that is what works for management too!

– Avoid giving too many excuses

A good word goes a long way but when it comes to actual issues, you have time for everything. A manager should see what can be done? Instead of making each and every excuse possible (like the weather being bad or that work is coming up). Even if your company allows you to take unscheduled breaks or just gets them because of their busy schedule; might as well make use of this once in a while. Giving too many excuses gives out an impression that you are either irresponsible or you are avoiding work or you are leading your team towards deception, which is the worst impression you may have on an employee.

Conclusion

To make the best impression as a new manager, we recommend that you take some time to think about what you can do to make a good first impression. The tips that we provided in our blog post are a great place to start. Make sure you are doing everything you can to establish yourself as a competent and qualified manager. Your team will thank you for it! Let us know in the comments below if you found this useful.

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FAQs

What new managers should do first?

A new manager should start by creating a good relationship with their team. This begins with a good first impression which helps teams place trust and confidence in the manager.

What are the 4 biggest mistakes new managers make?

The 4 biggest mistakes that managers can make are: Waiting to offer feedback to employees Failing to delegate tasks ; Not connecting with the people Can’t find a balance between distant and friendly

How do new managers succeed?

New managers succeed by creating a good personal brand and developing confidence in their skills among the team members. Understanding the existing team dynamics and individual members is important too.

How do you lead a team as a new manager?

Leading a team as a new manager begins with establishing relationships with the team members. The process begins with building a rapport and understanding them.

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