As one of the top staffing agencies in Houston, Texas, we know that being a manager is no easy job. Your boss expects results, while your staff looks to you for direction and motivation. You are supposed to be a cheerleader, a coach, a teacher, and a disciplinarian. And you have to do all this while overcoming daily challenges.

To succeed in this demanding role, you have to be organized, authoritative, persistent, and have excellent people skills. So how can you get the job done and lead your team to success? Here are some tips to consider.

Know your employees.

What are their talents? Weaknesses? What motivates them? The better you know what makes your employees tick, the more effective manager you will be. Not only will you know how to deal with them – for instance, whether they need a lot of praise or autonomy in order to do their job – but you’ll also be able to ensure projects are well balanced with the right mix of personalities, from creative to pragmatic.

Match tasks to motivations.

When you know your employees, you’ll be able to match them with tasks and projects that motivate them. Even if an employee was hired to do a certain job, be open to changing their role if you feel they’d be better suited for a different position. Your employees are going to be a lot more productive doing work they’re great at and enjoy.

Take blame; give credit.

As the leader, the buck really stops with you when something goes wrong. So don’t throw your employees under the boss. Take the blame and learn from it. When a milestone is achieved, don’t take hog all the glory either. Give credit to your team. While it’s certainly hard to take blame and give credit, you’ll build harmony, rather than dissention, as a result.

Don’t get complacent.

Just because things are going smoothly doesn’t mean you should take your eyes off the road. Always be monitoring your employees to see if things can be done better or more efficiently. Sometimes managers have a tendency to focus on the work, rather than on the people doing the work. But if your employees are succeeding then you will succeed as well.

Hire the best.

Obviously you know that your people are your most important asset. Some of your team members may have come with the job. But if you find yourself in the position where you’re ready to hire, be sure to invest the time and resources necessary to find the right person for your needs. One person can be the difference between filling a talent gap and throwing your entire team off its game.

If you need help in this area, please contact Murray Resources. As one of the top staffing agencies in Houston, Texas, we’ve worked with some of the city’s premier organizations to identify their human resource needs, locate top talent, and maximize employee productivity. We can do the same for you. Contact us today to learn more.