5 Tips and Strategies for Effective Team Management in 2021

Benefits of Team Management

Healthy teams are the foundation of a successful business, and there are plenty of statistics to prove it. 

According to Forbes, employees who feel like their voice is heard at work are nearly five times more likely to do their best. That leads to greater dividends for your business as engaged teams are 21 percent more profitable.

The happier people are at work, the more likely they are to perform well and stick around. The most satisfied employees are those that feel included and valued. In fact, another study shows that 96 percent of employees feel empathy is the most crucial factor in employee retention. 

Additional benefits include:

• Better employee engagement
• Improved retention
• Increased likelihood to meet goals
• Less workplace conflicts

Team Management Skills and Strategies

It’s clear that team management is valuable, but how do you do it? 

Read on for five tips and strategies to help you successfully manage your team, whether you’re remote, on-site, or somewhere in between.

1. Focus on Goals

One of the quickest ways to destroy a team is with micromanaging. Micromanaging leaves employees feeling defensive and like you don’t trust or value their experience. 

To avoid micromanaging, especially in a remote work environment, stay goal-oriented. Does it matter if your employee comes in at 9:30 instead of 9:00 if they reach their targets, are on-time to meetings, and perform well? Focusing less on arbitrary measures of performance like hours worked and more on results will help you build a stronger team.  

2. Have Clear Expectations 

When you don’t have clear expectations for your team members, it’s difficult to meet goals and easier to get into conflict. For best performance, your team members need to know what’s expected of them, when, and why. 

Finding balance within your team and ensuring that responsibilities are distributed evenly is vital for successful team management. If you don’t have clear expectations from the beginning, it’s much easier for one team member to take on more work and become overwhelmed or feel unappreciated.  

3. Stay in Touch

Strong teams are built on communication. Your communication cadence may vary depending on your work, but many successful managers find that daily check-in calls are a helpful way to stay connected and on-task. 

Relying on communication channels like Slack or a group text thread, depending on the size of your team, can also help you stay in touch. This not only improves your productivity but can help you bond, especially if you have a remote or hybrid team.