Managing teams can be both deeply rewarding and incredibly challenging. There’s no perfect formula for the ideal number of people you must manage—it’s all about finding the right balance. The number of people you manage hinges on various factors like the type and intensity of work, skills and abilities of your team, your career trajectory, among others.
What are the telltale signs of reaching your “breaking point?” When does delegating turn from productive discussions to counterproductive conflicts? Let us explore answers to these questions!
Signs you might be managing too many people
Managing too many people can negatively impact productivity, engagement, collaboration and other key parameters of your MSP. However, you must not ignore the warning signs.
Lack of individual attention
It might be challenging to provide each team member with the individualized attention they require while managing a large team. But if you’re missing one-on-one meetings, not giving timely feedback, or not being aware of your teams’ challenges and triumphs, these are some of the clear warning signs.
Decreased productivity
Your team may be too large if you’re continuously engaging in tackling routine tasks and finding it difficult to concentrate on strategic work. Inadequate output might also show up as missed deadlines, subpar work and a general deterioration in your teams’ performance.
Burnout and stress
If you are finding yourself anxious to meet deadlines, targets and being unable to focus on strategic tasks, it is a clear indication of a breach of your span of control.
Ineffective communication
As your team grows, it gets tougher to keep communication clear and consistent. Misunderstandings between you and your teams crop up, the right information does not reach your teams and social gaps widen. These are clear cut signs of you overburdening yourself with a large team.
If you realize that the problem lies with your span of control, what strategies can you adopt to be the effective leader that your team looks up to?
Strategies to effectively manage your teams
While managing teams is a complex and challenging task, adopting these key strategies can help.
Delegate responsibilities
Delegating tasks to trusted team members can help distribute the workload more evenly. Delegate decision making to avoid bottlenecks. You must leave strategic decision-making to yourself and delegate the rest.
Promote accountability & collaboration
Create a culture of collaboration and accountability to allow your teams to learn from each other. Allow your teams to learn from their mistakes and rectify errors. Assign metrics to each of their deliverables to ensure enhanced accountability.
Focus on key priorities
Prioritize tasks and objectives based on their importance and criticality. By concentrating on your top priorities, you can better manage your time and resources and make sure that the most crucial areas get the attention they require.
Regular check-ins
Schedule consistent and robust one-on-one meetings and team check-ins to keep lines of communication open. These meetings provide opportunities for feedback, support and addressing any concerns or challenges your teams might be facing.
Harvard Business Review also states that when you are directly interacting with your teams, you must give them your undivided attention.
Develop leadership skills
Last, but certainly not the least, investing in leadership training that equips you with the necessary tools to become a transformational leader is key to building a strong, cohesive unit. You must be available to solve your teams’ challenges. If your team perceives you as too busy for them, your credibility as a leader may suffer.
Are you overwhelmed with the numerous tasks you need to ensure? Don’t worry! We have curated a checklist of Do’s and Don’ts for you that will serve as a ready reckoner and help you seamlessly manage a large pool of talent:
Do’s:
- Optimally distribute workload; trusting your teams’ abilities
- Prioritize 1:1 meetings and foster open communication
- Leverage technology, automate routine tasks
- Prioritize tasks and allocate resources optimally
- Offer constructive feedback
- Recognize and reward exemplary performance
- Foster a supportive, warm and empathetic culture
Don’ts:
- Micromanagement and over-supervision
- Not fostering an empathetic and nurturing leadership
- Being unavailable
- Trying to manage every detail; overstretching yourself
- Ignoring warning signs of burnout
- Overlooking professional development of your teams
If you’re in pursuit of an event that gives you hands-on learning experience through dedicated sessions and unprecedented training on not just learning how to effectively manage teams but also becoming a transformational leader for your MSP, you must join us at Build IT LIVE 2024.
This year’s event will feature world-renowned training on mastering team dynamics—Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius framework—and Strategic Coach’s Unique Ability which will help you identify and leverage your team’s strengths. You’ll also learn actionable insights on leading multi-generational teams, building a healthy organization for sustained competitive advantage and much more.
Mark your calendars:
- Date: September 9-11, 2024
- Venue: Signia Hilton Bonnet Creek, 14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Ln, Orlando, FL 32821
Click here to view the detailed agenda. Less than a month to go for Build IT LIVE 2024. Reserve your spot now!
