Managing a team can be a daunting experience, especially if it’s an unfamiliar role for you. If you’re a new brand manager or a first-term employer, your relationship with the rest of the team should be one of your priorities. You need to make sure you’re approachable but also prevent slacking. Striking a balance between friend and supervisor can be tricky, but it’s crucial to ensure your team is as productive as possible. 

The key to any professional relationship is respect. If your team doesn’t respect you, then how can you expect to lead effectively? Part of earning respect is by being accountable. Proving you can consistently do a good job, even when under pressure, will help you gain trust and faith. Of course, only time can prove that your team can count on you, but there are things you can do in the meantime.

One way to build respect is maintaining certain appearances. It’s your job to remain professional and controlled, even in a time of crisis. It’s also important to uphold a sense of professionalism. That can be anything from dressing to impress to a ceramic coating car. It doesn’t have to be anything super expensive or tricky, but showing you take your work seriously will encourage everyone to match you. 

In return, you should respect and trust your team to do their job well. Make sure to know each co-worker individually and do your best to know their strengths and weaknesses. Thoughtfully delegating and assigning work based on your team’s skills will help them perform to their best level. You can also make an effort to know what jobs each member most enjoys or mix up who does what to avoid monotony. 

Make sure you’re approachable. Festering grievances that go unspoken can lead to the collapse of a team from the inside out. Instead, it would be best to allow your co-workers to air out anything that might be bothering them. Try to not take any comments as a personal attack, and instead see this as the best way to optimise the work environment. It can also lead to some great new ideas that may never have occurred to you! 

Remember that you’re just a human too. Work isn’t all there is, and celebrating your wins outside the office can be essential to building relationships. Outings to your local pub or taking the team out for dinner are great ways to boost morale. Try to keep the shop talk to a minimum and ask questions to get to know everyone’s hobbies and interests. You never know when they might even turn out to be helpful on a project!  

Being good at your job can only get you so far when placed in charge of a group of people. However, your demeanour and the relationship you build with your co-workers can do wonders for working effectively. If you put in the effort to develop personal relationships with your team, gain their trust and respect, you’ll soon be reaching new heights.

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