5 Tips and Tricks for Working with a Small Staff & Team
We all know that with small association’s and organizations the staff wear many different hats. You are the meeting planner, legal team working on contracts, membership recruiter, sponsorship sales, marketing and sometimes the finance department. How can we get the most productivity from our staff and those we work with on our teams when we are all overwhelmed? Below are five tips and tricks to help you manage your teams more efficiently.
Be Flexible
It seems this day in age one of the most common benefits an employee is looking for is work/life balance. There are school events, extracurricular activities and so much more these days. I have seen many companies that don’t allow for teleworking and while I may not understand that, I do understand that being flexible to staff is a key to retaining them. The more trust put into them, the more they are willing to work even harder to get the job done.
- Ask for Input
The greatest ideas can come from the unlikeliest places. Why not, approach the whole team or staff to ask for their input with a design or concept. What about a contest within the group for theme ideas? Collaborating on projects can bring out people’s creative areas and make them see they are an integral part of the team. - Support Their Development
One of the best ways to learn is from others. Encourage and support your team or staff to attend local events, trainings and seminars. There is typically a greater association for all fields. Many fields are ever growing and changing and in order to move along we have to remain current in our knowledge. Can’t afford to have them out of the office? Look into distance learning. Only have the budget to send one person? Have that person report back and do a program for the rest of the team. Our company has started IN to the 3rd Power to help small business owners and direct sellers increase their sales, marketing efforts and more. - Meet Regularly
With a staff of 2 it is important for us at The Next Steps to meet once a week. As a former Executive Director with a staff of 3-4 at any one time we also meet weekly and some felt it was a bit too much because we are so small and what would be the point. Yet, with a small staff or teams it’s imperative to meet regularly. This ensures that everyone knows what is going on. It is important however, to set clear goals and objectives so as not to waste anyone’s time. This is a great way to make sure that duplicate work isn’t taking place since everyone wears so many hats. - Give Feedback
For every negative there should be a positive. It is important to be giving feedback so that you can learn from the past. What worked well? What didn’t work? How can you improve? This will help to determine how you move forward in the future. Giving positive feedback helps your team to feel accomplished, wanted and proud.