Four Tips to Effectively Manage a Small Team – Advice for Associations to Succeed in 2020

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01/22/2020


Associations come in different sizes, from small shops of less than 20 employees to organizations that employ hundreds. Here at The Moery Company we have learned a lot over the past ten years of what it means to run a successful business with a small team. Here are four keys that have helped us have a productive and rewarding work environment:
Key #1: Team Culture
In the past ten years, we have developed a team culture where everyone pitches in and wears different hats as needed. We even have this outlined in our Office Manual. There is an expectation that job descriptions can and will change, and that’s not a bad thing! We often find skills in our teammates that are not in their initial job description that can be developed for their professional development, lead to personal growth, and fill a need within the organization. As an example, my job is to take care of our accounting and human resources. However, in my past life, writing was a large part of my daily work load. When our communications department (a team of one) was writing a book and managing our daily communication efforts, I stepped in by helping brainstorm ideas for the book and serve and an editor. I enjoyed using my writing and editing skills and our communications person liked having someone to collaborate with and have the workload shared.
Key #2: Flexibility
There is an outdated mindset that a small organization cannot offer their team a flexible schedule because someone must always be in the office to cover for those who are absent. There are many tools that can help you manage your team and your projects. These tools are usually inexpensive and some are even free: Slack, Skype, and cloud-based storage such as OneDrive helps your team work whenever and where ever they are. Hire people who want to play in the game, not those who want to only warm the bench.
Key #3: Clear Goals
Provide your team with flexibility and trust your team to get their work done. Every role should have clear goals and a methodology to measure the work. We use project management tools and weekly reports to track progress and to ensure that what needs to be done gets done.
Key #4: Communication, Communication, Communication
There’s no such thing as too much clear and open communication and there are a ton of tools and communications channels that can help a small team stay connected and on the same page. However, face-to-face and voice communication are still the most important. Pick up the phone, or schedule time to meet, if you need clarification on a project or a question that needs to be answered.
These are the four main keys to our success as a small team here at The Moery Company and I believe this can help your small team, too. These keys to success are also part of our mission and vision statement, “We at the Big Red M are ALL IN!”
Create an ALL IN culture for a productive and rewarding work environment for all involved.
 

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