Any small business consulting firm will tell you that a company is only as strong as its leaders. A recent story in the Standard-Examiner reports that an audit revealed that the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) is in big financial trouble due to poor management and a lack of planning. Poor oversight of the group’s methods during the early years aided in the creation of the sinkhole discovered. With the proper training, alignment of employees with company values and ongoing monitoring, a business of any size can have a management culture that sets up the organization for success.
Why Use a Small Business Consulting Firm
Rather than hire a small business consulting agency when there are problems, recruit their services from the start. These experts can teach you and your managers effective skills to practice from, which helps eliminate the need to break old or bad habits. Then, whenever you recruit a new manager, have him or her undergo the same training. With this practice, you can ensure your management team receives the same training messages and are on the same page about values and practices to exercise. While this concept may seem extravagant, it can ultimately help a small business save money and run more efficiently.
10 Skills for New Managers
There are a handful of vital skills that new managers should use. While they’re seemingly simple to practice, they’re also simple to ignore. When new managers work with small business consultants, they’ll learn the following skills, plus more:
- Good communication: A skill that can greatly help or hinder a small business’ future
- Leadership (not micromanagement): Managers don’t have to alienate employees to ensure success
- Team-building: Making employees feel important and connected goes a long way toward retention and company loyalty
- Effectively training others: Employees are only as good as the skills they acquire
- Recognizing when further training is needed: Ongoing training opportunities provide valuable employee development opportunities
- Executing effective official and unofficial performance reviews: Constructive (negative and positive) feedback is necessary on an ongoing basis, not just once a year
- Flexibility: Going with the flow is vital for company growth
- Follow-through: This skill aids in motivation and increases trust
- Establishing clear expectations: Leave nothing to ambiguity
- Hiring the right employees: Recruiting others who have the right mix of skills and competencies
If you’re looking for a small business consulting firm to assist you with your new managers, please call 610-380-8735 or complete our online contact form.