One of the most important things to do as a manager is making sure your team is maximizing managerial resources. This can be as simple as having the right equipment, training programs and development opportunities. While these resources are essential for any business, it can be difficult to figure out how best to evaluate them. Making sure they’re being used properly by everyone on your team in order to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity levels can be difficult. We are going to outline how to analyze your managerial resources or tools to achieve maximum results.
What to do When Your Managerial Resources Aren’t Working
It happens all the time, you’re doing your best but something isn’t working. It’s important to understand what you are trying to do with the resource or tool. Is that the best use of the tool? Step back and analyze to understand what is wrong with your resource or tool and how you can fix it. Adjustments may need to be made in order for the resource or tool to work properly again. This will depend on why it is not working, as well as whether any changes made that could cause problems. You may need to revisit and try something new entirely, and that is okay too. Work with your team to do the following and you will know what to do for your next steps;
Start by analyzing Your Managerial Resources
The first step is to analyze what you need the managerial resources or tools for. What is the purpose of it? What problem are you trying to solve? And what value does it provide for your team and organization?
Many times when we think about resources and tools, we automatically assume that they will solve all our problems. But this isn’t always the case, and sometimes a tool can actually make things worse rather than better. So before jumping into using a new resource, ask yourself: Why do I really need this? What problem am I trying to solve with it? How will this help us move forward in our goals as an organization?
Decide what is working and what is not.
- What is working? What isn’t?
- What do you think the problem might be, can it be addressed with a small change?
- How can you get more information to help you identify a potential solution to this issue?
- Do some research into similar problems others on your team have faced. Reach out to others in the industry that have used the same kind of resources or tools as yours.
- Talk with your team members about what they are experiencing using this resource or tool. This will help generate ideas for solving the problem.
What value do These Managerial Resources Provide?
To get a sense of what value the managerial resources or tools provide, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is the value of having this resource or tool?
- How will it help me achieve my goals?
- If I don’t have this resource or tool, how will I get around it and still accomplish my goals?
- If you need a new resource or tool, what is the problem it should solve?
At one property they were using a manual tracking system for important customer data; it took hours and several staff members several times a week to continue sorting and organizing the files. We took a step back and asked what would make the process better- We knew we needed a CRM system. After we chose which system to use, we were able to save hours a day on labor, and thousands of dollars over the next several years going digital. More importantly the staff was no longer frustrated.
Taryn Bolduc, Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Understand what you need to do to solve the problem
To solve your problem, you need to understand what you need to do. If you don’t have a managerial resource or tool, how will you overcome that?
- First, identify which of your resources or tools are missing or need to be replaced. This process could take some time. It requires that you reflect deeply on what matters and how each resource or tool contributes toward achieving those goals.
- Contributes in what way: does this resource or tool have some sort of direct effect on accomplishing a goal? How will having or not having this tool will affect how people feel about their work environment? How engaged they feel with their projects or tasks?
- Next, identify whether your resource or tool has any limitations that cause problems for others on your team. If so, consider how much effort and time it will take to find something better suited for your needs. Before making any changes, ensure everyone on your team is on board with trying something new. Just because it’s beneficial doesn’t mean everyone will want to use it.
- Using your analysis, figure out which would make the most sense to use.
If all goes well after that point and there aren’t any major roadblocks along the way, then congratulations! You’ve successfully identified an alternative solution to using something that isn’t working.
Eventually you’ll find a solution that works for everyone.
Finally, find a managerial resource solution that works for everyone. It takes time and effort to figure out what works best, but eventually you’ll discover how to make it work. You may need to try different things before finding the right one for your team. You may also need to use a combination of tools or resources in order to get the most out of them (or even combine them!).
The key is not giving up if something isn’t perfect from day 1. Your team will thank you when they can focus on their work and less on how their tools are supposed to work.
In summary, if you find yourself in a resource-related rut, get creative and think of ways to use the tools you have. The most important thing is to not give up. Always remember there is room for improvement and a little bit of trial and error before we find what works best for us! Still feeling stuck, sign up for our tips and tricks newsletter for more detailed resources and ideas.
Are you ready to transform your work environment or jump start your team’s success? Look no further than our Staff Management Masterclass – your fast pass to management excellence. You’ll learn key skills such as team recruitment and retention, onboarding, setting expectations, training and development and coaching and counseling.
