If you’re managing a one-man business then you don’t have a problem with employees. Chances are, you are just starting out and don’t need help yet. But as your business grows, you’ll soon realize how important it is to get help, probably one or two to do the office and admin work while you’re off to expanding your business. Even if you’re employing virtual workers or in-house staff, it is important to keep them on their toes without you being rude or mean to them. Keeping them on their toes will help them focus and be efficient on what they do but it has to be just right. As their senior and their boss, you must give them enough freedom to do their own thing without losing track of what they do.
For me, I can say that it all comes down on how good the boss in managing his staff. I have had many bosses for me to know the attitude of the boss comes first in everything, especially in maintaining his staff. Your staff’s loyalty is something you cannot pay or demand, it must be earned by no one else but you. If you don’t trust yourself to be good enough for your staff to actually like you, get someone you can fully trust and let him run your staff. This way, you only have your staff manager to boss around.
Managing a team involves knowing how to keep your people inspired. Being a senior, you must have had managing experiences before. Apply the things you have learned from that experience and make it work to your advantage. Here are some simple tips to keep your staff as effective as they can be:
·    Give compliments when it’s due. Ever heard of the term “thankless job”? Coming from your employee, it means you are not giving enough compliments even if they already gave it their best. Also, this should be considered as a warning sign as it only means your staff is not happy working with you anymore.
·    Apologize when you’re wrong, instead of demanding your staff to make it right for you. They are also thinking humans, they would know if you’re the one who blundered a job off. Acknowledge your mistake and encourage your staff to think of ways to help the situation—or salvage what’s left of it.
·    Listen to your employees. It won’t hurt if you talk to them once in a while, initiating a talk that is non-business. It will help you know your staff more, gauging where their weaknesses and interests lie and be able to harness it for your business. It also improves interpersonal relationships.
·    Give and respect their own space. It will allow them some room to grow and flourish. Give them enough space to do their own thing and just be there to guide them. Learning things their own way gives them a sense of accomplishment you can never really give if you just force your way into them.
·    Make them feel important. Giving each of them their own time to shine will inspire them to do even better—even exceed your expectations.