It doesn't take a business guru to tell you that you need to make sure that your staff are firing on all cylinders if you want your company to thrive. Of course, though, as is often the case when it comes to the tricky business of managing people, this can be much easier said than done. 

If you want to achieve big things, you need clear and effective processes to help you get there. Your line managers play a huge role in creating a productive and high-performing culture, and you need to ensure that you're driving them in the right direction. 

Here, we share some of our tips for encouraging your line managers to step into their roles and play an active part in improving performance.  

Create procedures that underpin your objectives 

Your line managers can often only operate within the constraints that you create for them. If you want them to excel, you need to create a framework that allows them to do so. For this reason, you must consider what you already have in place that helps staff to reach their full potential. 

Do you have a policy that outlines how often and in what format performance discussion should happen? Is there something in place that ensures that work is being carried out? Who ultimately chases things up to ensure that procedures are being followed? It's not necessarily about ticking boxes, but you need to create systems that ensure that day-to-day tasks are completed. 

Give your managers the confidence and skills they need to have meaningful discussions 

Unfortunately, making sure that performance discussions are taking place is only the first hurdle. It's not so much about frequency, as it is about the quality of the conversations that are happening. 

Talking about performance and addressing areas of concern can be daunting, even for the most experienced line managers. It's crucial that you allow them to hone their skills and keep developing them regularly. Consider how you can do this within your business. It may be the case that you need to roll out some training sessions, or perhaps you need to have your own one-to-one discussions with your management team to better understand how you can support them. 

Creating an ethos and atmosphere of open communication will also improve your team's mental health and well-being. By knowing that they have a calm space where they can have a conversation about problems they may be facing, staff will be less likely to be adversely affected by stress.   

Encourage your managers to facilitate career development in their teams 

Performance management isn't just about fixing problems and ensuring that the work gets done within a specified time frame. It's about looking ahead towards the future and ensuring that your business has the right kind of talent to drive operations forward and achieve growth. 

The key takeaway here is that if your employees aren't being given a chance to flourish, they're likely to start looking elsewhere. Do you really want to lose your talented members of staff to your competitors? Be sure that your line managers are having open and honest conversations with their direct reports about where they see themselves in the next five years, and that information is taken seriously and considered when planning the direction of the business as a whole. 

If line management capability is something that you want to improve, we can help. We believe that successful businesses are created when leadership teams are given the tools they need to excel. For an initial discussion about how we could bring our practical approach to your business, give us a call today.