4 Challenges of Management & How to Overcome Them

One of a manager’s primary responsibilities is combating problems as they arise. Whether there’s an issue with a new process or a struggle amongst coworkers, supervisors need to have the knowledge and ability to handle whatever comes their way. Here, we’ll discuss four common challenges of management and how to overcome them. Understanding these will help you improve the way you lead your team.

HRDQ offers a fully customizable virtual training library, so you can provide specialized training content to your managers no matter where they are. Explore the Reproducible Training Library.

Disengaged Employees

Engaging disengaged employees is one of the toughest tasks to tackle as a manager. Disengaged employees exemplify some or all of the following behaviors:

• Consistently arrive late
• Spend a lot of time on their phone or away from their desk
• Have a negative attitude
• Avoid participation
• Don’t speak up
• Blend in with the team

There are several steps you need to take to reengage a disengaged employee:

• Create a work environment that fosters positive communication. If employees feel that they can talk to managers about the problems they’re having, they won’t harbor resentment and disengage. We’ll talk more about fostering positive communication, below.
• Remind them of their purpose. Those who don’t see the value in what they do won’t have the motivation to perform their job to the best of their ability.
• Reassess their role. Often times, employees disengage because they are in the wrong role, specifically one that does not utilize their strengths and weakness.
• Implement a workshop to learn how to ensure employee satisfaction and prevent disengagement from occurring. Learn More.

Poor Communication

Poor communication is a killer in the workplace. When you and your employees struggle to communicate clearly and effectively, it can cause disengagement, confusion, distrust, a hostile work environment, a decrease in performance, and more.

To improve communication, managers and employees must first understand their own communication style. Managers should deliver an assessment, such as What’s My Communication Style from HRDQ, to help individuals understand the way they communicate. Learning how to flex their style to meet the needs of other types will help eliminate miscommunication and foster positive speech.

Managers should also emphasize listening skills. Having the ability to listen to and process information is just as important as effectively verbalizing information. As we mentioned, when employees feel heard, they’re less likely to disengage and will feel comfortable communicating any problems that arise.

Swift & Confident Decision-Making

When managers thoughtfully listen to their employees, the ball is in the manager’s court to decide what to do with that information. If managers simply listen but don’t take action, employees may begin to harbor distrust. That said, having strong decision-making skills is crucial for ensuring your team runs smoothly. However, it can be a challenge to cultivate these skills, especially if you’re relatively new to management.

Here’s how to begin improving your decision-making skills:

• Identify your decision-making style so you can thoroughly understand your strength and weaknesses. Learn More.
• Assess the urgency of the problem. Does the decision need to be made immediately? Or do you have extended time to think it through?
• Assess the nature of the problem. Is it an interpersonal problem? Or does it require a specific deliverable? This will also affect how you handle the situation.
• Flex your decision-making style to take the best approach.

Decreased Employee Performance

Another challenge managers often face is a decrease in employee performance. Performance management is a key part of a supervisor’s job, because it ensures their team consistently reaches their goals. If your employees are lacking in performance, here a few steps you can take to help get them back on track:

• Instill accountability. Increasing accountability in the workplace will give incentive to individuals to produce their best work for the sake of the group. View our blog, How to Increase Accountability, for additional guidance.
• Bond your team. Part of accountability is ensuring you have a strong team that knows how to work with one another. Team building exercises can help bring your team together and build trust.
• Be a great coach. Great employees ultimately begin with great managers. Coaching your employees provides them with the tools they need to reach and exceed performance expectations.
• Keep track of progress. To understand the areas where your team or individuals are struggling, it’s important to keep close track of their progress. This way, you’ll know the exact weaknesses you need to discuss with them. You can then see if your performance management techniques helped them improve.

Start Training with HRDQ

If you want to improve your managerial skills, it’s important to understand these four challenges of management and how to overcome them. At HRDQ, our live, instructor-led virtual training allows your supervisors to complete training sessions and workshops no matter where they are. Our collaborative and intuitive programs will provide them the skills they need to best lead their teams. If you’re ready to experience the power of online training, view our virtual classes to get started!

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