Our Business Solutions Director Gives his Tips for New Leaders

Effective managers can seek new ways to maximize the productivity of their team and endeavour to create a positive work environment that balances customer needs with team member development. There are multiple different management styles and not every management style suits your team, the styles are commanding, visionary, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching. We asked our management team about their management style and here are their answers:

How did you get into management? I got into management through progression with my previous employer. I started as a Trainee Recruiter, through to Consultant and then was offered a Team Leaders position. When I joined ODC, I quickly progressed into Director role, supporting the business as a whole.

How many people are in your team? At present, just 2 direct employees in my department.

How long have you managed a team? I have managed a Team (lots of different teams) for around 10 years.

What are the pros of managing a team and the challenges? Biggest pros to managing a team are seeing people develop their careers and achieving level after level. It is rewarding to provide advice and guidance that subsequently leads to the development of the individual. Challenges are mainly centred around prioritising and managing time between your team, clients and day-to-day tasks. I have always wanted to help someone as quickly as possible, as the priority.

What team outtings have you run/or plan to and how regularly? I have run a number of outings & events, including lunch clubs, incentive events, social outings, networking events, and training externally. I plan to run the client summit on a 3 monthly basis, the rest are relatively adhoc.

How did you learn to support a team? Through guidance and training but also through trial and error. I have been on several courses that have revolved around management within the recruitment industry specifically and they have been pretty useful. I would also say working for managers that motivated me in the past has helped me because I liked the way they managed and have adapted my style to meet that.

How do you incentivise and motivate your team? I believe in autonomy and trust to motivate; my team are naturally motivated to do a good job and giving them the trust to be adults and complete their work tends to create results. Incentivising my team; we are a very incentive focussed business, that combined with the nature of a sales-based business and is driven by commission and other rewards.

Over the next few months ODC will be launching a Future Leaders programme to support the progression of our team. This will provide those participating with a formal management qualification, and the practical skills to lead a team.

Why are you excited about Future Leaders? I think it is a great opportunity to receive training from a recognised body with a formal qualification in management. I would encourage you to relish the opportunity if you are successful. I am also excited to see people in the business develop and mature in their roles at ODC.

What advice would you give to someone looking to join the ‘Future Leaders’? Have a think about whether management is something that your natural attributes and personality will suit. It is not necessarily the only way for you to progress in your career. For people that do have those attributes and desire to gain skills in management, I would say that this could really help you develop your skill set.

What is your leadership style? I would say the closest is Democratic, I like to give people the opportunity to think about their own answers; showing their knowledge, building their confidence and allowing them to make mistakes they can learn and overcome. I also like to get buy in on ideas/suggestions before investing time in the ideas.

At ODC we are lucky to have a diverse team of managers who use different styles to help support their team. If you are interested in joining our team – contact natasha@owendaniels.co.uk