The Best Startup Management Tips from Top CEOs

[This article was written by Dawn Castell.]

If you plan to start a new business and hire employees, you’ll want to adopt the best management practices to keep your operation running smoothly and your staff happy. Some of today’s top CEOs have been generous enough to share their management advice to aspiring business owners to help them succeed. Here are some of the best management tips from the best CEOs.

Try Not to Be the Smartest Person in the Room

According to Top5 Project Management, Julia Stevanja, CEO of Style Runner, states that you should never try to be the smartest person in the room. If it appears that you know everything, then you’re probably doing something wrong. It’s best to leave your ego in check and be open to new ideas from your staff, clients and business contacts. Instead of trying to assert yourself as an authority figure, you should be taking the input of all team members seriously and making sure that everyone in your business has a voice.

Be Sparing with Feedback

As Maui Mastermind CEO David Finkel states, it’s best to drip instead of drown when it comes to giving your employees feedback. He explains how overwhelming your employees with too much feedback at once can be detrimental to their progress. By sharing feedback in increments, your staff will be able to learn your expectations more gradually and adapt to your business climate better.

Inspire Your Employees

Finding ways to inspire your employees can help them stay motivated in their work. Staff members who are inspired by your company’s vision and the products or services that you provide are likelier to be prouder to represent your business’s brand. PR News Wire details this when writing about the late D Gary Young, who ran Young Living Essential Oils and helped inspire his employees by keeping them more connected to the global community that they served.

Choose Ambitious Staff Members for Your Team

To build the best team possible, you’ll want to hire employees who are self-motivated and know how to get things done instead of just having ideas. Nick Weaver, CEO of home networking system company eero, says that it’s important to listen for the passion in people’s voices when they discuss their career ambitions during their job interviews. They should be excited in the forthcoming opportunities that await them at your company and show interest in getting to work as soon as possible. Choosing the most self-motivated staff members could save you the management headache of having to deal with problematic employees in the future.

Focus on Strengths Instead of Weaknesses

This piece of advice comes from SailPoint CEO Mark McClain, saying that it’s more important to build upon the strengths of each employee instead of spending so much time trying to fix weaknesses. Some employees’ strengths may compliment the weaknesses of others, and this can help your company overcome challenges and move ahead in the business world. Each person will be better at different things, and you should encourage your employees to focus on these positive aspects to make up for the other staff members who might be weaker in these areas.

Offer Incentives

Additional rewards for a job well done can help motivate your employees to do better in their jobs. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has been known to offer free education to staff members who are able to work in alignment with the company’s vision. Monetary bonuses and extra days off of work with pay are other incentives that you can try offering. Some companies even provide gifts or gift cards to reward top producers.

You’ll have a better chance of running a smoother startup when you establish good rapport with your employees. By honing in your management skills, you’ll be able to build the dream team that can take your company to the next level.