MIND AND I/Business people at meeting
By Fady 'Fred' Helou
Founder & CEO, Vagaro
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One of the worst feelings in the world as an employee is receiving instruction from management that doesn't seem to follow any type of rhyme or reason. Even worse, perhaps, is feeling like all the processes are a mystery only the leaders in the business understand. Leadership expectations shouldn't be a secret code. These situations can create confusion, erode trust, and put distance between employees and leaders, ultimately hindering the success of the company as a whole.
Effective workplace management isn't just about delegating tasks and setting goals; it's about building a culture of transparency and, more importantly, consistency that empowers employees and promotes their growth. The strong foundation of a resilient organization is built with clearly defined processes and systems in place for your employees.
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Clear Expectations Get Hurdles Out of the Way
Most employees want to know how to make their bosses happy. They care about what their supervisors are looking for and want to deliver the expected results.
But they can't read your mind.
So when you're not consistent in your expectations, boundaries, or management style, you create a moving target for your team. In the process of trying to meet constantly changing deliverables, they don't always know where to aim. People naturally look for structure in both their personal and professional lives, and when they struggle to find a process they can rely on to make decisions, they end up forming their own. This inconsistency results in employee-made processes that don't necessarily align with other workplace procedures and may not be uniform across the company.
The solution is simple: Streamline processes as much as possible and make it clear how you expect to get things done. But keep in mind that this isn't a one-time decision. It's an ever-evolving process that requires you to reflect and adapt as necessary, especially as new teams are created, and the company continues to expand.
When these new processes are ready to be rolled out, make sure everybody's on the same page about the direction they need to go in and any expected outcomes. Assign people projects based on their departmental processes from their first day on the job so they can practice following those processes and internalize them immediately.
Expect Managers To Do Their Jobs
Learning on the job can be tough, especially when new employees are left to navigate a sea of processes and procedures on their own. While training manuals and documentation can provide valuable insights into the job, they cannot replace the guidance and expertise of a skilled manager or mentor who can teach employees how (not what) to think and keep them out of the weeds.
At Vagaro, I always tell our managers that we won't hire an assistant to manage the employees — it's right in the job title that the managers have to manage. It's this kind of hands-on, available leadership that makes workers feel comfortable and supported in the processes that are in place. This, in turn, leads to less stress and an increased openness to learn, which optimizes efficiency.
To achieve this level of leadership, encourage your managers to regularly connect and interact with their teams. This interaction enables team members to ask questions, get the support they need, and receive supervised practice to reinforce their skills.
Consistency Will Grow, but Maintain Reasonable Flexibility
A consistent management process streamlines what you're doing by clarifying what you will and won't tolerate. It also lets you quickly dig down to the real root of problems — if everybody's following the same process, it's easier to figure out where deviations or mistakes happened.
Even so, there still has to be room for flexibility in the processes you design. Flexibility allows for reasonable exceptions and iterative improvement. Data is foundational in putting guardrails on the flexibility you have. Every decision you make about the processes is based on real, verifiable information that, in a closed loop, comes from those processes.
In general, the need for consistent processes increases as the business scales. Small startups just getting off the ground can get away with not having as much formality in place because the few employees in the company know what's going on and can do things quickly. But as the business expands and departments spread out, processes and the data involved are necessary for everyone to understand what's happening and what the next steps should be.
So developing formal processes becomes one of the natural hurdles all startups have to face — don't be afraid of that adjustment. You'll know the business is maturing when members of the team truly accept that consistent processes will benefit the organization.
In a Fast-Changing World, Rules, Targets, and Measurements Still Move You Forward
If there's one mantra the corporate world is singing, it's that you have to be willing to change to survive. But change doesn't mean you do everything without rules, targets, or clear measurements. Even as you adapt to new market conditions and explore what you can offer customers, consistent management should be the oil that keeps your business engine running smoothly. Take the time to design your processes well, review them regularly, and be as open as possible about their development and execution to give your business the best odds of success.
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