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Managing Emotions in the Workplace: How to Effectively Manage a Team with Different Personalities

Diversity is the key to a successful business. It just makes sense—if all your employees think the same way, there may be harmony, but there won’t be much innovation. Disruption and the willingness to challenge the status quo are what allows a company to grow and adapt to the changing world around it. Therefore, it’s good if your team includes a wide range of personality types. But to draw the most out of your employees, you need to be able to manage various types of people effectively—and these tips from a leading provider of professional staffing services can help.

Five Ways to Manage a Diverse Team

Your team needs to be comprised of employees focused on results, those who strive to build relationships, workers who follow the processes and rules, and those who ask questions and come up with new ideas. Anyone employee may have several of these traits, but it’s critical that all the traits are present across your team in some way.

You can manage your diverse team of workers with these five techniques:

Get to know your employees.

You can’t manage workers in the right way if you don’t know your people. During team meetings, don’t be afraid to chat or conduct ice breaker exercises. Pay attention to the way your employees participate and the suggestions they give. What is their preferred work style and what situations do they function best in? When you understand these things about your employees, you can provide tasks and assign roles in which they will thrive.

Learn varying management styles.

A results-oriented employee will prefer opportunities to show leadership and take charge, while an employee who is detail-oriented and follows the rules will want to meet with you regularly to talk through next steps. By learning how to manage various personality types, you’ll be equipped with the skills to keep your team on task.

Be prepared to manage differently.

If one employee seeks challenges, while another is happy with a consistent to-do list—you’re not doing anyone a disservice by giving workers what they want. When managing a diverse team, you’ll need to be flexible; what works for one employee may not work for another one.

Touch base with employees.

Open lines of communication are key to any well-functioning workplace. Touch base regularly with your workers to be sure they’re getting what they need to be happy and productive, and if they aren’t—take swift action to help them stay on track.

Live by your own standards.

Regardless of an employee’s personality type, if they see their boss working hard alongside them, it will motivate them to keep pushing forward. Always follow the same rules you set for your team, and watch as they get inspired by your dedication.

How to Build the Right Team

To function properly and be successful, a team needs a wide range of individuals who are motivated by different driving factors. A team needs thinkers, planners, relationship-builders and doers to accomplish tasks. If you have too few or too many of any personality type, work will be stagnated.

If you need to switch up your staffing mix, a staffing agency can help. And Wood Personnel is your top choice for light industrial and warehouse workers. Your recruiter will work with you to understand the type of employees you need and help you find qualified candidates who fit. Contact us today to learn more!

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