How to Achieve a Firm But Fair Balance as The Boss

By Business Desk

Saturday, August 19, 2017.

We are all looking for balance in business. Particularly as managers, bosses and business owners, sometimes it can feel that we are constantly striving to strike just the right balance in order to keep staff happy, productive and motivated. Striking that balance between firm but fair is no mean feat for any boss, however there are some simple techniques that can be used to try and get to that happy medium where your staff respect you but also feel that they can be open and honest with you.  

The Importance of the Firm But Fair Balance

Most people in business will say that the best people they have worked with were firm but fair. We have all seen people try to be too ‘chummy’ with staff and then fail to get them to do what they need to do when the moment required action. We have also seen people be far too strict and unapproachable and end up creating an atmosphere where staff are terrified of even being anywhere near them, let alone opening up to them.

Therefore getting it just right, somewhere in the middle is one of the most important balances in business. Having an approachable but no-nonsense approach should be a big goal to anyone wanting to achieve success in a senior position in business, or to own a business themselves.

Being fair with rewards and disciplinary action allows people to know that you mean business and no one is wise to slack on your watch. However you also need staff that can be open and honest with you about day to day situations, projects or even career concerns in order for you to have a really good idea about the state of your team or business and to do that you must also build open and trusting professional relationships.

Image source

Setting Expectations

So how do we go about striving to strike that all important balance? Well one very good place to start is by setting clear expectations. You can’t be tough with people who were not given proper objectives and expectations in the first place. Therefore it is really important to create clearly defined job roles, career progression goals and also clear and equal salary categories, so that staff know exactly what is expected of them, how much support they can expect and also how much salary they can expect throughout their career progression within your company. If you are struggling on how to go about this fairly, then why not look into hiring salary benchmarking survey services to help you put together a fair staff payment scheme that will keep all your team happy. Once your staff see that there is a clear definition of what they are expected to do, and what they will receive in return in terms of salary, promotion and career progression, then your working relationship can really flourish and prosper.

Constant Monitoring

Don’t sweep things under the carpet or think that you will deal with it, if the same ever happens again.You will want to be constantly monitoring your staff and correcting as you go to help guide your staff in the right direction and to learn from their mistake. Of course the same applies to encouragement and praise. Always make sure that you are on top of the activity of your team so that they can feel that they have your support every step of the way.

Listen

Ensuring that communication in your company, or in the team that you manage, flows in a two-way direction, will go a long way in building meaningful relationships with staff and colleagues. Therefore make sure that you are listening to your staff on a regular basis, through regular weekly meetings. Let them know that they can be open and honest with you and that you are always available to talk through concerns, ideas or problems that they might have.

Adjust & Evolve

As your business or team evolves, so should your approach. Roll with the developments and changes in your industry and company and adjust the way you approach people as your relationship grows. People like to feel invested in and that they are valuable and respected. So as things grow and change and people show you their worth and their commitment to their company, you too can afford to let your barriers down a little and enjoy a more personable and fun working relationship as the trust and respect grows within your workforce.

Being firm but fair will coach people to do their jobs to the best of their abilities where they can expect feedback, reward and discipline depending on the way they approach their job and your company. So finding that balance of being both firm and fair will enable people to be able to learn from you as they develop their careers and work towards their own individual goals.