How to Handle Every Running a Team Challenge with Ease Using These Tips

Who said running a team would be easy? That’s right – nobody! We all know that management is an ongoing challenge in business, especially when coordinating many different personalities at once.

Challenge #1 – Hiring and Onboarding

“Before you even think about management skills and tactics, consider the actual people who make up your team. You’ll be limited by the weakest link, and incompatible personalities will make things difficult. You can avoid many issues just by making the right hiring choices from the get-go.” – Dylan Arthur Garber, Co-Founder of Audien Hearing

“When you put more effort into selecting the best people for the job, you take so much stress out of the equation down the road. I suggest getting really good at vetting and hiring people, because that’s a skill that will save you a ton of time and headache later on.” – Yuvi Alpert, CEO and Founder of Noemie

“Onboarding is a great opportunity to set strong boundaries, establish good habits, and generally bring someone new into the fold in an effective way. Set a high bar for conduct and productivity from the start, and you’ll sidestep many problems down the line.” – James Sun, Founder of Beautytap

Challenge #2 – Team Structure and Organization

“Configure your team in a way that reduces friction and maximizes output, whatever that means to you. This requires knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and creating complementary team units that work well together. It can take some time to master, but the results will pay off.” – Mike Pasley, Founder of Allegiant Goods

“The idea is to create a team that functions as a self-perpetuating machine. Set up workflows that demand minimal input on your part and see how efficiently you can make things operate. It’s not about working the hardest as a team manager, but being highly strategic and getting the most value from every player.” – John Wu, Co-Founder of Gryphon Connect

“Collaboration allows teachers and leaders to capture each other’s collective intelligence. This is how you want to structure your team – to maximize that group intelligence.” – Mike Schmoker, Educator and Author

Challenge #3 – Dealing with Conflict

“Know when to intervene in team problems, versus when to sit back and let people work things out for themselves. You don’t want to be the micromanager in everyone’s business all the time. If your team consists of smart, mature people, they can reach a constructive conclusion in most cases.” – Chris Gadek, Head of Growth at AdQuick

“Start viewing everyday challenges as learning opportunities and a chance to improve the dynamics of your team. You won’t shy away from conflict when you have this mindset. Instead, you’ll look at obstacles as the doorway to improvement for the whole team.” – Riley Burke, Growth Marketing Manager at Ohza Mimosas

“There will be conflict between team members, across different teams, and on a departmental level. That’s going to happen at any organization. The key is getting directly to the root of the problem fast instead of brushing it under the rug. So many problems can be solved just by being proactive and honest from the start.” – Lauren Kleinman, Co-Founder of The Quality Edit

Challenge #4 – Remote Work and Hybrid Office

“The remote work shift was difficult for everyone, but it also helped teams come together and improve in many ways. Smart team leaders took the chance to boost the standard of communication, increase transparency, become more connected with individuals, and generally raise the bar for how the team operates.” – Lucas Nudel, Founder and CEO of Pride Palace

“Every team has some gap or weak point in the remote work structure. It could be scheduling, it could be communication or collaboration. It’s your job as team leader to identify those shortcomings and put a plan in place to improve them. If not, they’ll worsen quickly.” – Dan Potter, Co-Founder of Craftd London

“I’ve been very impressed by how managers led the charge on the remote work overhaul. So many did a great job with barely any preparation. However, things still aren’t perfect. The best team leaders are still looking for ways to improve the remote work infrastructure and plan ahead for the future of the hybrid office.” – Ryan Rockefeller, Co-Founder and CEO of Cleared

Challenge #5 – Expansion and Adaptation

“Some of the greatest leadership challenges appear when a company is attempting to make a big jump for expansion, scaling, or general improvement. There will be resistance from team members and friction will take place. This is when you really need to lead from the front, put in the work, and set a strong example for others to follow.” – James Ville, Chief Product Officer at GunSkins

“Learn from other people’s mistakes. Learn from the people on your own team, or from the competition. That way, you won’t make those same mistakes yourself.” Tai Lopez, Investor and Online Personality

“It’s the leaders who are always pushing, who are never fully satisfied – those are the ones that earn the respect and the accolades. They also run into fewer issues, believe it or not. It seems counterintuitive, but people respond positively to a bit of pressure from leaders. They need it to thrive! That’s how you keep your team sharp and operating at peak capacity for long durations.” – Mike Clare, CEO of Mood Health

You can study leadership and management all you want, but experience in the trenches is truly the best teacher! Apply these tips and embrace on-the-ground learning to become the greatest leader you can be.