You might think that having become a manager, you’ve reached the pinnacle of your long-dreamed-of career. It would seem that everything has already been tried and done. But actually everything is just beginning. When starting to perform the duties of a manager, it is not uncommon to wonder where to start, how to form and maintain a professional team and manage stressful situations. A manager's success often lies in the team's performance. Therefore, it's important to understand how to manage it effectively. Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) lecturers offer seven steps that help you successfully lead a team, but also manage your own affairs.
The first step from which the manager should start is forming the team. According to MRU Psychology Institute Lecturer Gintautas Katulis, members of a focused team tend to work better together. They make good use of team resources, trust their colleagues, and tend to work more efficiently and creatively.
The second, and no less important step, is effective leadership for yourself and your team. MRU Lecturer Justina Rybakovaitė emphasizes the importance of methods for increasing personal and team efficiency. According to the lecturer, achieving the best results while maintaining good emotional, psychological and physical energy in an environment full of constant uncertainty and rapid changes, is much easier when, with certain methods, goals are set. In addition, priorities should be established, motivation maintained and ineffective behavior patterns consequently are changed.
The third step is human resource management for team leaders. MRU Psychology Institute Lecturer Dr. Eglė Poškienė emphasizes that regardless of whether human resource management specialists work within the organization, a manager who has successfully implemented the main human resource management processes, has an influence on accountable employees and achieves the desired results. Therefore, it is important to understand how to implement the main employee management processes in the daily work of the manager: recruitment, selection, introduction to the organization, activity management and motivation.
The fourth step is stress and management of emotions. MRU Lecturer Prof. Dr. Jolanta Sondaitė emphasizes the importance of various ways of managing stress and emotions, which help to become aware of and manage reactions (body sensations, emotions, thoughts) in challenging situations. According to Prof. Sondaitė, the manager must be able to recognize stressful situations and manage them.
The fifth step is educational leadership. MRU Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aistė Dromantaitė emphasizes the importance of the educational leadership and using the coaching method and applying it in the organization. Assoc. Prof. Dromantaitė states that educational culture and supportive feedback play an important role in every organization.
The sixth step is the application of behavioral theories in business. MRU Lecturer Dr. Arvydas Kuzinas emphasizes the importance of effective behavior change methods and specific psychological mechanisms that determine the effectiveness of these methods. The Lecturer claims that the main psychological learning theories and their practical application in changing behavior, attitudes and motivation (both inside the company and in providing or publicizing services) play an important role.
The final step includes the psychology of the work environment in a business context. MRU Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mykolas Simas Poškus says that it is important to identify mistakes made when creating a work environment in a timely manner. Errors noticed on time are easier to control and eliminate. Therefore, various trends and practices in the work environment are important for the effective formation of the work environment.
Although it may seem that there are many steps, they can all be included in one non-formal educational programme. MRU presents the 7-module training cycle "Managers' LAB: Competencies and Psychological Tools". The trainings are conducted by experienced lecturers at the MRU LAB including psychologists, business-training lecturers, specialists-practitioners. The training is intended for middle managers of organizations.
