Has the Olympic “feel good factor” led us all to jump into work with joy in our hearts and a true belief that we can all achieve gold if we train hard enough?

This may last for months to come, especially with the Paralympic Games providing us with new inspiration to realize our greatest potential.

What’s after this? How do we keep riding this wave?

Effective management requires skill, experience, and sometimes cunning. People management is a complicated business, different personalities require different handling. It can become a juggling act that keeps everyone happy and ensures they stay engaged.

To ensure your effectiveness as a manager, you must first agree on the goals you want to achieve. Make sure your team understands these goals and what is expected of them, it should not become a game. Employees have a built-in fear of the unknown; Don’t let your teamwork be brought down by Chinese whispers.

Understand the diverse needs of your employees; Are they ambitious, steady workers, lone wolves, technophobes?

They all need to be handled differently; The ambitious can have high expectations, they know where they want to be and how long they want it to take! They can quickly become disillusioned if not handled carefully. Challenge them and make sure they understand that getting to the top takes time and experience.

The constant worker is not to be beaten, every business needs people who will do the job diligently but won’t look for their name at the office door. Don’t let them be ignored, like every member of your team, they play an important role in the business. Ask them for ideas; encourage them to participate in the discussions to make sure they still feel involved.

The lone wolf may have trouble communicating or simply not want to communicate. Make sure you know what it is! If they want communicate and be part of the team but do not know how to guide them. Integrate them into the team by involving them in a project; keep it small as you don’t want to scare them initially. Let them find their feet slowly.

If they really don’t want to communicate, let them work on a project without micromanaging. Give them the space they need, but meet with them weekly to make sure they stay on track. It’s all very well not wanting to communicate, but you need to know that your business needs are being met.

The technophobe, there’s always a team member who would rather use pen and paper than a keyboard! This can be a tough battle, but it’s worth it. Support them and slowly introduce them to one thing at a time. Turn the patient and stable member of your team into your technology partner. Always remember to save everything… just in case!

Successful management takes time, but if done right it can improve the productivity and performance of your business. Human resource training can help develop your manager’s skills and increase effectiveness.

What tips do you have for handling different features?