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For most distributors, managing employees is always a thorny issue. Employees have varying levels of knowledge and come from different regional cultures, so their acceptance of corporate management concepts and methods differs. In addition, the rapid development of the times causes employees to constantly absorb new things, keeping their mindset in a state of flux, which requires management methods to keep pace with these changes.

Efficiently managing employees is difficult, but not impossible. The key is to find the patterns and follow them. By managing employees according to these patterns, unruly employees can become docile, and inefficient teams can become vibrant. There is a shortcut to management.

1. Place institutional rules above all else. Institutions are the cornerstone of an organization's normal operation. Management that arbitrarily tramples on institutions is doomed to fail. The most taboo and easily committed mistake for managers is to place personal will above institutional rules. Over time, the rules become a dead letter, and employee behavior and organizational operations will inevitably deviate irreversibly.

2. High management efficiency comes from correct and appropriate incentive measures. Every manager hopes that subordinates will devote 100% of their efforts to work and complete tasks efficiently. But at the same time, managers should understand that employee performance is directly related to the incentive measures used. The era of high-pressure, coercive management is long gone. Adopting appropriate incentive measures is the killer move for modern managers to improve management efficiency.

3. Without reasonable delegation, management is not reasonable. If a manager handles everything personally, it may prevent unnecessary errors in certain matters, but from a management perspective, it is a huge mistake. This turns all subordinates into yes-men lacking vitality and initiative. The boss works to death while employees are idle. Managers who do not understand delegation will, in their "diligence," put the company or a department on the slow track.

4. Eliminate obstacles in management through smooth communication. When communication is mentioned, some managers shake their heads: "I give orders and they execute; communication is not important. Besides, I have a thousand things to handle every day; how can I find time to communicate?" This common idea is one of the reasons for many obstacles in management. Without communication, it is impossible to understand subordinates' true thoughts and the real state of the company's operations. Moreover, it artificially widens the distance between managers and employees, which is a practice that wise managers should avoid.

5. Use flexible means to achieve the best management results. Management requires "means," and there is no need to deny this. Managers face complex situations and often need to solve difficult problems. Managing everything in a simple, straightforward way will put you in a passive position. At such times, using some tactics and tricks, as long as they are aimed at solving problems rather than harming others, is not bad and can be more effective.

In short, management is a "fine craft." You must master the balance between loose and tight control: too loose leads to laxity and loss of control; too tight stifles passion and creativity. Between loose and tight lies the realm of management art.

Rule 1: Establish the management philosophy that institutions are above everything. Institutions are the cornerstone of an organization's normal operation. Management that arbitrarily tramples on institutions is doomed to fail. The most taboo and easily committed mistake for managers is to place personal will above institutional rules. Over time, the rules become a dead letter, and employee behavior and organizational operations will inevitably deviate irreversibly.

  1. Establish a sound organizational structure.
  2. Establish a strict employment system.
  3. Design a good compensation system.
  4. Establish a competition mechanism.
  5. The establishment and improvement of institutions should always be a top priority.
  6. Resolutely abandon the mindset that "laws are not enforced when everyone is an offender."
  7. Lead by example under the rules.

Rule 2: Management only works when the manager has authority. Institutions are a benchmark for management, but having institutions and acting according to them does not mean all problems are solved. The manager's personal authority also has a decisive impact on management effectiveness. Of course, building authority is not achieved overnight; it requires managers to handle themselves well in many aspects.

  1. Authority is the first element of a manager.
  2. Building authority requires tactics.
  3. Be cautious in making statements; say what you mean and do what you say.
  4. Influence subordinates with your own style.
  5. When appropriate, "lead the charge personally."
  6. Never act on emotion.
  7. Bear pressure yourself.
  8. Do not do things that harm your personal image by using public office for private gain.
  9. Resolutely break up cliques.
  10. Show anger moderately.
  11. Distance creates authority.
  12. Use both kindness and severity with subordinates.

Rule 3: Treat everyone fairly is a key management principle. In fact, ordinary employees do not have high demands on managers; they are easily satisfied. As long as you treat every employee fairly and objectively evaluate their work performance, they will be willing to obey your management. "Treat everyone fairly" is a common saying among the people, and it is also a key management principle that managers should always remember.

  1. Fairness is more important than equality.
  2. When handling conflicts between employees, first classify the conflicts.
  3. Resolve conflicts artistically.
  4. Learn to reduce conflicts of interest with employees.
  5. Recognize the dangers of factions.
  6. Replace "internal friction" with competition.

Rule 4: Harmonious superior-subordinate relationships are the lubricant for improving management efficiency. If subordinates resent their superiors and have a belly full of complaints, management effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Conversely, if the relationship between superiors and subordinates is harmonious, subordinates will accept tasks happily and do their best to complete them, and the results will be vastly different. As a manager, you should care for and protect your subordinates, and be their confidant. Then, harmonious relationships will come naturally.

  1. Consider issues from the employees' standpoint.
  2. Do not abandon subordinates in times of crisis.
  3. Provide necessary help to subordinates at critical moments.
  4. Be a good "parent" to employees.
  5. Fill the enterprise with human touch.
  6. Put down your "airs" when appropriate.
  7. Remember employees' names.
  8. Understand employees' personalities.
  9. Manage employees with emotion.
  10. Understand employee satisfaction.

Rule 5: Smooth communication can avoid management obstacles. When communication is mentioned, some managers shake their heads: "I give orders and they execute; communication is not important. Besides, I have a thousand things to handle every day; how can I find time to communicate?" In fact, this common idea is one of the reasons for many obstacles in management. Without communication, it is impossible to understand subordinates' true thoughts and the real state of the company's operations, and it artificially widens the distance between managers and employees, which is a practice that wise managers should avoid.

  1. Ensure effective communication and information sharing.
  2. In communication, listening is more important than speaking.
  3. Broaden the channels for upward and downward communication.
  4. Being good at listening to opinions can unleash employee potential.
  5. Share happiness with subordinates.
  6. Being willing to admit mistakes is a good way to achieve healthy communication.

Rule 6: Give subordinates the opportunity to express their personal opinions. Whether ordinary employees have the right and opportunity to express their personal opinions is one of the criteria for measuring whether an organization is functioning well. Managers should create an atmosphere where everyone can speak freely. In this way, everyone in the organization will feel they are an important part and will do their work happily, which is often more effective than strict management measures.

  1. Create an atmosphere that encourages subordinates to speak boldly.
  2. Let employees understand the actual situation.
  3. Identify employee dissatisfaction.
  4. Treat employee dissatisfaction correctly.
  5. Listen carefully to employee complaints.

Rule 7: Appropriate incentives are the killer move for efficient management. Every manager hopes that subordinates will devote 100% of their efforts to work and complete tasks efficiently. But at the same time, managers should understand that employee performance is directly related to the incentive measures used. The era of high-pressure, coercive management is long gone. Adopting appropriate incentive measures is the killer move for modern managers to improve management efficiency.

  1. Use appropriate incentives to stimulate the work ability of key employees.
  2. Give sincere praise for subordinates' excellent performance.
  3. Heavily reward those with merit to boost morale.
  4. Master the timing and methods of rewards and punishments.
  5. Establish an efficient incentive system.
  6. Mobilize employees' enthusiasm.
  7. Use attractive "titles" as incentives.
  8. If incentives are ineffective, find the reasons.
  9. Do not practice egalitarianism.
  10. Combine monetary and spiritual incentives.

Rule 8: Correctly view subordinates' strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. If a manager only focuses on subordinates' weaknesses, then they will see nothing but weaknesses, and accordingly, the attitude toward employees will be only criticism and punishment. This is an extremely negative management mindset. Avoiding weaknesses and using strengths is the way of a wise manager.

  1. Skillfully use the technique of tolerating and protecting shortcomings.
  2. Do not easily negate subordinates.
  3. Focus more on subordinates' strengths than weaknesses.
  4. Treat those who have opposed you correctly.
  5. Make subordinates' weaknesses work for you.

Rule 9: Criticism with method is one of the essences of management art. As leaders, managers inevitably have to criticize subordinates, but criticism should not be viewed simplistically. The purpose of criticism is to point out shortcomings and mistakes and expect correction. If your criticism only points out errors or is merely an emotional outlet, without achieving the goal of making the criticized person correct and others vigilant, it is a failed criticism. Therefore, criticism must be methodical; it is one of the essences of management art.

  1. Take seriously the issue of how to criticize employees.
  2. Pay attention to the methods of criticism.
  3. Criticize with love.
  4. Pointing out mistakes euphemistically is easier to accept.
  5. Do not reprimand subordinates in public.
  6. Short and powerful criticism is more effective.
  7. Use "praise" to criticize.
  8. After "severe criticism," do not forget to do follow-up.

Rule 10: When it's time to act, dare to strike hard. Every unit has some "troublemakers" who may cause serious problems that endanger management. Managers must not hesitate; they must dare to act, and when they act, they must strike hard, aiming to hit once and solve the problem.

  1. When decisive action is needed, never hesitate.
  2. Correct subordinates' mistakes with a clear attitude.
  3. Do not be a weather vane on matters of principle.
  4. Use effective methods to make the arrogant obey.
  5. Boldly wield the "sacking" stick.
  6. It is okay to accommodate for a while, and also to intimidate once.

Rule 11: Without delegation, you cannot get on the fast track of management. If a manager handles everything personally, it may prevent unnecessary errors in certain matters, but from a management perspective, it is a huge mistake. This turns all subordinates into yes-men lacking vitality and initiative. The boss works to death while employees are idle. Managers who do not understand delegation will, in their "diligence," put the company or a department on the slow track.

  1. Managers cannot do everything themselves.
  2. Not understanding delegation means not being a qualified manager.
  3. Delegating to subordinates requires strategy and skill.
  4. When delegating, distinguish between major and minor powers.
  5. Promote generously and let employees all become bosses.
  6. Resolutely remove obstacles to reasonable delegation.
  7. Implement delegation in support of subordinates.

Rule 12: Supervision after delegation is essential. Delegation is not just letting go of power; supervision, follow-up, and management after delegation are essential. Some managers often wonder why power always becomes chaotic when delegated and dead when taken back. The root cause is not solving the relationship between delegation and supervision.

  1. Wise managers do not just let go of power.
  2. Limited suspicion is a good way to prevent delegation from getting out of control.
  3. Managers achieve effective monitoring of power through follow-up.
  4. Limit the power of those with high positions and heavy responsibilities.
  5. Beware of "reverse delegation."
  6. Grasp necessary power to prevent delegation from getting out of control.
  7. Do not omit the "checking work" step.

Rule 13: Starting from the spiritual level is the golden key to opening the door of management. For most ordinary employees, material treatment requirements are the most basic and quite important. But if you regard material needs as the only need of employees and use this to guide management thinking, you are greatly mistaken. After satisfying basic material needs, the spiritual level is the real golden key to opening the door of management.

  1. Unify the team's management goals with employees' personal goals.
  2. What needs to be cultivated most is employees' beliefs and spirit.
  3. Improve employee work effectiveness by raising the spiritual level.
  4. Make building management ethics a top priority for improving management ability.
  5. Grasping employee mentality is like finding the golden key to improving management effectiveness.
  6. Enhance the combat effectiveness of employees and the enterprise through corporate culture construction.

Rule 14: Reasonably selecting and using talent is a necessary quality for managers. What does management manage? Naturally, people. Managing different people with the same methods will yield vastly different results. This is the difference in selecting and using talent. Therefore, wise managers start implementing their management philosophy from the point of employing people. The most important thing in selecting talent is to achieve "reasonableness." Only when managers achieve this can they be said to possess basic management qualities.

  1. Only by selecting good people can you use them well.
  2. Spare no effort to retain excellent talent.
  3. If you want to poach people, you must be willing to pay.
  4. When employing people, it is appropriate to be "moderate."
  5. Employ people according to their abilities and avoid weaknesses.
  6. Managers should treat new and old employees differently.

Rule 15: Have special tolerance for important employees. Important employees are mostly capable people, and capable people often have a bit of arrogance. How to use such people is a yardstick for testing management ability. If used well, they can unleash tremendous energy. But to use them well, it is difficult without a broad mind that can tolerate others.

  1. High salaries may not retain people.
  2. Find the reasons for employee turnover.
  3. Use unconventional "capable people" well.
  4. Warm words are more effective in retaining people.
  5. Retain people with "technical levels."
  6. Let employees be full of hope for the future.
  7. Make appropriate concessions.

Rule 16: Maximize the release of team energy. In NBA teams, if players cooperate well, they say the team has "chemistry." Such a team may not have superstars, but it often has the highest winning rate. A good manager is one who can turn stone into gold, creating chemistry among subordinates to maximize the release of team energy.

  1. Build a solid management team.
  2. Team spirit is the guarantee of team stability.
  3. Employee unity is the prerequisite for shaping team spirit.
  4. Balance cooperation and independence in the team.
  5. Encourage proactive work.
  6. Stimulate creativity and encourage innovation.

Rule 17: Softness can sometimes produce better management results than hardness. Hardness is more powerful, which is common sense in life. But in management, being too hard may not yield better results. On the contrary, relatively soft, warm, and humanized methods can make subordinates submit. As the saying goes, "the human heart is made of flesh." When facing warm hearts, softness indeed has more penetrating power.

  1. Learn the management technique of overcoming hardness with softness.
  2. Leaders must first control their own temper.
  3. Turning opponents into supporters is real skill.
  4. Give subordinates who make mistakes a chance to redeem themselves.
  5. Mobilize subordinates' enthusiasm by resolving conflicts.
  6. "Wearing high hats" (flattery) is a clever management technique.

Rule 18: Master the scale of loose and tight management. Management is a "fine craft," and one manifestation is that you must master the balance between loose and tight control: too loose leads to laxity and loss of control; too tight stifles passion and creativity. Between loose and tight lies the realm of management art.

  1. Do not let your orders become a dead letter.
  2. Both rewards and punishments should be based on performance evaluation.
  3. Correctly view situations where subordinates fail to complete tasks.
  4. Use close supervision to create a strong sense of urgency.
  5. Use timely punishment and praise to show a clear stance on matters of principle.
  6. Use coordination to perfectly combine "loose" and "tight."
  7. Learn to hide behind the system and manage people with "inaction."

Rule 19: Playing dumb can make you manage more clearly. Managers must be clear-headed: discerning truth from falsehood, distinguishing good from bad. But managers must also be "foolish": avoiding what should be avoided, yielding what should be yielded. It is easy for managers to be clear, but difficult to be foolish, because the former requires ability and knowledge, while the latter requires a broad mind.

  1. Some things really need to be played dumb.
  2. Play dumb, but do not be truly foolish.
  3. Use fuzzy thinking to cleverly avoid problems.
  4. Pushing credit and taking blame is also a "foolish technique."
  5. Never compete with employees for credit.

Rule 20: Manage details well to get things done. Managers must not only manage big things but also small things. This is not contradictory to the delegation principle mentioned earlier, because some details and small matters are equally important and are the key points of the problem. Only when the key points are grasped can everything be done well. Manage these important details well, and things will be done properly.

  1. Control emotions when dealing with small matters in management.
  2. Leadership work cannot ignore subordinates' individuality.
  3. Criticizing subordinates behind their backs is foolish.
  4. Release positive signals in the right way.
  5. Pay attention to the details of every word and action at work.

Rule 21: Use different means to pursue different management effects. Management requires "means," and there is no need to deny this. Managers face complex situations and often need to solve difficult problems. Managing everything in a simple, straightforward way will put you in a passive position. At such times, using some tactics and tricks, as long as they are aimed at solving problems rather than harming others, is not bad.

  1. Learn to control your expressions.
  2. Why do newly promoted managers become "arrogant"?
  3. Do not underestimate the role of "pushing."

Rule 22: Continuously improve overall competitiveness through training. Many managers are talented and capable, but their understanding and practice of employee training are far from the requirements of modern management systems, and they even have a negative attitude toward training. In fact, training is an investment with high returns. If managers do not pay attention to employee training, it is impossible for the enterprise to develop sustainably.

  1. On-the-job retraining is equally important.
  2. Learn while working and teach by example.
  3. Treat continuous learning as a work requirement.
  4. Let employees improve themselves through training.
  5. Establish a long-term talent development plan.

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