In today’s fast-paced business landscape, effective team management is essential for sustained growth and success. We had the pleasure of speaking with Lali Sichinava, the owner of a thriving flower shop, about her experience of managing a team of 18 employees and the key skills and qualities necessary for effective leadership.
The Necessary Skills and Qualities for Effective Team Management
Lali Sichinava runs a Georgia-based flower shop and delivery business, Υπέροχα τριαντάφυλλα. With two offline locations, ένα ηλεκτρονικό κατάστημα, a delivery service, and a big team, Lali has her hands full with managing the operations and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Η Lali μοιράστηκε μαζί μας τις ιδέες της σχετικά με τη δημιουργία μιας ισχυρής βάσης για την επιτυχία της ομάδας. Στην εμπειρία της, Η επικέντρωση στις ακόλουθες πτυχές έχει δημιουργήσει μια εύρυθμη και παραγωγική ομάδα:
Προσαρμογή της διαδικασίας πρόσληψης στην επιχείρησή σας
Η επένδυση χρόνου και προσπάθειας για την πρόσληψη των κατάλληλων ανθρώπων είναι απαραίτητη. Lali emphasized the importance of identifying early when someone isn’t the right fit for the job or the team dynamics and making necessary adjustments.
Here’s how Lali approaches the hiring process:
“People are our biggest asset. We place ads on different job sites and ask people to fill in the application form and answer three questions. Along with a CV, which will show us the ability to multitask, the form is enough to filter out 95% of candidates.
Since our industry is all about communication, we send the remaining candidates an email and see how they reply. That also filters out a certain percentage.
We conduct phone interviews with the remaining candidates, as it’s a crucial step – given that our clients mainly communicate via calls or emails. Ακολουθώντας αυτό, we arrange an in-person meeting and invite them to work with us for a day so we can see if we are a good fit for each other. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο, we can also evaluate their technical computer skills.”
Implementing Trial Work Days for Good Candidates
While some business owners might initially perceive the employee trial day as overwhelming and costly, Lali firmly believes that this step is crucial for ensuring the right fit for the long-term success of the team. By dedicating time to assess an individual’s skills, work ethic, and cultural alignment, businesses can mitigate potential risks and make informed decisions that positively impact their overall productivity and company culture.
"Ναί, you can easily check if the candidate speaks the languages at the interview stage, but how do you judge if someone is “smart, γρήγορα, a multitasker, technologically advanced, a problem solver, φιλικός, compassionate, diplomatic and has good taste” all in the same interview?
This is why we typically provide candidates with a few working days to experience firsthand what it’s like to work with us. This also allows us to assess if they are a good fit for the role.”
Investing in Training Your Team
When it comes to florists, Lali is not afraid to hire people without experience as long as they possess the right attitude and motivation for learning. She believes that investing in training and constantly improving the team’s skills is a must for staying ahead of the competition.
Developing Standard Operating Procedures
Ο Λάλι πιστεύει ότι είναι ζωτικής σημασίας η δημιουργία τυπικών λειτουργικών διαδικασιών για όσο το δυνατόν περισσότερες καταστάσεις και η εμπλοκή μόνο σε μη τυπικά προβλήματα. Αυτή η ρύθμιση επιτρέπει στην ομάδα να λειτουργεί ομαλά και αποτελεσματικά, ενώ ο ηγέτης μπορεί να επικεντρωθεί στην επίλυση μοναδικών προκλήσεων που προκύπτουν.
Delegating Tasks According to Employee’s Strengths
When it comes to determining which tasks or responsibilities should be delegated to people on her team, Lali takes a methodical approach. She believes that delegation empowers individuals to take ownership of their work.
“Task delegation is decided partly at the hiring stage and then later driven by the employees themselves. I start giving similar tasks to different people performing the same function and usually, it ends up being done by a person who employs the most and consequently is the best at it.
A lot of my colleagues are people with initiative, so sometimes they will invent tasks for themselves and will naturally be very good at them.”
Constant Improvement
Perfectionism, ultimate professionalism, and a constant drive for improvement are key to Lali’s success. By being attentive to details and using every mistake as an opportunity to learn, she has fostered a culture of growth and development within her team.
Maintaining Motivation and Productivity
Flower businesses really pick up during holidays, but that also means the team has to work extra hard to meet the increased demand.
When asked about maintaining motivation and productivity during busy periods, Lali explained that the right team members will naturally be motivated by the company’s growth and success. A strong work ethic and a shared dedication to creating beautiful results ensure that the team remains engaged and focused.
Conflict Resolution: Communication is Key
While conflicts are rare in Lali’s team due to their high emotional intelligence and dependence on one another to achieve success, μοιράστηκε ότι η επίπεδη οργανωτική της δομή επιτρέπει την ομαλή επικοινωνία σε περίπτωση διαφωνιών. Με τη συμμετοχή των σχετικών μελών της ομάδας σε σημαντικές αποφάσεις πριν από την εφαρμογή, ελαχιστοποιεί τις παρεξηγήσεις και καλλιεργεί ένα αίσθημα ιδιοκτησίας στους υπαλλήλους της.
«Όντας μια μικρή εταιρεία, έχουμε μια επίπεδη οργανωτική δομή. Χωρίς μεσάζοντες – δεν χάνεται σε μεταφραστικές καταστάσεις. Προσπαθώ επίσης να λαμβάνω σημαντικές αποφάσεις από τα ενδιαφερόμενα μέρη προτού εφαρμοστούν.
Επίσης, είμαστε 100% female team with a high emotional quotient. We don’t have many conflicts as we depend on each other to deliver beautiful bouquets. Having two groups, florists and managers, if one makes a mistake, another one will usually pick up on it.”
Embracing Technology for Communication and Collaboration
Lali’s team uses Ecwid, an ecommerce platform that allows for a wide range of customizations related to product offerings and delivery options. Compared to the previous platform they have used, Ecwid has eliminated a lot of manual elements and streamlined communication with their clients, making it a crucial tool for effective collaboration within the team.
“Ecwid is a big step up from the previous platform. Ecwid allows a huge amount of customization for types of products and delivery. Πριν, we had to go through developers for a new feature or fix, while now it’s done within a minute inside the Ecwid platform.
Για παράδειγμα, we have several shifts during the day, and some days there could be three different people accepting orders. Στο Ecwid, όλες οι πληροφορίες που σχετίζονται με την παραγγελία διατηρούνται σε ένα μέρος, γεγονός που καθιστά πολύ εύκολο για το προσωπικό να παραδώσει τις παραγγελίες μεταξύ τους.
Τα προσαρμοσμένα πεδία ολοκλήρωσης αγοράς και οι προσαρμοσμένες σημειώσεις ολοκλήρωσης αγοράς επιτρέπουν τη λήψη πλήρεις πληροφορίες σχετικά με την παραγγελία από τον πελάτη καθώς και την κοινοποίηση των μέγιστων απαιτούμενων πληροφοριών σε αυτόν.
Η χειρωνακτική εργασία ελαχιστοποιείται με την ύπαρξη ευέλικτων και εύκολα μεταβαλλόμενων ημερομηνιών παράδοσης, κουλοχέρηδες, και προορισμούς. Και αν υπάρχει κάτι άλλο μη τυποποιημένο, you could always make use of the staff notes to pass it on to each other.”
Εν κατακλείδι
Lali Sichinava’s experiences offer valuable insights for business owners looking to improve their team management skills. By focusing on hiring the right people, establishing standard operating procedures, and embracing continuous improvement, business leaders can cultivate efficient, motivated teams that drive success.
Incorporating technology to enhance communication and collaboration can further streamline operations and contribute to a cohesive work environment.
By applying the lessons learned from Lali’s journey, you can push your teams towards greatness!