🥗 Don’t Fail as a Manager, Do This Instead

Hey there,

Welcome back for another bite to chew on.

Today, we’re going to talk about why managing people is both an art and science.

If you go too far into either one of them, it could cost you a ton of money or even your employees or business…

Speaking of your business,

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Getting back to business, whether you've stepped into management recently or are brushing up on your skills, navigating your role effectively will make or break your team's success.

Becoming a manager often means walking a tightrope between meeting the needs of your employees and the expectations of the investors/business/higher-ups. 

Here’s how we (try our best to) balance everything:

The Art & Science of People Management

People management is a balancing act.

On one hand you have the metrics, deliverables and business critical tasks that you need to delegate to the right people to make sure the tasks get done.

That’s the science part of managing people. 

You have to break down the success equation into components each team or employee can handle.

It’s your job as a manager to know how, when and why to break those components down.

This is incredibly specific to each business, so we can’t tell you exactly how to do this for yours, but we’ll talk about some strategies here in a little bit.

The main takeaway we want you to take on the analytical side of managing people is that you should be doing less and less work.

• Take yourself out of the work part of the equation

• Put the components together

• Make sure the math works out to bring growth

On the other hand of this balancing act, you're holding the personal side of managing people.

This is the art aspect of managing that most people get WRONG.

You could be the best business scientist in the world, able to forecast out and crunch numbers unlike anyone else,

but if you have the personality and approachability of a calculator, people will not follow you and your business will not grow.

No artist paints, draws or designs the same, just like every manager has a different managerial style.

We’ve gone with an extremely personal, but standoffish managing style. 

Before we get into how we do things at Obvi and Chew On This, we’d love for you to join a free event coming up:

Learn how to use Direct Mail effectively at our free webinar on April 26th

About 70% of customers buy just once and can't always be reached by email or SMS. 

Direct Mail offers a reliable way to reconnect with them. By using Direct Mail, we successfully acquired and brought back customers with great offers.

Register HERE and Ron and Michael, CEO of PostPilot will give you all the info!

Time to see how WE manage.

Every Employee is Their Own CEO - How Obvi Does It

Personal, but standoffish? How does that make any sense?

Here’s what we mean:

We’re extremely involved WITH each of our employees but not necessarily involved IN their direct work.

We put people in places we know they can succeed, but also put the responsibility of that success on them too. They’re the CEO of their own domain.

What does that look like as a manager?

We give each employee exactly the main goal for the month, the quarter, the year, the big picture, etc. and then create continuous follow up.

Come at this in a way of talking to a partner rather than talking to an employee “below you.”

Checking in to see are we on track? Off track? Where do you need help?

Establish deadlines and expectations like you’re delegating to a CEO and you’ll get results like a CEO can deliver.

You put these people in place because you know they can deliver, right? 

That’s how we’ve grown Obvi to be so stable for such a small, core based team.

Meticulous Micromanaging (In a Good Way) - How Chew On This Does it

We go about Chew On This in the completely opposite way, but it works.

Chew On This is almost 3x the size of Obvi, but with ⅓ of the revenue.

We have to manage Chew On This differently because the product is different from Obvi.

We micromanage every aspect because what we are delivering is quality and efficiency in production.

Our product is copy, our delivery, our relationships. Our virtual and in-person handshakes.

Every part is extremely scrutinized. Even undermined almost by asking how it can be better?” relentlessly.

Both ways can build incredible businesses, but what it comes down to is what matters to the end consumer.

What If It’s Not Working?

If you’re not getting the results you want, it might be time to have some tough conversations or change the equation.

This can look like:

• Systemizing tasks in a different way

• Redistributing workload

• Focusing on specific KPIs and building more in slowly

• Reorganizing work to focus on the 80/20 aspect of their role

If you’ve exhausted all the options you can think of, being a manager also means making those tough decisions of moving on from something that isn’t working out.

1 + 1 can’t equal 3.

If a business fails, most people turn and ask the CEO what went wrong. We do the same thing here.

Let’s break down what this really looks like and how it goes beyond task management.

A couple other things to check out beyond what we do online:

See the future of eCom analytics and digital marketing at the Elevar Summit on April 29-30th

We’re both speaking on Tuesday at the event, so if you haven’t got a chance to register, get all set up HERE.

Chew On This is hosting the Official Elevar Summit Afterparty at the Elevar Summit

Come out to Lamar’s Sporting Club in Midtown Charleston, SC after the event for an atmosphere you won’t want to miss. 

Have amazing conversations with like-minded founders and unwind or live it up!

RSVP HERE if you haven’t already.

Now to get into how to really manage YOUR people.

How To Effectively Manage People

Understand the Individual

Dive into the unique attributes each team member brings to the table. 

Recognizing personal work styles and preferences can transform how your team works, making you a manager who truly understands their team.

Put the workhorses where they can get a ton done.

Elevate your high performers to even greater heights.

Give your stars what they need, and they’ll take care of the rest.

Maximize Your One-on-One Time

Use these sessions for more than just updates.

This time could be as simple as voice notes, check-in phone calls, text messages, etc.

Focus on strategic growth, problem-solving, and understanding their long-term professional goals. 

Here’s how you can shift from a task-oriented to a growth-oriented mindset:

Foster Open Feedback

Create an environment where feedback flows freely both ways. 

We do this every week at our All-Hands meeting. 

Everyone comments on a master Google Doc on everyone’s actions for the past and upcoming week.

It’s all about open and honest feedback to foster improvement and mutual respect.

Navigate Criticism with Empathy

Balancing praise and constructive criticism is key. 

Make sure you support rather than demoralize.

One of our biggest talking points lately is if you come to someone with a problem, you also need to present a solution and actionable ways on how to achieve that change.

Pointing out something that needs to be fixed is great, but that will get you nowhere without a plan on HOW to fix it.

Set Transparent Goals

Clarity in goals helps align your team's daily tasks with the bigger business picture. 

Talk about setting realistic, motivational goals that drive progress without overwhelming your team.

Tool of the Week

One of our goals is to leverage TikTok marketing more and more.

Have you tried turning real product fans into your top brand affiliates? 

It’s rewarding but slow.

We’ve always done it the old-school way—seed the product, spot the enthusiasts, and then nurture those relationships. 

Yes, it’s authentic, but it does take time, especially if they’re not in TikTok Shop's affiliate program.

Danil at Insense introduced us to a new way of handling this.

TikTok creators who are already interested in our products, are vetted, and ready to produce UGC for TikTok Shop campaigns.

Through Insense, we can efficiently source hundreds of creators already enrolled in the TikTok Shop affiliate program within a few days, so we don’t have to worry about searching for them anymore.

We’re testing this new strategy now, and we’ll keep you updated on how it goes. 

We recommend you try Insense out alongside us because this kind of ease of use is just too good to pass up

P.S. because we’re #proudpartners you can book a free strategy call with them and they’ll give you $200 for your first TikTok Shop campaign

Thanks for Reading Along

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all in management, especially managing people.

The best leaders are those who adapt and learn continuously. 

What matters to Obvi is good delivery, products, messaging, money, all at the right performance.

What matters to Chew On This is extremely good copy, relationship handling, communication, daily updates, and constant progress.

To be a good leader and manager, you need to look at your end consumer and model what kind of narrative to tell.

Mix the art and science aspects each day to embody those qualities.

Hopefully, we’ve made you question what you’re doing and inspired some changes you can make right away.

• Want to hear more of what we think every day? - Follow us on Ron’s Twitter and Ash’s Twitter

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All the best,

Ron & Ash