When you’re a new manager, the pressure to make an impact is immense. You don’t just want to be someone who delegates but one who leads as well. You want everyone on your business teams to feel secure with you and properly motivated. By having the best plans, you can make a huge splash. Here are four tips for using strategy to push your business teams forward.

Look at the Past Year

You don’t want to be stuck in the past as a business leader. However, you can really learn quite a bit from reviewing previous year statistics. These are things like sales trends month-to-month, budgetary numbers, and spending. You want to see if there are any notable drops or surges in each of these departments. From there, you can help determine what could have caused these developments.

You might have to look at external factors, such as weather events and economic factors. You can also look forward to see what kinds of things are expected for the coming year. For instance, if you’re in a business that economists are predicting to have a decline, you might spend less. No one can perfectly predict the future, but you can make some sound judgments with the right information.

Communication

In order to get the best results possible from your teams, you need to be open with them. You shouldn’t try to have some kind of top-secret strategy behind the scenes. Each of the people on your teams should have an understanding of their roles. If there’s massive miscommunication or confusion, things are bound to become haywire. You can’t be trying to play a game of “Telephone” with your employees. Make it clear to each department what their roles are. You can also delegate leadership responsibilities.

Ultimately, you should make sure you’re not passing the buck. Strategic alignment is one of the best tools in the business leader’s arsenal. With this, you can make sure that everyone is on the same page for the best results possible.

Emphasize Teamwork

There’s a difference between a group of people and a team. A group of people might result in no one listening to anyone but themselves. A team, on the other hand, is a more cohesive unit. When you have a team working together, it’s akin to a well-oiled machine.

As a new manager, you should introduce teamwork in as organic of a manner as possible. Find ways to open up the workplace so that it’s friendlier to all the employees. You should also bring together people who have different workstyles so they can learn from each other. You can also use software to help streamline collaboration as much as people.

Give Incentives

You can’t just tell people to work because you need to them. They know that’s their role in the workplace, but it’s not much of a motivator. You have to give them reasons why they should care. One of the best ways to get your teams in action is to give them incentives.

For instance, you could have a bonus given to whatever team has the best results for a certain project. You don’t want to stoop to bribery, of course. However, you can certainly encourage them in the right way. You should also be open to any ideas that they propose. You want them to be a part of your own team as much as they’re part of theirs.

There’s no perfect way to run a team, but there are certainly strong ways to. By considering the talent you have, you can make your mark in the business world.