You've identified your racehorses and hired the best and the brightest bunch of sales and event planning enthusiasts for your business. Now you need them to race. The most successful leaders and managers know that leading your best event planning team of equally successful professionals requires a few key elements and some strategy.
Today, we'll share some of the best advice you can tap into immediately to lead your teams to their best performances. And ultimately, when they’re successful, your New York event planning business is successful.
1. Create an Environment for Results
It may seem common knowledge, but you first need to make sure your teams have an ideal environment for success. This means, as their leader, you ensure they have a positive and conducive work arena with all the tools needed to perform in their role. If they're on the phones, make sure the phones are high quality and headsets are available. If your sales or support teams are on-site at a venue or in the field, arm them with the digital accessories and tech they need to document and communicate effectively. They will be expected to manage their sales funnels and tasks. It's your job to provide them with precise instructions, timelines, and CRMs to do just that.
2. Support & Training
Support efforts are critical too. Load your team's arsenal with marketing collateral, swag, and authorization to win the deals. Support means backing their plays, even if they fail. Walk them through their failures and successes with encouragement. Supporting your event planning teams also implies training. While many organizations expect some employees or key roles to know what to do with minimal instruction, it's in your best interest to introduce them to your processes. You're not training them on things they already know how to do. You're teaching them what you know it takes to be successful within your New York event planning company.
3. Setting the Pace
The best leaders aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and dive into the trenches with their teams. It demonstrates a willingness to do what it takes and affords the opportunity to set the pace. You can show your staff how many calls you can make in an hour or how many client visits you can make in a day. You can also lead by example when negotiating with vendors or communicating with event planning clients. By spending time with your event planning team professionals individually, you can set a benchmark for performance expectations, too. You can also use this time together to evaluate for additional coaching or training needs.
Inspire friendly competitions to make things fun and keep them motivated. Oftentimes, managers will use their position of authority to avoid the task work. These are the managers who also end up losing touch with the challenges their teams face because they've avoided the field for too long. Get in there with your crew and show them what you know while keeping your finger on the pulse of their performances. Leading your best event planning teams is possible when you’re not afraid to work side by side.
4. Authenticity
Influential leaders and managers are always authentic and transparent. This means in leading your best event planning teams, you have to keep it real. Your teams will see through false promises and over-glorified rewards. Be honest with your staff at every level of engagement. Don't be afraid to show them how you handle adversity in the field. It's perfectly acceptable not to have all the answers, and it's even better to demonstrate to your group just how you go about finding solutions when you don't have them. Remember, you want them to learn from you. You won't teach them anything by being anyone or anything else.
5. Ongoing Feedback
Be deliberate and frequent with your feedback, not only with offering it but also in receiving it. Your event planning team of professionals, no matter how seasoned, will always be looking to you for guidance, assistance, and reassurance. Celebrate the accomplishments with everyone. Discuss the failures as tools for lessons learned for growth. Always be asking your teams for their suggestions as well. They may be able to provide insights that impact critical business decisions. They're your team. Share and listen intentionally and routinely.
6. Always Be Improving
It's so important to always be looking for ways to improve as a leader yourself. Enhancements in processes, techniques, and training can be ongoing. Be visible with your efforts. If you're looking to obtain additional certifications, share the endeavors with your teams. Demonstrate for them that even in your leadership role, you understand the importance of continuous learning. They will be inspired to better themselves because of it.
Consider these ideas and strategies for leading your best event planning teams. Your business will continue to grow based on each of your staff’s ability to perform their jobs well. Leadership will ensure they have the environment, tools, and inspiration they need to be rockstar racehorses!
And if you really want to inspire them, invite them to tag along with you at The Event Planner Expo 2022 & 10-Year Anniversary Celebration this fall!
