Managing a small business when you live out of state

Managing a small business is a challenge for anyone, but what about a manger who lives out of state? How can you expect to manage a business if you are not there on a daily basis? This can be one difficult task for anyone, but there is a way to do it!

First, you need to start off by showing your employees that you value their work. When you value employees, they know it. Employees know when they are being treated fairly and know when you care about them. This not only builds trust, but it inspires them to work harder on the quality of their work. Most anyone will tell you they like to have their accomplishments recognized by others. Allowing your companies to share the success stories of employees also makes it meaningful. It shows your employees you care about them when they do a good job and you don't just see them when they are underachieving. Since you are not physically there, send e-mails thanking your employees for their hard work and their accomplishments.

Second, you must have goals set for the future. Show your staff the "impossible" and show them how as a team you will all achieve it. Leadership inspires people to think outside the box and "dream big". People want to accomplish more and do something worthwhile in their job. A good leader tackles the fear of people. Stand up for your ideas and goals. Show your staff why they need to trust you. This is an attribute of a good leader. Someone who will stand up for their staff and the ideas they have created. If you do not have a goal, how will your employees know what they are working towards? A goal will help them stay on target when you are not physically there to tell them what to do.

Third, find the problems. Take the time to see what the problem actually is instead of reacting to certain situations you think may be the problem. For example, when you are in the office walk around your office and look at how people function on a day-to-day basis. You can spot problems easily and you can see what is causing the problems. Write down what the problems are, where they are occurring, how they are happening, and why is it happening. Once you have identified everything involved with the problem, you can make an educated decision on how to solve it. Another good idea is to have your HR staff walk around and record these behaviors, they can report back to you so you can again make a decision as to how to solve the problem.

Fourth, put someone in charge when you are not in the office. There needs to be someone at the company who is in charge of the day-to-day operations. This person needs to be responsible to handle any problems that may occur; they also need to report the day-to-day functions of the company. Essentially this person will be your set of "eyes and ears" in the office.

Fifth, provide your employees with a way to contact you during business hours. Communication is the key to solving business management issues. While email communication is nice, messages can often be misinterpreted and this can cause major issues. Having a business cell phone will allow the employees the ability to contact you at any time a major issue arises. If you are unable to answer the phone, have a back-up person who can deal with major issues at the company. You should also return the phone call as soon as possible so your employees know that you do care and you aren't avoiding their phone calls.