Support for managers running a small team
You manage a handful of people, you still do real work, and the way things run has stopped keeping up. We help you build a team that works without you holding it together.
Who this is for
You might be an owner manager, a head of department or the person who got promoted because you were good at the job. Your team is somewhere between three and ten. Everyone knows everything, nothing is written down, and you are the answer to every question.
When the team outgrows the way you manage it
Every question lands on you
People ask you rather than look it up, because nothing is written down. Your day becomes a queue of interruptions and your own work happens after six.
Hiring on gut and hope
You took on the last person because they were available and nice. Now you are managing a mismatch, and nobody has said what good looks like in the role.
Tools that everyone uses differently
One person tracks jobs in a spreadsheet, another in their inbox, a third on paper. You cannot see who is stretched until somebody snaps.
Being friend and boss
The team started as mates. Now you must give feedback, say no to a pay rise and hold standards, without losing the thing that made it work.
What we do with you and your team
Scope &
Strategy
We sit down with you and, where it helps, the team, to see who does what, where work stalls and which decisions should sit with someone else. You leave with a short list of what to change first.
About Scope & StrategySystems &
Solutions
We set up one clear way to track work, share knowledge and onboard new starters, built around how your people already behave, then show the whole team how to use it so it sticks.
About Systems & SolutionsSecurity &
Support
As the team changes, we keep access sorted, leavers removed, shared logins retired and the set up tidy, and we check in regularly so small cracks get fixed before they cost you.
About Security & SupportQuestions people ask
How do I stop being the bottleneck in my small team?
Start by writing down the questions people ask you most often, and answer each one once, properly, somewhere everyone can find it. Then decide which decisions you will hand over and with what limits. Delegating works when people know the edges of their authority.
When should a small team get a proper process in place?
Usually earlier than feels necessary. The signs are repeated mistakes, new starters taking months to settle, or work that only one person understands. You do not need a manual. You need the few routines that cause pain when they go wrong, written plainly.
How do I manage people who used to be my peers?
Be honest that the relationship has changed, agree what you expect from each other, and give feedback early and in private rather than saving it up. Warmth and clear standards can sit together. Most teams respect a manager who says the awkward thing kindly.
How do I get started with NYAS as a team manager?
Book a call. It is a conversation about how your team runs today and what is wearing you down. We listen, ask questions and tell you honestly whether we are the right people to help. There is no obligation to go further.
Talk to us about managers running a small team.
You tell us what is going on. We tell you honestly whether we can help, and if we cannot, we will say so.