Management Best Practices for Small and Medium Enterprises
Scaling a business from a one-person operation to an efficient organization requires adopting clear management concepts. These are not abstract theories but practical tools that help entrepreneurs save time, delegate effectively, and ensure the company grows sustainably.
Mastering these concepts means being able to apply them daily to improve efficiency, align teams, and reach company goals.
The management concepts in this article are a synthesis of management concepts learned on the job or practical experience from leading international brands.
Applying this knowledge, small companies can grow and be efficient.
1. Company-Wide Goals
- Mission & Vision: Your mission defines what you do and why, your vision defines where you want to go. Both guide decision-making.
- TIP: make sure that Mission and Vision don’t repeat the same thing. The mission has to guide the behaviour of every single employee in the company on a day to day basis. The vision has to guide the people who are involved in strategic decisions to steer the wheel of the company in a specific direction.
- Examples: A mission is Deliver contemporary casual smart clothing for work at accessible prices. A vision is “to be the go-to brand for young professionals living in metropolitan areas”
- Annual Goals: Select three clear and measurable goals for the year (e.g., increase online sales by 20%, launch two new products, expand into one new market). All employees’ work should align with these goals.
- Creating 3 company-wide goals allows all employees to align their goals to these company-wide goals.
- Each employee can be encouraged to write their own goals, which will be reviewed and finalised together with the line manager.
2. Human Resources Organization
Job Descriptions & Job Titles
- Job Description: A clear outline of responsibilities, deliverables, and limits of a role. Example: Digital Marketing Specialist: create advertising campaigns, monitor performance, optimize results, report to the Marketing Manager.
- Job Titles Hierarchy: Intern → Assistant → Specialist → Coordinator → Manager → Senior Manager → Director → Senior Director → VP → SVP → President.
- Titles communicate accountability and decision-making power.
3. Onboarding New Employees
Shadowing
- A practical method where the new hire observes the manager or colleague in daily activities, learning by watching and asking questions.
Induction
- A structured introduction to the company’s identity and tools. Includes:
- History and values of the company
- Product knowledge
- Tools and systems (CRM, ERP, eCommerce, etc.)
- Policies and procedures
- Online or in-person training sessions
4. Performance Management
- Goal Setting: Assign each employee clear, measurable goals aligned with company objectives (ties up with company-wide goals, and hierarchy – 3 goals setting).
- Appraisal: Evaluate performance regularly (quarterly or yearly) to provide feedback, celebrate achievements, and identify areas for improvement. (ties up with one-to-one meeting)
5. Core Management Tools
Delegation
- Learn to assign tasks clearly and trust others to deliver.
- Provide resources, set deadlines, and follow up without micromanaging.
Prioritization
- Not all tasks are equal. Entrepreneurs must learn to focus on what drives results.
- Useful methods:
- Eisenhower Matrix (Urgent vs. Important).
- Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule): 20% of tasks usually generate 80% of results.
- Daily Top 3: Identify the three most important tasks each day.
- Eisenhower Matrix (Urgent vs. Important).
Policies, Guidelines & Procedures
- Policies: High-level rules (e.g., vacation policy, expense reimbursement).
- Guidelines: Best practices (e.g., how to communicate with customers).
- Procedures: Step-by-step instructions for repetitive tasks.
Communication
- Internal communication: There are various clearly defined types of internal communications: horizontal communication (people at the same level of hierarchy), vertical communication (top-down and bottom-up), formal and informal communication. All these types of communication need to be managed.
- Effective interpersonal communication
- Conflict management
- Public speaking
- Effective Emails: Emails are a cold communication means, it allows for only once sense to be involved in the communication: the sight. While interpersonal communication is a warm communication method because it leverages the tone of voice, body language and other factors, the email is cold because it is just text. For this reason, the text in the email needs to be adapted to make it more legible and warm.
- Clear subject line, purpose upfront, short paragraphs, clear action items.
- Use a direct but friendly tone of voice, use bullet points and bold to simplify the reading.
Types of Meetings
- Daily Stand-up (15 minutes max) – Quick updates: What was done yesterday? What’s the focus today? Any blockers?
- Weekly Team Meeting – Review progress toward goals, align priorities, solve issues.
- One-to-One Meetings – Manager with each employee for coaching, feedback, and development (Cross Functional Meeting).
- Project Kick-off Meetings – Define objectives, roles, deadlines before starting a new project.
- Decision-Making Meetings – Short, structured discussions to make a choice (not to endlessly debate).
- Quarterly or Annual Reviews – Check progress against big goals, adjust strategy, celebrate wins.
Keep meetings short, focused, and with clear follow-ups. Time wasted in meetings is a common problem in small organizations. (5 minutes max small talk)
6. Technology for Efficiency
- Cloud & Shared Folders: Organize documents for easy team access (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox).
- Shared Calendars: Coordinate meetings, deadlines, and availability.
- AI Tools: Use AI assistants for drafting emails, analyzing data, generating ideas, and automating repetitive tasks.
- Project Management Tools: Trello, Asana, or Monday.com to track tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities.
7. Leadership & Culture
- Lead by Example: Demonstrate the behavior you want from your team.
- Culture of Accountability: Every team member owns results, not just tasks.
- Continuous Learning: Encourage training, knowledge sharing, and innovation.
👉 The transition from a sole entrepreneur to a growing organization depends on one core skill: the ability to let go of doing everything yourself, and instead build systems, roles, and tools that allow others to deliver results.
Technology
3 essential tools for productivity and efficiency reducing stress and anxiety
1) Cloud and Shared Folders (Knowledge Sharing)
What it’s used for:
- Storing documents, files, and resources in a central online location (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox).
- Allowing multiple people to access, update, and share files in real-time.
- Ensuring important information is always available, regardless of device or location.
Benefits:
- Collaboration: Teams can work on the same document simultaneously.
- Version control: Reduces the risk of multiple, conflicting file versions.
- Accessibility: Information is available anytime, anywhere.
- Knowledge retention: Key resources are stored centrally and not lost if someone leaves the team.
2) AI Tools for Improving Personal Efficiency
What they’re used for:
- Automating repetitive tasks (e.g., drafting emails, summarizing documents, generating reports).
- Supporting decision-making with data analysis and insights.
- Enhancing productivity through personal assistants, chatbots, and content-generation tools.
Benefits:
- Time savings: Frees up time from routine work, so people can focus on higher-value tasks.
- Accuracy: Reduces human error in calculations, data entry, or scheduling.
- Creativity support: Helps generate ideas, designs, or text more quickly.
- Personal productivity: Acts like a “digital co-pilot” for daily work.
3) Shared Calendars
What they’re used for:
- Managing schedules across individuals and teams (e.g., Google Calendar, Outlook).
- Coordinating meetings, deadlines, and events in one central place.
- Providing visibility into others’ availability.
Benefits:
- Better coordination: Easier to find meeting times that work for everyone.
- Transparency: Everyone can see project milestones and key deadlines.
- Reduced conflicts: Minimizes double-bookings and scheduling confusion.
- Efficiency: Streamlines planning and saves time spent on back-and-forth scheduling.