What are people management skills
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Managing people is the method of overseeing employees’ development, training, motivation and daily supervision. It is an essential leadership skill.
People like someone to lead not managed
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Most managers are responsible for the management of people within their respective departments. However, other departments may assist based on the company’s organizational structure.
For example, in the position of CPO (Chief People’s Officer), the person is focused on the people’s side of things. In contrast, the department head focuses on the productivity of their work. There is, naturally, a connection between these roles, and for effective people management to occur, both the project and the people aspect must work properly.
The Human Resources department often serves as an expert on a particular subject within people management. They are an advisor to managers and the individuals who care for employees. This is why you’ll frequently discover training and development as the most important roles in HR departments. HR department develops succession plans and creates job descriptions to aid in the development of employees. Compensation plays an important part in managing employees.
The 5 C’s of Effective People Management
People management can be categorized into five distinct categories – each starting at the letter “C. Through examining these concepts, you will discover the fundamental people management concepts.
Clarity
The most important part of managing is giving employees instructions. The clarity of the instructions allows employees to know exactly what they must accomplish and the best way to do it. This means providing specific, precise details so that employees understand what the manager wants. It provides everyone with a sense of security, knowing what they must accomplish.
Context
Context is all about finding a valid reason behind the behaviors of employees.
For example, an employee may have difficulty keeping time. A manager with weak people management skills might take note of each absence and dismiss the employee when they exceed the allowed limits by the policies. A leader focused on people management would reach out to the employee to find out the issue. It could be a matter of an employee not getting up early in the morning or another complex issue that the manager has to solve or come up with solutions to. For example, if the employee is commuting on public transport and his bus routes change, the lateness is not under the employee’s control. It’s likely to be worthwhile to change the employee’s official schedule by 15 minutes.
Context is also crucial in investigating the case of a grievance process. You cannot isolate one single issue. You have to consider facts and context to develop the right solution.
Consistency
As a manager, you have to have consistency in man-management. Your decision making should be fair, irrespective of the employee’s status.
The manager has to create an environment for employees to adhere to the workflow and policies while on a task or a project.
You can’t make promises which are impossible to fulfil. This is a common pitfall or a trap which may lead to employee dissatisfaction.
A leader often uses simple motivation techniques to get things done consistently.
Courage
Leaders are born out of courage, and to become a better manager; you have to practice it. It can be difficult to talk to an employee and inform them that they should make a change. It may feel strange and unwelcome to tell someone about inappropriate behavior. Naturally, there will be occasions when you have to discuss hygiene with your employee. Every manager is scared of these discussions.
It is also important to determine whom to promote or who “fails to perform as expected” and sometimes terminate employees for poor performance. While it’s nice to overlook employees’ mistakes and shortcomings, a manager is accountable to the business and other employees. Dismissing an employee who bullies and harasses others may be the easiest solution; however, it’s not the best management practice. It is detrimental to the department’s morale and may ultimately damage the entire company. The ability to stand up for the right thing is crucial.
Commitment
Good management doesn’t happen overnight. It requires dedication and perseverance. It is essential to make plans, prepare for the future, and rectify errors when they happen. You can’t expect immediate results when you choose to start an entirely new task (or the manager assigns it to you) or employ a new worker. It is essential to commit to the process as well as the employees. In the absence of this commitment, there won’t be effective people management.
5 Top People Management skills
We’ll take a look at these five management skills to assist you in leading the group of people.
#1 Communication Skills
Communicating effectively through writing, speaking, and listening
#2 Interpersonal Skills
Facilitating things, cooperating, and assisting people initially
#3 Planning Skills
Analyzing issues, solving problems, and forming strategies
#4 Organizational Skills
Skills include coordination of tasks to achieve goals and managing important details
#5 Management skills
Leading effectively, teaching and training on the job, and making the right decisions at the right time.
Questions that we have found to be effective in dealing with team members:
What are they thinking?
Think about what people are thinking and from what angle or lens they consider an issue or a problem.
What is the reason they are doing this?
If you can determine what people are doing by watching people’s actions and trying to determine the reason behind a particular thing, you can figure out that they need more information, or they don’t sense that they’re taken seriously, or maybe their opinions aren’t getting through
Find out what it is they’ll need?
If, for example, someone is meticulous, they will require information to finish their work. If they’re technical, they might require technical details to get the job done or to finish a task. They might require information or understanding of the final product.
Ask yourself what strengths they have and weaknesses. Make sure you position your employees on your team to work per their strengths, not their weaknesses.
Why people management is important
The majority of employees don’t quit their jobs. They quit managers. A leader who doesn’t offer direction, guidance, and training and does not advocate for employees contributes to an unhealthy work atmosphere.
People are looking for good leaders to lead their teams. They expect clarity, understanding, consistency, courage and a commitment from their managers. Without these, you will not be able to get employees’ buy-in or engage them. If properly managed, people are willing to show up and complete the work assigned to them well within the time frame. Good people management practices can lower the employee turnover rate and enhance the company’s overall performance.
Recruitment costs are much more than training and motivating existing employees to get better output.
To sum up, people management skills are vital to managers who desire to become leaders.
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