5 Essential People Management Skills For Success

No matter where you work, the chances are that your job involves working with other people – and if you’ve worked your way up the career ladder, it might mean that you oversee a project or team. Understanding what makes people tick will set you and your team up for success..

What is people management?

People management is developing, organising, and motivating employees to boost performance and promote professional growth. People management skills are typically termed ‘soft skills’ – interpersonal skills:

Why are people management skills so critical?

Managers are vital when it comes to engaging and motivating your workforce – and a motivated workforce is vital to your company’s productivity. As the saying goes, people lea ve managers, not companies – so effective people management is essential, not just for your day-to-day operations; it’s also a key element in employee retention.

Recognising ineffective people management

Several signs identify that a team lacks effective management, including:

• A general lack of productivity.
• Frequently missed deadlines.
• Conflict within the team.
• Team members not growing in their roles over time.
• High employee turnover.

With staff morale, productivity, and financial benefits in mind, we look at five top skills and attributes that all great people managers should have.

1. Trust

Like every good relationship, a successful manager-employee relationship depends on trust. Ensuring that you trust your employees and they trust you in return can significantly contribute to your team’s overall happiness and success. Trust can be affected when working remotely. Things like moving meetings at the last minute or joining late become more frustrating in a remote working situation, as it’s harder to see why there’s a delay. So, as managers, we have to work a bit harder to build and maintain trust when managing remote or hybrid teams. One way to show your employees that you trust them is to let them take ownership of their work. Resisting t he urge to micromanage can be tricky, but assigning your employees a task and simply outlining what you would like them to achieve may help them grow in confidence and motivate them to excel at their work. It’s also important to let your staff know they can come to you for advice and direction if needed.

2. Communication

Developing your communication skills will help you build those trusting relationships, and to be a great people manager, you’ll need to improve your communication skills. A big part of communication involves actively listening to what your employees say – not just speaking at them. As well as what they say, a person’s body language can let you know whether employees engage with what you are saying or are getting bored, angry or defensive. Making eye contact, smiling, leaning in slightly and using your hands while you talk are all examples of positive body language showing interest in what others are saying. Communication is more challenging in a remote setting, as we miss social cues and body language. You can’t read a room like you would in the office, where someone’s slumped shoulders or fidgeting would give clues as to how they’re feeling, and you could adapt your tone to reengage them. When managing remote teams, make a more conscious effort to check in and ensure your team knows you’re there to support them – having regular video calls can keep everyone connected. Listening to understand instead of listening to respond is essential for effective communication.

The best managers take the time to understand what their employees are saying without assuming they already know what the problem is.

3. Ability to motivate

No matter what the job is, there will always be some aspects that are less thrilling than others. An excellent way to boost your employees to get some of the more mundane tasks done is to make them fun. Simple things like turning tasks everyone dreads into a friendly competition or encouraging colleagues to collaborate on specific tasks can help energise and motivate your tea m. Offering encouragement, constructive feedback and meaningful praise go a long way too. Learn to recognise when someone is losing motivation and work with them to help them re-focus. Be prepared to make changes to help improve their job satisfaction and happiness at work and encourage them to share ideas and solutions of their own. Don’t assume that every employee will be motivated by the same thing, so learn what works for them and adapt your approach accordingly.

4. Making time

Having regular one-on-one meetings with your employees is essential to successful people management. It gives you a chance to deal with issues early on, whether an employee is struggling with a customer-related issue, experiencing conflict with a colleague, or something outs ide of work is a source of stress or anxiety. It also helps keep them motivated towards achieving their goals and gives you an excellent opportunity to provide feedback and praise. You could block time for drop-in sessions and regularly scheduled one-to-ones with each team member. Having time set aside for each employee and an ‘open-door’ policy encourages team members to come to you when they need some informal advice. Support can work wonders for keeping communication channels open and building trust. Setting time aside for your team also communicates that you are invested in their well-being and development and that you value their input.

5. Recognition

A lack of recognition is one of the top reasons employees leave their jobs. The words ‘great job’, ‘well done’ or ‘thank you’ aren’t hard to say – but they often aren’t said enough. Tell your employees how much you appreciate their hard work. There are plenty of low-cost and simple-to-implement forms of recognition, from eCards and thank you notes to praise given in team meetings to a whiteboard ‘wall of fame’ for a fun and informal way to recognise employees’ contributions. Recognition can come from incentives and perks, such as gift vouchers or a celebratory team lunch. When it comes to giving credit, say it like you mean it, be specific, and make it a habit – praise and appreciation should not be overlooked.

• How your employees are managed can affect their productivity, morale, and talent retention.
• Ineffective people management can be indicated by poor productivity, high employee turnover, and low morale.
• An effective manager builds trust in their teams, communicates effectively, and recognises individual successes.

People leave managers, not companiesso effective people management is essential, not just for your day-to-day operations. It is also a critical factor in employee retention.

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