A people manager is someone who can transform a company vision into a version with the help of organizational assets. Now, the assets can either be physical, intellectual, human, financial, etc. Management of people is not everyone’s cup of tea. You need to possess certain people management skills that will make you stand apart from others.
You may wonder what these exclusive people management skills are? Well, these are skills that you hear about every day in your workplace. However, not everyone can execute them the right way, so a successful people manager is hard to find. That’s why in this article, we will talk about how to manage people successfully.
What Is A People Manager?
A people manager is someone who undertakes the responsibility of motivating, training, and guiding organizational employees to enhance workplace productivity and ensure professional growth. Team leaders, workplace managers, and departmental heads are some examples of people managers.
How Do I Manage People At Work? -10 Ways To Be A Succesful People Manager
A people manager has to supervise workflow and increase employee productivity every day to ensure the organizational goals are accomplished well. Managing people at work is not easy, so a manager has to have specific skills that will set him apart from others. So, let’s learn about the ten ways to fit your role of a people manager.
1: Learning To Delegate
Being a good people manager doesn’t mean doing everything yourself. It’s about how well you get stuff done by people. Most first-time managers make a few basic errors, and failing to assign tasks efficiently is one of them. But, let me tell you, one of the essential tips on managing people is learning to delegate tasks.
Delegating tasks is essential for a people manager because it empowers the team members, makes them more responsible, builds trust, and assist in their professional growth. It also helps the leader determine which one of its team members is best suited to perform a task with a strict deadline.
2: Setting Clear Roles
Each team member should understand their job roles within the group. For example, a first-time people manager should ensure that he interacts with his staff frequently. Setting clear roles helps clarify any confusion that the team members may have regarding their job duties. That’s why you must set distinct roles if you want to be managing staff successfully.
A people manager must learn to successfully delegate both the responsibility and the power necessary to complete the tasks. Avoid the temptation to monitor and control everything your staff does. Instead, assign work and trust your employees to do it. This will allow you to improve the quantity of work you can complete while also boosting your employees’ confidence.
3: Knowing Your Teammates
A smart people manager should spend enough time getting to know his team members. Each member of the squad would have distinct goals. If you could seek to provide those tasks to your teammates aligned with their goals, it would make you an approachable people manager. In addition, your teammates will come to you if they have any problems, which will increase trust.
One of the most influential people management goals should be increasing trust with your teammates. That’s why you must know your teammates on personal accounts too. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their lives outside work. These small gestures will have a significant impact in the long run to make you a successful people manager.
4: Communicating Effectively
It is another essential skill in the management of people. Just because you are a manager, and they are your employees, doesn’t mean you will boss around them. I mean you can, but that won’t make you a suitable people manager. Try to fit in well with the staff by listening to their problems without lecturing them.
But, also make it apparent that communication is a two-way street to your staff. Effective communication means conducting a genuine back-and-forth discussion with the team’s best interests at heart. Good people managers have enough respect for their staff to tell them the truth, good and bad.
5: Working On Oneself
A people manager should always focus on their flaws. One must intentionally adjust to being a good manager and establish their leadership style. They also need to deal with challenges over a long period. Finally, you must learn to motivate your staff to manage your staff.
First and foremost, create an environment that promotes a strong feeling of team spirit. Approaching every day as a day when the team wins or loses together is an excellent method to inspire unity. Keep in mind that you must be a part of this and lead by example. Thus, you keep your staff motivated and increase their productivity.
6: Being Open To New Ideas
When it comes to taking chances and trying out new ideas, some people managers are a little too conservative. After all, they will be held responsible for any costly errors if things go wrong. What if we told you that experimenting with new ideas and taking risks is one of the essential tips for managing people.
The only way for a company to improve is to take calculated risks. That’s why the most successful businesses have leaders who are adaptive to change and eager to learn about new concepts. If you want to be part of such an organization, be a manager who appreciates new ideas and isn’t afraid to take risks.
7: Improving Feedback Giving Style
A competent people manager must be able to provide and receive feedback. After all, that’s how you simultaneously critique employees’ flaws and shower praise on them to encourage them to keep working hard. However, as a people manager, you must not mistake underestimating the importance of feedback.
Unfortunately, providing feedback is frequently a major stumbling block for managers. Why is that? There are just too many delicate lines to tread while providing feedback, depending on the circumstances, emotions, and personalities. So, change the way you provide feedback if you want employees to interpret the correct meaning of your feedback.
8: Getting Good At Identifying Talents
There are three types of people managers: those who try to do everything, those who do almost little, and those who assign work to subordinates strategically. But, the key to allocating duties is to have explicit knowledge of your team’s skill pool.
The most influential people managers can recognize and capitalize on their workers’ unique abilities. However, because no one is skilled at everything, a competent team leader must identify each team member’s skills and structure duties and workflow accordingly.
People are most engaged when assigned the tasks they take an interest in and are good at. So, as a people manager, you must get good at identifying talents if you want to increase employee job satisfaction.
9: Taking Accountability
When things don’t go as planned, some people managers, particularly those who have recently been promoted, find it challenging to take responsibility. But, avoiding responsibility and playing the blame game can only harm your leadership reputation. Managing people at work will be more difficult if you don’t take accountability for their mistakes.
Whatever went wrong, if it was your fault, bite the bullet and start working out how to make things right. After all, if you hold employees responsible for their errors, it’s only fair that you keep yourself to the same high level. In fact, taking the blame on behalf of your teammates sometimes can also help increase trust in teammates.
10: Arranging One-On-One Meetings
As a people manager, it’s easy to get elusive between countless meetings with senior management and catching up on everyday work. Yet, regardless of how hectic your calendar becomes, you must make time for your staff. Arranging one-on-one meetings with staff will help you understand if they are satisfied with their job roles.
Unless business reasons dictate differently, these sessions should be solely focused on ensuring the betterment of employees. In these sessions, you’ll discover more about your teammates and what they anticipate from the job, the organization, and superiors. It will sharpen your people management skills in the best possible way.
FAQs
1: What Is A Role Of a People Manager?
Ans: A people manager is supposed to communicate effectively with the employees, assign tasks, clear their confusion, and give them feedback. Training, and motivating the staff is also the people manager’s responsibility.
2: What Makes A Good People Manager?
Ans: Listening to your teammates makes you a good people manager. If you listen to your team members carefully, you will have a clear idea of the organization’s vision. It will help you stay updated about company goals, and objectives too.
3: What Are The Three Skills Of A Manager?
Ans: Interpersonal management skills, technical skills, and conceptual skills are the three most important skills of a manager. These skills help an individual become the best people manager in the industry.
Conclusion
An influential people manager should never tiptoe around difficulties. They must confront them head-on and seek to resolve the issue before it harms the team. Remember that you have a complete team to watch, and fixing any problems that jeopardize it must be your first concern. If you want to know more about managing people at work, let us know in the comment section below.
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