Ten ways to improve your people management skills

The ability to manage employees in an organization and ensure that their work is carried out professionally and effectively is known as a people management skill. Today, many people with different backgrounds come together to work as a team to achieve a common goal. All the employees are different and have a set of skills that make them an asset to the organization. Organizations work with a goal in their mind, and to make that vision work, they have managers with good skill sets and ones who are good with employees. People management skills are a must for managers, which not only include managing employees but implementing strategic management plans, understanding the financial structure, and also budgeting. 

Keep reading to understand what people management skills are and how to improve them.

Recommendations to be better at people management 

Here are ten tips to help you improve your people management skills. 

•  Communicate 

Without effective communication, it is difficult to convey a message. Building relationships with your team members requires communication, and the best way to communicate with one another is to pay close attention to what they have to say. As a manager, the best way to initiate communication with your employee is to ask relevant questions. Misunderstandings, poorly delivered messages, and late task completion can all be caused by poor manager-employee communication. Encourage your team to contribute to morning briefings and share ideas if you want to be a good people manager. An organization is only known to survive and thrive in an environment that effectively communicates with each other.

• Be a mentor 

A manager who is a friend and acts as a mentor figure to the employees helps in easing the workplace environment. A mentor can provide advice. and guidance to fellow workers and help them to grow professionally in their respective fields. A workplace environment that is less toxic and everyone is friendly will allow the employees to open up and feel less isolated and will encourage them to interact with everyone in a more productive manner. 

When employees are mentored by the manager, they become more responsible and develop good problem-solving and communication skills. This will allow both the employer and employee to learn from each other and will help in creating a more productive and constructive work environment. 

The employee will benefit from mentoring in both career advancement and the development of a few leadership skills. This allows the employees to feel safe to the extent of voicing their feelings, overcoming any obstacles, and finding creative solutions to solve the problem.

• Take and give feedback 

As a people manager, you must be practical, open to criticism, and show them respect. It is your duty as a manager to provide feedback to the employees on their work so that they can improve their performance and get motivated to achieve their goals more efficiently and effectively. Feedback should be given to employees and managers on a monthly basis so that they can know whether they are doing well or are motivated to complete the task. Every organization gives annual feedback to employees and managers to assess their performance.  

Giving accurate feedback requires skill, so managers should also attempt to resolve any issues that arise in addition to simply providing their staff with feedback. This will help the employee to resolve the mistakes. 

• Developing successors 

In the business world, managers aren’t necessarily born, but mentors can help you get there. It then falls on the manager to repay the favors by training, supporting, and directing future leaders of the company. To manage and mentor the new talent, we must draw on our own professional successes and setbacks. A manager has the power to cultivate capable leaders who can easily guide their organizations into the future. It’s important to impart stress management skills to the next generation of leaders along with leadership and people management skills. After selecting a replacement, the current manager should give them more authority so they fully comprehend how the company operates and what is expected of a manager-led organization.

• Problem-solving skills 

Being a manager of an organization is a difficult job, and as a result, it is expected that a manager should be able to find innovative and analytical solutions to pressing issues that will benefit the business. You are not working alone when solving a problem because a good people manager will always consult with his team to find the best solution.

• Be an example 

You should perform so well in the managerial duties that your subordinates view you as the ideal manager. When making decisions, a manager should always be firm, and when giving a task to a team member, ensure that the objectives are met. If an employee is given a task, it is the manager’s responsibility to ensure that the employee completes the task. You can do this by encouraging the employees when they are having difficulty and reassuring them that you are not alone and that you are always looking out for them. It is the manager’s responsibility to assume full responsibility for the employee’s actions when the employee does not complete tasks.

• Be honest with your employees.

 To be righteous, you have to be honest from the start. No matter the effects of their decisions, a good manager always acts morally. A manager must address every situation honestly to the employees and not be biased and managers with integrity are not frightened to face the reality of the situation. The manager should take a bold approach, but they should also be aware that decisions can go wrong and should be prepared to deal with the consequences. A manager can be upbeat and open to new ideas by adopting an open-minded mindset. Showing your employees that you are honest with them is the best way to ensure that they have faith in you.

• Initiate regular check-ins

Make it a habit as a manager to regularly check on your staff outside of annual performance reviews. Team members who receive weekly feedback from their managers and are given constructive criticism are more likely to agree with their managers and perform better. This gives the staff reassurance that their managers are dependable and will support and develop them. Make sure to be informal with your employees when providing monthly feedback, with the main emphasis being on how each employee is progressing toward the company’s goals. Feedback should never be used negatively. Assist the staff in creating an action plan for upcoming projects.

• Relearn every time 

Along with your regular work, make sure to strengthen your education by learning and relearning management skills. Utilize online management courses to improve your management abilities by learning cutting-edge strategies and techniques. You can also get advice from your fellow managers, find out what works for them and what doesn’t, and try to incorporate those strategies into your repertoire.

• Built a positive environment

Employees who are satisfied with their jobs and their employers put in more effort and are more productive than other workers. As a manager, it is your responsibility to be objective and approach each employee one-on-one to inquire about their work and the workplace culture. As a manager, you must pay attention to all viewpoints and act on the ones that address team wide issues. Never be rude and personal with the employee and have fun while you work.

Key takeaways

• People management is the skill of knowing how to manage employees within an organization and the work done by them is professional and efficient in nature. 
• People from various backgrounds coexist in an organization, so it is your duty as a manager to show empathy for your coworkers and refrain from making assumptions about them based on their backgrounds. 
• Every employee is different, and the fact that they were hired by the company indicates that they have a set of skills that the company could use to expand and reach a wider market. You have a responsibility to assist staff members in gaining these skills and expanding the company. 
• Skills such as communication, the ability to empathize with the employees, giving and taking constructive feedback, developing a strategic management plan, and these skills are required to be a successful people manager. 
• A successful people manager must possess a variety of abilities, including communication, the capacity for empathic reasoning, the capacity to offer and accept constructive criticism, the ability to develop strategic management plans, and the ability to foster a positive work environment.