Successful managers use their experience and expertise to get the work done. However, building a relationship with team members and gaining their trust requires specific skills, which are referred to as people management skills.
What is people management?
People management includes various techniques covering the full spectrum of hiring, training, and retaining personnel. Additionally, it includes providing ongoing support to the company’s operations and directions to the people. The various skills used for people management have a significant impact on the company’s operations.
Five Cs of people management
Acquiring and following people management skills without losing sight of the overall company goal is important. Here are the five Cs that drive people management skills:
Create
Every team member must fit into their designated roles and this includes three important elements. Hiring is the first cornerstone and leaders must ensure the right talent is chosen for the right job. The second element is training the people to hone and acquire new skills that enable them to efficiently complete their tasks. Lastly, setting limits and implementing a robust structure offers discipline.
Comprehend
Leaders must understand that every individual is different. More shared knowledge of groups and people is achievable through active listening, empathy, and a people-first mindset.
Communicate
Open and transparent communication creates pathways for the success of the team. Open communication and constructive criticism are important tools for people management. Companies must offer proper channels to their people to communicate effectively and keep them motivated.
Collaborate
People management requires an understanding that tasks cannot be completed in isolation. Leaders must delegate work in a way that maximizes collaboration and contribution.
Confront
Conflicts will arise within teams and leaders must healthily handle these. To prevent negativity and resentment, managers must face, acknowledge, and constructively address conflicts.
People management skills
Accountability
Leaders often hold their people accountable for mistakes or bad behavior. However, they must hold themselves accountable to manage their people better. An effective people management training program helps participants understand how to assume accountability and take responsibility for the actions of their people.
Listening
Listening is more than implementing an open-door policy. People may have genuine concerns and leaders must be willing to hear them. Active listening goes further and efficient leaders are willing to act on concerns faced by their team members. Additionally, effective managers are proactive in procuring feedback and addressing issues before they arise or escalate to uncontrollable levels.
Transparency
Managers must be transparent as deception can have a significant impact on their respect. They must ensure their team members are aware of what is occurring within the department and the organization. Additionally, they must communicate goals and ideas that motivate their people while emphasizing the importance of every task, and coordinating an effective action plan.
Empathy
Empathy is an important people management skill and is the ability to understand other people’s viewpoints. It is more than simply being in someone else’s shoes and includes comprehending people’s challenges, concerns, motives, and strengths. People management training helps participants understand different ways in which they can build empathy to develop effective relationships with their team members.
Patience
Often, leaders may be frustrated when things don’t seem to be going according to plan or when faced with difficult situations. During such times, managers must remain patient and maintain their composure, control their emotions, and have a positive mindset. This sends the right message to the team members and people can openly discuss any issue knowing that their leaders will respond appropriately without being driven by unnecessary emotions.
Honesty
Leaders who want to build mutual trust and respect amongst themselves and their teams must be honest both in favorable and unfavorable situations. Additionally, they must be truthful even if it means things are not in their best interest. Seeing that their leaders are honest motivates people to collaborate, which is crucial for the effective execution of tasks.
People management is important in today’s dynamic work environment to build effective relationships. Upskilling with a reliable training program helps leaders acquire the aforementioned people management skills, which results in enhanced productivity, higher collaboration, and stronger teams.
Unlock your team’s potential with Pragati Leadership’s People Management Training. Let’s build effective relationships and achieve task excellence together! Contact us now.
