Top 10 People Skills for Managers
Dealing with people is hard, no question about it. It is even more harder when you are responsible for their contribution to the viability of the company or business unit for which you are responsible.
I learned throughout my career the company’s most important assets went home at five every afternoon and you hoped like heck they would come back the very next day. For if they didn’t, you would struggle to achieve your management goals. So people management is a capability that if learnt effectively can help you avoid many of the other daily challenges thrown at you, and your most important assets will turn up every day.
Here is a list of ten tips I found useful during my early days as a young manager, especially dealing with folks who were old enough to be my parents and smart enough not to be;
- Be Patient - The old adage is that you attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. This holds true in business and there is a lot to gain when you take your time and focus on the needs of your employees and customers.
- Be kind - Treat your employees with kindness and treat your customers with respect. When you treat others this way, they are likely to return the favour. Good things happen with kindness, try it.
- Focus on Success - Far too often in business, the focus is on the negative aspects of the business and employee performance. To truly motivate your employees and increase their morale, more attention needs to be placed on the good things that are accomplished and the moments of success the company or your business unit has; celebrate the good things.
- Brag About Others Over Yourself - A manager who only toots their own horn will not be an effective leader. Employees do not want to follow someone who takes all of the glory and pushes them aside. They want to follow a leader who recognises their performance and efforts and speaks up in recognising their efforts.
- Be Polite to Everyone - You never know who are dealing with - especially in this day and age of mystery shoppers and secret boss investigations. You never know who the person may really be and how that interaction can impact your business. Mum always said, 'mind your manners', she was right.
- Stay Calm and Level-Headed – Losing your temper and flying off the handle can destroy morale, communications, and the teamwork of the office. It also gives you a poor reputation and little respect. Anger and abuse is usually reserved for those out of their depth, so learn to be strong when the current is against you.
- Play Well With Others - Having a successful business is all about being able to work together and to compromise in order to reach a common goal. You have to be able to get along with others to be a successful manager which means stepping out of your office sometimes and having fun.
- Be Optimistic - Keep a positive outlook, even in the middle of troubles and difficulties. A strong outlook motivates better than panic and negativity.
- Look to the Future - You need to think about the future plans and determine how you will reach your goals - both long term and short term goals so you are not caught off guard. It's better to know where you are going than dwell in the past.
- Do Not Forget About Today - Do not lose sight of the day to day issues that need to be addressed. Reaching tomorrow’s goal at the expense of today is a poor trade that should not be made. One eye on the future is great, but getting things done today is better.
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