People Management Skills Guide

People Management Skills – The Ultimate
Guide to Managing People
• Managing people is more than just having the posture and a look of a
boss. It is about forming and cementing relationships among team players
to increase productivity. Teams that lack this human effect sooner or later
become lethargic.
• The reasons why you need people management skills are similar to those
of a football club coach. Before the kick-off, the coach has to ensure the
team has the necessary kit. Even more importantly, the coach has to
cultivate a team spirit, motivate the players and align their efforts to win.
If he or she fails to do these, the team will lack a sense of direction,
communication on the pitch will falter, and there won’t be stamina to beat
the opponent.
• People management skills are even more critical when it comes to
employee turnover rates. People quit jobs because of diverse reasons.
These include low pay, family demands or even lack of career path at their
current job. However, research shows that the leading cause of employees
tendering their resignation letters is a bad boss experience.
www.makingbusinessmatter.co.uk

Poor People Management Skills
Cause 50% of Resignations
• In 2015 research by Gallup put the figure of people leaving their jobs because of their boss at around
50%.That basically says that close to a half of managers and supervisors have difficulty in managing
people. In turn, that translates to companies losing talent they shouldn’t. What’s more, HR
departments are hiring and training people who don’t stay long enough to benefit the company.
What is the way forward?
• To a few people, managing people comes naturally. It is a talent they are born with. However, for the
majority, we need to put considerable effort into learning the skills. In many cases, though, self-
training isn’t enough. We need an expertly designed people management training course.
• Whatever the case, every company with a vision needs leaders, at a very level, with good people
management skills. Otherwise, you are looking at the failure to harness the human resource at your
disposal to grow.
• Indeed, you need detailed and comprehensive team leader skills.
Meanwhile, the following people management
skills can help fire up your team:

#1 - Be a Pillar to Lean On
• Let members of your team know that you are there for them. That they can reach out for your
hand, and that you won’t disappoint. Indeed, this knowledge alone can boost. Even more, this
encourages each team player to be of help to the others. You should be careful, though, not to pass
the impression that you are the only one who can solve every problem that arises. Your goal should
be to empower, inspire and cultivate a team spirit.
• Also, you should be a fair judge when conflicts arise. Of course, in a group of people coming from
different backgrounds you expect someone to do, say or act in a way that will offend another. When
that happens, take the time to listen to parties involved and only take a position when you are well-
informed. However, even when you take a position that isn’t neutral, don’t alienate the other party
you rule against.
• When you observe fairness, everyone is easily satisfied with the arbitration outcome. You will
receive an even better outcome when you solve the conflict at the earliest time possible. That way
you don’t end dealing with a situation that out of hand.
• Tip: Let your team members know how you prefer to be reached; 121 once per week? On the
phone when you are driving because it is 'downtime'? In the evening once per month for dinner?
Do not say, 'I'm always available, just call me', because they won't – Build A Culture of Open
Communication.

#2 - Give Your Team Space
• We all cherish freedom. We like to exert our independence. When we get the feeling that someone,
particularly in authority, is watching our movements, we tend to pull away from them. However,
when an authority trusts us to do things right, we feel indebted to it. We never want to disappoint
it.
• For people you manage to deliver, you have to trust them. How to do that is one of the people
management skills you need. If you don’t trust the people you lead, they won’t be confident
enough to reach their potential. In the worst case scenario, they will become rebellious. You should
have this knowledge about human nature.
• It isn’t easy though. There is always a tendency to resort to unnecessary and even
counterproductive micromanaging of your team. Stopping the habit starts with hiring the right
team, providing the necessary training and establishing processes everyone in the team knows
about. Even more, it involves treating your team members as partners and not merely as your
juniors.
Cynthia Kay, entrepreneur:
“If you’re a business owner doing a lot
of hovering, either you’ve got the
wrong people, or you need an attitude
adjustment.”
Tip: Once you hire through a thorough process and give the right training, keep off the back of
the team members. Find out what to do when you don’t trust your team.

#3 - Be a Good Listener
• If you listen to a team member while catching up with your email or social
media, you are a poor listener. Passive listening makes the people you lead
feel unworthy, and undeserving of your time. Other bad listening habits
include rushing into conclusions and completing sentences for your team
members when they are speaking to you. These habits not only make you
miss valuable inputs but also strain relationships. This, in turn, becomes an
obstacle to performance.
• How do you fix this? Stop everything you are doing and focus on the
person talking to you. Also, pause before replying and never hesitate to
ask for clarifications. Furthermore, rephrase what you hear in your own
words, so that the speaker can gauge whether you’ve understood them
well.
• Indeed, many experts agree that effective listening motivates the
people who work under you. Therefore, it is one of people management
skills you should strive to acquire.
Tip: Create ample time and space to listen to your team's concerns. Take
these 10 Steps to be an Effective Listener.

#4 - Share Credit with the Team
• If the team leader takes all the credit for a job well done, that deflates the team
spirit. It passes the impression that the manager or supervisor doesn’t value the
rest of the team. What’s more, you come across as narcissistic and selfish.
• Indeed, one of the most valuable people management skills is to encourage the
mentality of ‘we’ rather than ‘I.' The ‘we’ perspective makes everyone feels that
their effort in achieving team goals are appreciated.
• Nevertheless, an extra-ordinary performance by individual team members can also
be pointed out and even awarded. This works well, especially when the criteria for
picking the best performer are known to everyone in advance. For instance, if you
are leading a sales team, let the sales numbers for each member be accessible to
everyone. When you pick the best for acknowledgment, the rest will feel it was fair
game. That will indeed inspire everyone to work even harder.
• As the team leader, sharing the credit will earn you not only respect but also
recognition.
Ralph Nader:
"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."
Tip: If you Want Recognition, Share the Credit

#5 - Delegate Responsibility
• Delegation is another of the essential people management skills. As a
manager or a supervisor, you don’t have to do everything. You should let
your team members take some of the load off your shoulders. Trust them
that they will do as good as you would.
• What’s more, delegating lets you work on tasks that need your attention
the most. However, you should do this with confidence that the members
of staff to whom you delegate have the necessary capacity. Indeed, it is
important you consider the experiences and ability of your team. That is
because delegating isn’t the same as abdicating responsibility. It only
means that you appoint someone to do stuff on your behalf.
• Apart from making you more productive, delegating boosts team spirit as
well as confidence. It also leverages the strengths of each team member.
Tip: Use urgency and importance to choose tasks to give to your team. Begin
by letting your team handle tasks that are least urgent and least important.

#6 - Involve Your Team in Decision-Making
• Team members are committed to a goal if they were involved in setting it
in the first place. Being part of the decision-making grows a sense of
ownership. The ownership comes with passion, dedication, and loyalty.
• Even more, involving the team members in decision-making ensures that
you utilize properly all the skills and knowledge at the disposal of the
team. This is true especially if members have done similar projects in the
past. In that case, especially their field experience can go a long way in
contributing to business sound decisions.
• Indeed, it is important to consider the qualifications of your team to make
certain decisions. Nevertheless, even when they aren’t qualified enough,
find a way to involve them in the process. For instance, why invite an
external expert to present to the management alone? You could instead
have the entire team listen to the expert before a brainstorming session.
Tip: Develop the habit of often asking for opinion from your team members.
Learn How to Get Feedback When You’re the Boss.

#7 - Grow Your Confidence
• Studies have shown that confident leaders inspire those they lead to be creative and more
productive. Confidence is one of the people management skills that enable you to make the right
decisions, resolve conflicts and command respect while managing people. The lack of it might force
you to overplay ‘the boss', which strains the relationship with your team. In many cases, the lack of
confidence leads to the leader losing control of the team.
• The first step to building your confidence is to accept that you are human. That you have strengths
and weakness. It is also important to acknowledge that you aren’t the only one with this problem.
With that in mind, open yourself up to growth.
• Dina Krasikova:
• “When leaders feel confident that they can produce creative outcomes, their subordinates become
more creative.”
• Indeed, confidence is being sure of what you know and who you are. Therefore, learning is one of
the remedies you have. Listen to what others have to say, read books and attend workshopsthat
expand and deepen your expertise.
• The other remedy you have is to work on your physical image. Go to the gym and invest in your
wardrobe. Also, work on your communication skills. Take a course, if you need to, on how to
communicate with your body posture. While these might seem minor, they have an enormous
impact on how people perceive you. This, in turn, influences how you feel about yourself.
Tip: Embrace the power of autosuggestion to grow your confidence. That means consciously
programming your attitude.

#8 - Manage from the Front
• If you expect others to follow you, you need to be on the frontline.
Employees tend to commit when they see you getting your hands dirty. In
addition to giving them a reason to work hard, you will earn their respect.
• Also, if people look up to you, you need to hold yourself to high ethical
standards. If you’re honest and keep your word, your team won’t have a
problem doing the same. When you promise team members a reward for
a job well done, keep your word when they meet the conditions. If you
pledge to throw a party at the end of a project, do so.
• These gestures will plants seeds of trust and reliability within the team. If
you never keep your word or you aren’t enthusiastic about your work, the
team will put in as much as they think you are putting in.
• Tip: Work to gain respect from your team. Start with these 21 steps to
earn the respect.

#9 - Trust Your Guts
• Managing people sometimes takes you through uncharted paths. In many
of those instances, information becomes scarce. However, your team will
be looking up to you to show the way. This is where your intuition should
help you make decisions. Indeed, prominent business leaders like Warren
Buffet, Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey are known to rely on their
instincts. Indeed, paying attention to hunches can be your source of light
when nothing else is providing it.
Simone Wright, mind coach:
“Intuition is the natural intelligence that allows us to see ahead of the curve,
to generate innovative ideas, to communicate powerfully, and to do so
without having to study spreadsheets or gather piles of data.”
Tip: Read the Ultimate Guide to HBDI – Herrmann Brain Dominance
Instrument to help you understand how our brains work, especially in regard
to problem-solving.

#10 - Be Compassionate
• In his book, ‘Leaders Eat Last,’ Simon Sinek states that good leaders and
managers should show empathy. He explains why a good manager has to
understand things from the perspective of the front. Indeed, managing people is a
responsibility to look out for others. You should listen and care about the welfare
of those you lead. For instance, if a team member misses a deadline, go the extra
mile to find the underlying reason. It could be a difficult family situation getting in
their way or something else you can help fix.
• Jumping to conclusions and giving dress down only demoralizes a team member. It
doesn’t give them a reason to try harder the next time. Of course, other factors
might come into play in this regard. These include habit and lack of care on the
side of a team member. Whatever the case, though, understanding their point of
view before passing judgment fosters a healthy team spirit.
• In his book, ‘Accelerate,’ John P. Kotter, emphasises on the need for understanding
when managing people. He points out that you must look at things from your
employees’ viewpoints. That way you will understand their driving force and come
up with effective strategies that will motivate them even more.
Tip: Always imagine yourself in shoes of those you manage to understand their
perspective to situations. Use these 8 Points To Tell If You’re A Truly Compassionate
Person. The 'Managing Carrots' book is an excellent resource to guide you.

#11 - Automate Your Processes
• Coming up with an incredible vision slogan doesn’t really work.
Having SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-
based) goals is what will help the team to move. Even more, having these
goals clearly documented and integrated with drawn process will increase
chances of success significantly.
• When it comes to managing people, comprehensive processes reduce the
amount of time the team will need your attention. The members of the
team will only get to you for directions when they encounter the most
challenging situations. Also, automated processes make your operations
as a team effective, efficient and agile.
• Also, a clear process streamlines communications enforce accountability
and establish how you share tasks within the team. These reduce conflicts
and give every team player a sense of responsibility.
Tip: See How to Automate 5 Boring Office Tasks and make your team more
efficient.

#12 - Be Ready to Change
• Change is always inevitable. Therefore, you should be willing to align yourself with
new trends in people management skills. Otherwise, you risk being overtaken by
events, becoming obsolete and losing control of your team. To stay ahead of your
game, spare some time to learn every day. If you do that, your leadership skills will
grow exponentially.
Tip: Use these 5 Steps to Overcome Resistance to Organisational Development and
effect productive change. And a good place to start is to make their first day a great
day.
• Managing people has never been easy. Humans are very complicated, especially
within the work environment. Thankfully, you can work on your team
management skills. This piece is meant to help you in that regard.
Read how we worked with one client to create an effective Category Manager job
description for them.

People Management Skills Guide

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