People management is one of the most difficult areas of management. Good managers must anticipate issues that could affect their employees' motivation and performance in order to keep their teams aligned with organizational goals. There are two main theories on managing people - Theory X assumes people are lazy and need close supervision, while Theory Y assumes people are self-motivated and seek responsibility. Effective managers balance concern for results with concern for their employees' needs and interests. Regular self-evaluation using a development wheel can help managers improve their coaching, delegation, communication, and other leadership skills.

1. People Management 101

2. People management is one of the most difficult areas
of management nowadays. People are not machines,
they are complicated, emotionally unstable and a good
manager needs anticipate any possible issue that
might appear in their job lives in order to maintain the
team motivation and performance.
Introduction
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3. Management is needed in order to facilitate a
coordinated effort towards the accomplishment of a
company’s goals using the available resources as much
efficiently and effectively as possible.
Good managers are needed to keep their teams on track
and aligned towards the organization’s objectives. They
are needed to provide the right balance of motivation,
creativity and discipline into the key areas of any
organization or business.
Why do we manage?
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4. Theory X assumes immaturity. It implies the need for
constant intervention and supervision by management
to modify people’s behavior. Managers with this
assumption motivate their people using a “carrot and
stick” approach.
Management philosophy
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5. Theory X assumes:
Management philosophy
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The average human being is lazy and
unambitious, with an inherent dislike of work
that they will avoid if possible.
Most people have to be coerced, controlled,
directed or threatened to get them to work
towards organizational objectives.
The average person prefers to be directed, has
relatively little ambition, wished to avoid
responsibility and wants security above all.

6. Theory Y assumes maturity. It implies people are not
passive by nature but are self-motivated, responsible and
enjoy the challenge of work. Managers with this assumption
have a more collaborative relationship with their people and
empowered them to make decisions and work on their own
initiative to achieve the organization goals.
Management philosophy
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7. Theory Y assumes:
Management philosophy
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People are self-motivated to complete their
tasks and enjoy taking ownership of their work.
With encouragement and little direction, most
employees not only accept responsibility but
also seek it proactively.
If people are committed to objectives, they will
exercise self-direction and self-control in
working towards them.

8. The perfect leadership style does not exist. However,
it is useful to understand what your natural
approach is so you can work on the skills you might
be missing and enforce the ones you already have.
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Leadership style

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Leadership style

10. These leadership styles are basically the result of
combining the two main concerns on the mind of a
manager seeking results.
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Concern for Results: this is the degree to which a
manager or leader emphasizes concrete
objectives, organizational efficiency and high
productivity when deciding how best to
accomplish a task. It reflects Theory X.
Concern for People: this is the degree to which a
manager or leader considers the needs of team
members, their interests and areas of personal
development when deciding how best to
accomplish a task. It reflects Theory Y.
Leadership style

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Employees have a high degree of dissatisfaction and productivity
sinks to the lowest tolerable level. It translates in high staff turnover.
The Impoverished
Leadership style
Always plays by the rules and is mostly
ineffective.
Has little interest in creating a satisfying or
motivating team environment.
Avoids being noticed and resigned to not
being appreciated by their team members.

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May achieve high productivity in the short-term but it will
cause low production in the long term. High level of conflict
within the team will cause employee turnover.
The Authoritarian
Leadership style
Has a maximum concern for getting
the job done at all cost.
They believe team’s needs are always
secondary to its productivity.
May not always be right, but rarely
suffers from any self-doubt.

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Employees are not really discontent nor are they happy but
the performance achieved will be average. Lack of confidence
to take risk will not inspire and challenge staff.
The Political
Leadership style
Middle-of-the-Road manager aims for
security through continual compromise.
Seeks solutions which please the majority
but delivers mediocre performance.
Fails to inspire high performance and also
fails to meet people’s needs fully.

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Employees are happy and productivity may be effective in the
long-term but short-term productivity can be very low.
Irresolute style can actually create conflict.
The Social
Leadership style
Mostly concerned about people’s needs
and feelings.
Rarely criticises and tends to avoid
conflictive situations.
Assumes that, as long as team members
are happy, they will work hard.

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Employees are satisfied, motivated and forming a highly
cohesive team. Productivity is consistently high and staff
turnover is low. It translates into high-performance teams.
The Team Leader
Leadership style
Commit to their organization’s goals and
mission while motivating their people.
Has clear convictions but is always open
for new ideas and opinions.
Inspires and works hard to ensure people
work as a team and deliver great results.

16. The management development wheel is a valuable tool
for supporting self-evaluation, exploring current reality
and helping you to critically reflect on yourself as a
manager and the practice of your leadership skills. It
can help you to create clarity about the areas you wish
to focus on, and to perform a simple gap analysis about
where you are now and where you would like to be.
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Development wheel

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Development wheel

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Development wheel
Ability to use the coaching style of management
with your team members to get results in a non
directive approach.
Coaching

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Development wheel
Effectively delegating tasks so everyone can move
on to achieve higher team’s objectives.
Delegation

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Development wheel
Having regular and meaningful individual
conversations with your direct reports to discuss
anything about them.
1:1 meetings

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Development wheel
Planning and exercising conscious control over
the amount of time spent on your tasks to
increase effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.
Priority Management

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Development wheel
Setting SMART goals for you and your team so
everyone can focus their efforts and user their
time and resources productively.
SMART goals

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Development wheel
Communicating the direction to the team so
everyone understands the vision and strategies
and accepts their validity.
Aligning people

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Development wheel
Ability to observe your people behaviors and
provide regular honest feedback, positive and
constructive.
Observation & Feedback

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Development wheel
Hiring the right people for your team, firing
the ones that don’t fit and ensuring your team
is always well-balanced with the people you
need to succeed.
Right people

26. People
Management 101
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