While the direct manager of any person has a great impact on not only their performance but their development and their satisfaction, the foundation for effective people management begins with the values, attitude, and willingness to invest from the highest levels of leadership.
In simple terms, effective management of people begins at the top.
In any organization big or small, the top leaders often feel their job is simply to be a visionary, create strategy, and direct others to execute. While those are important leadership skills, it is also true that their commitment to the management and development of every member of the team is the foundation for current and future performance and success.
Leaders who are adept at effective people management understand it is more than just rules, policies, procedures, and daily oversight. It is a program that not only addresses day to day operations, but also views people as the most valuable asset of any organization and dedicates, time, energy, and resources to managing that asset effectively.
Successful management strategy includes setting clear expectations, allowing your team to experience and practice new skills through delegation, assessing their capabilities and offering a chance for them to be autonomous through empowerment, providing timely feedback and a regular review of overall performance, and offering employees guidance through coaching and mentoring.
Leadership creates a foundation for effective people management by setting expectations that a process will exist and be fully utilized. They then provide systems, tools, and resources to support that process.
With successful people management, your employees expect and ensure that the entire organization is consistent in each component of the process.
Impactful Ways to Enhance People Management Skills
To create an environment where daily operations and procedures run smoothly while fostering trust and motivation within your team, focus on the following aspects of managing people to combine the benefits of leadership and management roles.
Setting Clear Expectations
This begins with sharing the overall vision of the organization and what role the individual will play in delivering that vision.
It should be outlined in a job description (updated as needed), goals and objectives, and targets for performance.
Task Delegation
Each manager should be assessed for the ability and willingness to delegate to their team members.
Delegation is the art of sharing control. It sends a message of trust and promotes growth in those that have been delegated responsibilities.
It is a key component to talent development and therefore to building a team for the future.
Employee Empowerment
Empowerment is more than the mere delegation of duties.
It is the ability to translate the vision and empower people to achieve it, by encouraging them to take ownership, a sense of pride, and to unleash their own skills and abilities.
Managers should also be assessed on their willingness and ability to identify the capabilities of others and then to empower them to act with the right amount of control.
Helpful Feedback
Feedback is critical to the successful delegation and empowerment. It should be honest, consistent, and formal.
Knowing how and when to give feedback is the responsibility of each manager, but leadership should provide training and instruction to be sure each manager has the skill and knows how to apply it consistently.
Performance Management
Big or small, every organization needs a system-wide performance management program.
It should be administered no less than annually and be consistent across teams, departments, and channels.
To ensure consistency, a single system should be approved and administered at the highest level.
Effective Coaching
No matter how accomplished we are, it is difficult for any of us to see our blind spots.
Coaching is a skill that points out these flaws or blind spots in such a way that the individual is inspired to make a change.
The right performance management system will uncover weaknesses and deficiencies in every employee. If it does not, the system has probably not been completely factual, has been influenced by personal bias, or may have been hastily administered.
All managers should receive training on how to execute a performance review and how to coach for change and improvement.
Mentoring
Not every employee will be matched with a mentor, but a program for mentorship should be available for future leaders.
Leadership and Management
Management and leadership are not the same, but they complement each other and are linked to successful outcomes.
The complement between the two in effective people management is just one example of that paradigm. One without the other will not be as valuable, powerful, or effective.
Hone Your People Management Skills with Sherry Jordan
As a leader for your business, focusing on effective people management skills will strengthen your team.
Successful management of people can enhance your business in many ways, creating an atmosphere of open communication, clear expectations, and trust. When employees understand and share the vision for your company goals in addition to performing daily operations, it cultivates a team that is invested in overall business outcomes.
If you are looking for more ways to enhance your business management skills or strategy, Sherry Jordan can help. Reach out to discuss ways you can achieve success!