Successful people management is all about good relationships and understanding human behaviour. In the workplace, building and maintaining relationships is key to achieving individual and organisational goals. Apart from that, having healthy relationships both in and outside of the workplace is important, because they help us thrive
Effective people management is important when working in an existing team and when hiring new staff. In both situations, this requires being able to proactively solve problems, manage conflict and motivate and inspire other team members.
To expand on this, we outline some of the top people management skills you can learn to enhance your managerial skills.
1. Clear communication
Communication skills are critical when dealing with people. To be an effective manager, you need to know how to communicate clearly and effectively. You also need to be a skilled listener, work well with others and be able to manage or avoid any unnecessary conflict, delays and dissatisfaction.
Communication can take many forms. Verbal communication might be the most obvious competency you need to master. However, written communication skills are very important, especially in a digital world. Other valuable skills include being able to pick up on subtle non- verbal cues such as body language or tone of voice.
2. Delegation (and trust)
A management role requires coordination, planning and execution. This can be overwhelming if you don’t know how to trust your team and delegate. This makes trusting yourself and others a key capability for managers.
If you can’t trust your employees to complete their tasks and take on more responsibility, you are going to be working late nights unnecessarily! Delegation also involves understanding what skills are required to complete each task and inspiring your team to grow and learn in their roles. Sure, some people might require closer management than others, but empower those around you by delegating.
3. Patience
Apart from communicating clearly and building trust within your team, patience is another important competency. Losing patience with your team and venting your frustrations can irreparably damage relationships. You might be under pressure and feel overwhelmed, but it always pays to take a deep breath and practise patience before responding.
Patience also involves trusting the process when it comes to meeting high-level objectives. As much as we all like to tick boxes, the reality is that circumstances change. Therefore, being patient and adaptable is essential for effective people management, and meeting business goals.
4. Empathy
Under pressure, it can feel challenging to think of how everyone else is doing. But as a manager, this is imperative. It requires staying in touch with your team’s progress and keeping tabs on whether or not they need support. We can’t ever know or understand exactly what people are thinking or feeling, but being open and honest can make a huge difference when it comes to engagement, motivation and productivity.
Empathy is also crucial when dealing with conflict, as not being able to see another person’s point of view can only make the conflict worse. In fact, practising empathy can help you to avoid major grievances in the first place. Keeping open lines of communication within your team can make this easier, through regular check-ins and stand-ups.
5. Accountability
As a manager, you need to take accountability for both yourself and your team. This makes being connected to your team even more critical, to avoid any miscommunication or problems down the line. This is where regular check-ins and stand-ups can also offer value. These can be 1-1 or in a group setting. As a manager you need to encourage your team members to take responsibility for their own deliverables, negotiate appropriate deadlines with them, hold them accountable and appreciate them for their achievements.
Accountability also requires that you trust yourself to perform in your management role. To be able to do this, you need to fully understand what is required of a manager,, in a business setting. You can learn this by working with a mentor or taking specialised short courses in management and leadership.
Learn People Management with SACAP Global
If you’re looking to further develop your people management skills, look no further than SACAP’s targeted short online courses. These include Managing and Motivating People and Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent.
In both of these flexible short courses, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of human behaviour, and how to navigate managing relationships and people-focused tasks in a business setting. These micro-credentials are also “stackable”, which means that they can form part of a more comprehensive tertiary qualification.
In Employee Motivation & Wellness, you’ll acquire essential management skills to help motivate and inspire your staff. You‘ll also learn more about empowering your employees and employee wellness and engagement.
The Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent micro-credential focuses on gaining practical skills for recruiting top talent. You’ll also learn how to motivate employees through rewards and compensation, and how to deal with grievances proactively.
If you are a manager or looking to grow within your role and take on more responsibility, these people management courses are designed for you. To find out more about our specialised short courses , contact us for more information.