Knowing how to work with other people is a crucial part of being successful in all jobs. However, for recently promoted to experienced managers alike, managing people and all their ambitions and quirks is vital of being successful at your actual job—and the company’s long-term success. Fortunately, anyone can learn people management skills.
Whether you’re a seasoned manager or a first-timer, the following skills are ones that you need to master to become the best manager you can be for your team—and the company.
Empathy
Showing empathy towards your staff facing challenging professional issues or personal problems can go a long way. When employees need time for personal matters such as an illness in the family or require a home loan to pay for their mortgage, employers need to understand that these affect employees’ productivity and morale. A timely discussion would be an excellent start in building empathy and improving your overall relationship with your team members.
Positivity
In psychology’s law of attraction, positive attracts positive. It’s the same with people’s attitudes—which are generally contagious. Whatever attitude a manager shows to his employees will have a significant effect on them and their work. So it’s best to make sure that it’s a positive attitude circulating in the workplace. It’s a manager’s responsibility to ensure the high morale of the team. This will make the employees’ work fun and stress-free. Balance Praise and Criticism Giving praise and criticism to employees should be wisely balanced. If you only give criticism, this will cause frustration to your employees. They’ll be demoralized and might quit the job. However, if you always praise them for good work, you’re not helping them grow in their field of work.
It’s important to know when, how, and where to give praise or criticism. Efforts and good works of employees should be acknowledged regularly. It can be in the form of a token and public or private praise. This act will help build trust between them and the manager and greatly boosts their morale. Giving criticisms is not simply pointing out their errors. An example of a good manager will help employees learn by giving feedback or constructive criticism and ending with a positive note.
Patience
Patience is a vital tool in managing a team. Things can get hard and frustrating sometimes, where you find it challenging to keep your cool. When things seem to be out of control, it’s important to control your emotions, take a deep breath, and act calmly. This will help you think more clearly to solve the problem. And your employees are more open with their sentiments as you respond to them appropriately and not filled with emotions.
Trust
Like any relationship, the manager and employee relationship requires trust—and showing your employees that you trust them and their abilities are essential for the team. Trusting them is giving them autonomy in doing their job. You can assign and provide outlines of expected outcomes from their job instead of constantly supervising them. This will help your team grow and have more confidence in doing their jobs.
Accountability
As a manager, everything is your responsibility. This doesn’t mean that you’re only responsible for your work, but your employees’ work too. Taking accountability when things go wrong and taking a little credit when there’s an achievement, and sharing it with the team is characteristic of a good manager. Employees will appreciate and return the same act of accountability, which brings harmony to the team’s relationship.
Great managers are proactive and genuinely attuned to workplace needs. After all, employees aren’t going to solve all disputes among themselves and find the right ‘path’ to develop to reach their aspirations—it’s your responsibility to get them there. Having the skills mentioned can help you become the best manager for your team and the company.
