To provide an enabling and supportive work environment for employees, leaders and managers need to arm themselves with people management skills.
Managers with excellent people management skills know how to build good relationships with employees. Also, they are able to motivate staff members to perform better at their job leading to increased productivity and organizational success.
Furthermore, this skill can come in handy for resolving conflicts between employees, fostering the company’s culture, and encouraging teamwork.
This article explores what people management skills are, the people management skills and traits to demonstrate in the workplace, and how to highlight it in your resume, cover letter, or during interview.
Definition of People Management Skills
People Management Skills are soft skills that managers and employers need to deal with employees as well as create and foster a favorable and healthy working environment for employees.
Leaders who possess people management skills are well respected and loved by employees. This is because they are empathetic, patient, temperate, open, and optimistic.
Furthermore, they are excellent in decision-making, and they can resolve conflict amicably, they are exemplary leaders, and they can communicate effectively.
People Management Skills and Traits To Demonstrate In The Workplace
Identifying those people management skills that foster manager-to-employee relationship is crucial to the overall success of the organization.
Here is a list of people management skills that both aspiring and current leaders need to have in their arsenal:
1. Conflict Resolution
Every organization comprises individuals with different backgrounds, beliefs, and values. As such, conflicts within the organization are unavoidable.
Whether it is a conflict of interest or work-related conflict, managers need the ability to resolve conflicts amicably within the organization.
Furthermore, the best thing to do when resolving conflicts is to listen to the parties involved, and take a careful assessment of the situation, before making a conclusion.
Also, the aim should be that both parties compromise their ego and reach a consensus. In addition, you should be sure to check your sentiments or bias while judging as a manager so you don’t make decisions from an emotional standpoint.
2. Decision-making and Problem-solving
There is more than meets the eye when taking decisions to solve people-oriented problems within the organization.
Managers who possess people management skills know that carelessly handling a problem may inadvertently lead to another problem in the organization.
Hence, it is best that you examine potential consequences that may arise as a result of a decision before taking them.
For instance, as a CEO of an organization, if one of your founding executives is found to be involved in fraudulent activities, the best approach is not to fire him instantly.
Because if you do, this individual, having been a founding member, may become a competition for you in the future or join another organization and reveal strategies that make you stand out.
Therefore, the best decision to take might be building a small branch in a faraway country which is inconsequential to the company’s brand image and profitability.
This way, you can strip the employee of the ability to perpetuate more fraudulent acts while still keeping him on your side.
3. Communication
The ability to communicate clearly is an essential people management skill.
As a manager, you’d need to be able to clearly articulate the roles and functions of each employee, you’d need oratory prowess to inspire them to work, and you need to be able to speak in such a way that others will love to listen to you.
Moreover, the organization thrives on the execution of instructions given by supervisors, employers, and managers, so effective communication is key.
Equally, to keep the vision, mission, and culture of the organization top of the minds of employees, there needs to be proper and potent communication.
4. Active listening
Demonstrating excellent listening skills encompasses a lot of factors. From body language to eye contact to feedback and questions, managers must be able to display great listening abilities while relating with employees.
This shows that you value the person speaking. In essence, you should listen in ways that others will love to speak to you. Listening also involves being empathetic and open to others.
5. Patience and Tolerance
Patience and tolerance go hand in hand. It is the ability to not lose your temper easily or be calm in the face of pressure.
On the other hand, tolerance is a virtue that requires restraining yourself from reacting based on your emotions. It also means accepting the wrong that others do to you.
These two are priced people management skills. But you may never know how valuable they are until an incident causes you to flare up in the workplace.
It is impossible to deal with individuals without having a clash of interests, disputes, or work-related conflicts. Through patience and tolerance, you can tame yourself to act right whether as a manager or employee.
6. Empathy
Empathy is becoming sensitive and aware of other people’s positions in a situation. Managers must learn to put themselves in the shoes of others.
Employees are human and they may be having a bad day at work or facing hard times personally which may affect their productivity.
In case you notice a decline in employees’ performance, it is best that you call them privately and talk to them. Try to understand what they may be passing through rather than calling them out or lashing out at them in the face of others.
Doing this will put you in the good books of employees. And, they’ll not only love to work for you, but they’ll also respect you and give their best to the organization in return.
7. Openness
One of the ways to demonstrate people management skills is by being receptive to ideas and people. In other words, it means being accommodating.
Great managers are not those who think that their ideas are superior to that of others. Instead, they do not discard the view of people, rather they seek employees’ opinions in the organization.
Through this, they are able to drive creativity and innovation within the organization and employees gain satisfaction knowing that they are valued.
8. Trust
Trust is crucial for the success of every relationship, manager-to-employee relationship inclusive.
A lack of trust in the abilities of your employees to do their job would lead to micromanaging. The effect of micromanaging is that you will suck out employees’ creativity, increase anxiety in the workplace and make the workplace dysfunctional.
As a result, you’d lose most of them and may have to continue in the cycle of hiring and hiring.
Rather, what you should do as a people-oriented manager is to provide clear-cut goals, make plans for achieving these goals, and assign jobs to employees.
Furthermore, you should give them the freedom to work, inspire them from time to time, and ask them to reach out to you when they need help.
This way, you will be able to focus on what really matters in moving your business forward. And employees will be happy and motivated to work. In addition, they would grow better and become independent on the job.
9. Temperance
This is the ability to be moderate in actions. For instance, you should know when to lash out at an employee and when to correct them calmly.
Moreso, the ability to balance when to be firm and when to stay calm as a manager earns you the respect of employees within the organization.
10. Training and mentorship
The benefits of training and mentoring employees in the organization cannot be overemphasized. Research has it that the major reason for employee turnover is a lack of career growth and development in the organization.
Hence, managers have to pay attention to training and mentoring employees as this is key to their career growth. Furthermore, training helps to improve employees’ skills and confidence in performing their tasks leading to greater productivity.
It is also a way to foster and support the learning culture within the organization. Through this organizations can retain more staff members and reduce hiring costs.
11. Leadership
Effective leadership is not just about having people follow your instructions, it is more about being inspiring.
Additionally, true leaders are exemplary. That is, they don’t just tell others what to do, they show by doing first. It is easier to work with a manager who motivates than a boss who is aggressive.
Furthermore, great leaders are self-aware and prioritize personal development. They are keen on developing others and they encourage strategic thinking and innovation in the organization.
12. Optimism
Nobody wants to work with a sadist or pessimist. A key people management skill every manager should have is the ability to inspire and motivate by exuding positivity.
Positivity equally improves creativity, innovation, and the productivity of everyone in the organization. Additionally, it is contagious, as such, the manager’s optimism level determines that of the employees.
13. Teamwork
Whether as a manager or employee, displaying excellent people management skills is necessary for the success of a team. This is because it will help in understanding each other, avoiding disputes, and fostering synergy among team members.
Through people management skills, the team leader can share the task among team members considering their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, there will be an increase in the efficiency and productivity of everyone.
14. Appreciating Employees
Leaders with people management skills always appreciate employees for a job well done. Most managers are quick to rebuke employees for their mistakes. But oftentimes, they forget to appraise employees who are exceptional in doing their job.
As such, it is important to appreciate employees when they do well. Tell them how proud you are, and let them know you appreciate their efforts, this way you will motivate them to do better.
15. Organization
The ability to effectively organize and plan workloads and tasks is a people management skill. Organizational skills help leaders to assign duties to employees, schedule and allocate time and deadlines and ensure that every hand is on deck.
This ensures the productivity of the employees and the smooth running of operations within the organization.
How To Highlight People Management Skills In Your Resume or Cover Letter or During Interviews
To demonstrate your people management skill, state your role or position within the organization and describe your accomplishments using one of the skills as highlighted in this article.
For instance, you may express how you were able to amicably resolve a conflict between two parties within your team as a team leader. This way you have demonstrated teamwork, leadership, and conflict-resolution abilities.
For entry-level graduates, you may describe how you were calm and patient during an outrage between you and an intern during an internship. This shows patience and temperance.
FAQs
Are people management skills the same as human management skills?
Yes. They both mean the same thing.
Should employees also possess people management skills?
Yes. People management skills can be beneficial for employees as team members and in relating with their colleagues in the organization. Furthermore, every aspiring leader must seek to arm themselves with these skills so as to stand out.
How can you improve your people management skills?
Firstly, you should pick one of the people management skills you wish to develop and focus on it. Secondly, you can enroll in courses on leadership, conflict resolution, teamwork, etc.
Why do you need people management skills?
It is important to possess people management skills because it helps to improve the relationship between leaders and employees. Also, it fosters employee-to-employee relationships and improves employee experience.
Summary
As said earlier, to thrive as a manager, you need to possess excellent people management skills. They help you foster your relationships with staff members.
As a result, employees gain momentum and motivation to work better. Also, as a manager, you easily earn the respect and love of your staff members and they will commit all their efforts to work.
Moreso, people management skills are skills everyone should possess regardless of their position in the organization as it helps in dealing with other members of the organization.
Lastly, you should check the article on skills that will change your life forever to learn about those skills you need to arm yourself with.
I hope this article helps you to gain better people management skills.
Thanks for reading.
