Whether you're
the CEO, intern, or new manager, knowing how to work with others is a key part
of being successful at every job. But for new and experienced managers alike,
knowing how to manage people and all their quirks and ambitions is a key part
of you being successful at your job — and a key part of the company's success
as well.
Luckily, people
management skills — facilitating success by overseeing and developing your
direct reports — can be learned, whether you're a first-time manager or one
that's more seasoned. And while these skills do generally take time to master,
you can make improvements to your people management skills starting right now.
What is people
management?
People
management is a broad topic that covers what it means to develop, organize,
problem-solve for, and grow the employee side of the business. These skills
range from being able to mediate a personality clash between team members to
building an effective human resources system for a business.
You have a
management team because you don't expect employees to magically come up with
and enforce company structure. Similarly, the idea behind people management is
that you have managers because you also can't expect employees to manage their
own development, processes, and people problems all on their own.
People
management skills — from running an effective 1:1 to structuring onboarding —
critically enable managers to solve problems and engage employees. You can
build your people management skills by making small changes in your mindset and
your perspective on problems. The tips that follow will help you think about
tweaks you can make in your own process to be a more effective and successful
manager.
1. People
management starts with listening, and listening starts before you think it does
We think of good
listening as something that happens between the beginning and end of a
conversation: being attentive, making eye contact, taking notes, and waiting for
the other person to finish before you start to talk. And those are all parts of
the listening skill set that you should practice.
But good
listening is essential to the management role, and it starts before you even
sit down to talk to an employee. Keys to listening well include keeping an open
mind and not jumping to conclusions before or during conversations, according
to Dianne Schilling, an expert on emotional intelligence.
This means you
can't assume what an employee is thinking, what their problem is, or what the
solution to their problem is - you have to let go of your preconceived notions,
and you need to ask them. Even if they think the cause of a problem is obvious,
a great manager listens with the intent of understanding as much about the
situation as possible; they don't just barge in with a possible solution. Prep
for meetings, but don't go in thinking you know all the answers.
2. Learn to
separate personal problems from organizational problems
Employees are
going to have problems and you are going to have to help solve them. But not
all problems are created equal. The root causes of workplace problems often
fall into two categories: personal and organizational. They may manifest the
same way when talking to one or a few employees, but understanding the
difference will save you from a disproportionate response. Treating an
organizational problem like a personal one is like putting a bandaid on a
broken window. Similarly, treating a personal problem like an organizational
one is like remodeling your kitchen to become a better cook.
Personal
problems might be:
- an employee's
individual workload
- an employee's
problem with their process
- an employee's
dissatisfaction with their team members or performance
- an employee's
unhappiness with work due to a desire to change projects
These problems,
when they occur with one (or a few) employees, can be corrected with your
people management skills and no significant reorganization. On the other hand,
organizational problems are entrenched and can't be solved by problem-solving
one employee's problem.
Organizational
problems might be:
- teams unable
to cope with demands of workload collectively
- workflow
problems frequently resulting in errors or delays company- or team-wide
- infighting or
hostility between team members because of overall poor performance
- many employees
feeling disempowered to take control of their work projects and career
paths
These issues
stem from inherent problems in the organization of the company. Managers need
to use their people management skills to comprehend the organizational problem
behind the above problems, while still people-managing to keep employees' heads
above water until the problem is truly fixed.
3. Understand
the purpose of each employee
To communicate
with employees and empathize with them, you have to understand what draws them
to their role and what joy they derive from their work; i.e., their purpose. Purpose
is a huge part of what keeps people satisfied at work and what drives
them to succeed and push themselves professionally. Knowing why an employee
feels connected to their role and why they're inspired to be an individual
contributor to the business through it helps you as a manager understand how to
help them succeed in a way that also benefits the company.
People want to
work on projects where they believe they can do well, and when they're given
the opportunity to do what they do best, they feel more connected to their
work. Pinpointing exactly what an employee likes about their role — or why they
may be striving for a promotion/ to take on a new role — allows you to frame
solutions in a way that helps employees see how your solution will take them
towards their goal, and how they have some of the tools they need to enact that
solution.
For example, two
engineers are both struggling with a project they work on. One isn't interested
in the end result of the project, and doesn't feel motivated to complete the
work. The other enjoys the project and the collaborative aspect of pair
programming, but isn't getting along at all with their pair programming partner.
That first
engineer might need to be taken off the project entirely, or at least be given
other work to help them move in a direction that suits their interest. But to
take the second off the project would be taking them away from work they like —
instead, making sure they're rotated to a new partner who will boost their
morale. Assuming that both engineers would need to be reassigned or both would
need to be repaired would ignore the big picture: that those engineers have
different purposes, and therefore different underlying problems.
4. Treat praise
and criticism like peanut butter and jelly
Although it may
seem easier to give praise than criticism, studies show that theory doesn't
hold water when it comes to the workplace. One survey revealed that 44% of
managers said giving negative feedback was stressful, but a shocking 40% of the
same group never gave positive reinforcement.
Employees need a
balance of both praise and criticism in order to thrive. If you only give
praise for good work, you're a straw man that frustrates employees because you
don't help them grow. But only criticism and your employees will be on-edge and
demoralized.
The Harvard
Business Review says a good rule of thumb is to give more praise than
criticism, showing that top teams generally have a regular flow of compliments.
This doesn't
mean lying to your employees about how well they're doing or forgoing
constructive comments. Rather, it's about recognizing when, where and how
to give praise. Efforts by employees should be rewarded regularly and in a
timely fashion. Public praise, private praise and special tokens (like employee
of the month awards or other recognitions) are all people management tools that
build trust and morale.
Criticism, like
praise, should be timely. Rather than simply pointing to errors, good managers
will give feedback by helping employees find solutions to work
through their weaknesses. By helping employees set new goals, you signal that
you believe in their ability to improve and are willing to help them
course-correct. Just don't forget to finish on a positive note!
5. Never leave a
meeting without asking employees this question
Whether it's a
quarterly performance review or prep for a client meeting, you should always
“end every important conversation with is there anything else?”,
according to David Hauser, founder of Grasshopper, in his 2017 SaaSFest talk.
Whatever is top
of mind — their biggest challenges — will come out first. It can give employees
an opening to ask for help rather than waiting until a big meeting where you
try and go through all their highs and lows. It also keeps you in the loop on
their development and their work without them feeling like you're
micromanaging.
Perhaps most
importantly, this tip is an easy way to build trust with your employees and be
a better manager. It signals that you care and want to know about their
problems, even if it's not explicitly on the agenda. People management relies
on interpersonal relationships, and building those out of every meeting is a
great way to connect.
6. Check-in when
nothing is wrong
Picture this:
you're an employee who has had pretty smooth sailing thus far. But suddenly,
you end up with a big problem on your most recent project. Since you don't
regularly speak to your manager, you don't really know how to approach them, or
what to expect. Should you email or Slack DM? Will they yell at you? Do you
need to write up a brief? You're stressed in your time of need!
Luckily,
managers have the power to prevent putting their employee in such a stressful
situation by checking in when nothing is wrong. Regular meetings set an
expectation of communication and provide an easy space for employees to turn to
when the going gets rough.
Meeting once a
week is ideal, but even biweekly meetings will help. Running a 1:1 doesn't
have to be complicated, either — especially when things are smooth sailing,
they can be a place to check in on goals and get to know your employees. And
you'll be more likely to put out fires before they threaten to engulf a project
or client relationship, too.
Bottom line:
don't leave things to chance
Where good
managers step in as needed to keep teams running and employees motivated, great
managers are proactive and attuned to the needs of their workplace. Employees
are not going to magically solve all their disputes and find their perfect path
to develop to reach their career goals — it's your job to get them there.
Whether you're reassigning engineers or listening empathetically, you as a
leader have a responsibility to be proactive about managing the people side of
business.
Comments
Post a Comment