Top 10 People Management Skills Every Manager Needs to Succeed

At the heart of every thriving organization lie the essential keys to success: effective people management skills.

Yet, the path to harnessing this potential isn't paved with merely hiring skilled individuals.

It's about cultivating an environment where talent thrives, where teams feel valued and empowered, and where leadership guides with vision and empathy.

As we explore the top 10 people management skills, let's remember that behind every thriving company are managers who understand the delicate balance between strategy and human connection.

The fate of a team often hinges on the rapport between its employees and management. While skilled employees are valuable assets, failing to nurture and empower them risks eventual attrition. They say employees do not leave their companies but their managers. Though the infamous statement is difficult to digest, a report from Gallup backs it with data. According to the report, 70% of an employee's motivation is influenced by his/her manager.

It all boils down to the manager's relationship with their employees. It simply means having good people management skills, that influences the boss-employee relationships. Managers with bad people management skills are tragic to the company. That results in disengaged employees, unhappy customers, and low productivity.

What are People Management Skills?

People management skills, as the term suggests, are a list of soft and hard skills essential to effectively lead, communicate, motivate, and collaborate with others in a professional setting. These skills are critical for fostering positive relationships, resolving conflicts, and driving team success.

Let us look at some crucial people management skills that every manager must have.

10 People Management Skills that Every Manager Needs to Succeed

1. Leadership Skills

A manager with good leadership skills knows how to keep its employees engaged and motivated. Employees follow and respect their managers who know how to lead their team. Building good leadership skills is not easy. Every work culture is self-defined and has unique ways to function. To put everyone on the same page and motivate each other to accomplish the same goals and objectives is difficult. Therefore, it requires skills to influence the employees to believe, act, and work with perseverance to attain the greater good."

How to improve leadership skills?

• Be passionate and have resilience.
• Be a role model and set examples.
• Admit when you fall, and don't lose hope and enthusiasm.
• Inspire others and remind them of the higher purpose frequently.

Related: Leadership Qualities of Great Leaders

2. Planning

Managers and HR professionals to be ready for anything. Even though planning can feel tough when things are always shifting, it's a fundamental skill for keeping things organized and helping employees during times of change.

How to develop this skill?

• Stay informed and plan for changes.
• Create backup plans for different scenarios.
• Be adaptable and adjust plans as needed.
• Work together with others for better plans.
• Review and adjust plans regularly.
• Use resources wisely to support plans.
• Communicate plans clearly to everyone involved.
• Train to improve planning skills.
• Identify and deal with risks to plans.
• Learn from past experiences to plan better in the future.

3. Mentoring

Employees generally aspire to advance in their careers and value managers who mentor them, aiding in their success and fulfillment of professional aspirations.

Establishing a mentor relationship with a manager or colleague within the company fosters a sense of appreciation among employees, leading to higher engagement and retention rates.

How to develop this skill?

• Seek mentoring opportunities actively.
• Listen actively and provide constructive feedback.
• Share knowledge generously.
• Build trust with mentees.
• Set clear goals and track progress.

4. Empower Employees

Empowering employees means giving the employees the freedom to decide and take action within the organization. When you empower employees, you built trust by showing your confidence towards them. Managing a company is not a single person job. It is the accumulated knowledge and skills that your employees bring on the table. For sustainability and productive outcomes, employee empowerment is crucial.

How do you do it?

• Give employees autonomy over assignments.
• Support their ideas and inputs.
• Provide the resources they need.
• Provide training and development.

Related: Employee Empowerment: Are You Doing it Right?

5. Communication

Effective communication is vital for successful people management. Creating a direct and transparent channel of communication with all team members is crucial for fostering trust and robust relationships. In this conducive atmosphere, employees comprehend their responsibilities and are motivated to surpass expectations, contributing to project completion, sales achievements, and goal fulfillment.

Ways to develop communication skills:

• Prioritize active listening to understand employees' perspectives fully.
• Practice clear and concise expression of ideas and expectations.
• Foster an environment where feedback is encouraged and valued.
• Utilize various communication channels to accommodate diverse preferences.
• Regularly assess and adjust communication strategies based on team dynamics and feedback.

6. Creativity

Creativity encompasses problem-solving, solution-finding, innovative product development, and facilitating feedback.

Effective people managers consistently seek creative solutions to workplace challenges. They embrace experimentation in management approaches and welcome new ideas from their team members.

Tips for fostering creativity in people management:

• Encourage brainstorming for innovative solutions.
• Embrace experimentation and learn from failures.
• Solicit ideas from team members.
• Cultivate open communication and collaboration.
• Recognize and celebrate creativity.

7. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence is the capability to identify, manage, evaluate, and understand our own emotions and the people around us. And it is one of the most vital people management skills any manager can have. You run a business with people. And it is essential to identify and understand how you feel managing people and what is expected from you. That gives you the ability to understand your employees and their perspectives and needs. In today's workplace culture, how we know ourselves, and each other makes all the difference.
It is believed that every person is not built with the same level of EI, but with practice, it can be developed.

Here is how you do it.

• Empathize with your employees, build a connection, and relate to them on a human level.
• Stay self-motivated and be mindful of your thoughts and emotions.
• Take a pause and introspect the situation before responding.
• Practice active listening.

Related: Understanding and Utilizing Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

8. Be flexible and Supportive

Every employee brings their unique traits on the table and may have unconventional ways of completing their tasks. Some may thrive by being more flexible, and others may perform better under supervision. There is no one size fits all where it comes to your employees' way of doing work. Therefore, understand their sentiments and provide a work environment where they can thrive. The ultimate goal is the company's bottom line. And till your employees take care of that, you need not worry. If a few of your team members want to take care of the family and work from home, be supportive. That way, you would boost not only productivity but also employee loyalty.

What can you do?

• See the bigger picture and keep yourself in their shoes.
• Show genuine support in terms of crisis.
• Have one-on-one communication when needed.

9. Understanding Stakeholders

Understanding stakeholders is like knowing who's who and what's what in your team's world. It means recognizing everyone's roles, influence, and what matters most to them. This way, managers can make sure everyone's on the same page and working towards the big picture goals.

Here are some quick tips to develop this skill:

• Get to know your team members, their roles, and what drives them.
• Reach out and listen to stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations.
• Keep communication lines open to address any potential conflicts early on.
• Regularly review and align team efforts with organizational goals.
• Stay flexible and adapt strategies based on stakeholder feedback and changes in priorities.

10. Recognize your Employees

Often the top performers are ignored, and they do not get the recognition they deserve. This impacts their morale and eventually, their performance. When employees' esteem needs are compromised, it affects the interpersonal relationship between the employer-employee link. Therefore, following a culture of recognition is vital and cannot be ignored.

How do you do it?

• Give a shout-out for your top performers publicly.
• Remind them how valuable they are to the company.
• Encourage the culture of peer-to-peer recognition.
• Celebrate great work.

Related: 50 Rewards and Recognition Ideas to Boost Employee Recognition

Conclusion

Mastering the top people management skills is not merely a checkbox on a manager's to-do list; it's a continuous journey of growth and adaptation.

As we've explored the nuances of communication, empathy, delegation, and beyond, it's evident that effective people management is as much an art as it is a science.

By nurturing these skills, managers can create environments where individuals thrive, teams excel, and organizations flourish.

A dreamer and an idealist in a long-term relationship with food and sleep, Lopamudra is more than thrilled to be part of the marketing team at Vantage Circle. When she is not in the vicinity or thinking about food, you can find her curled up in a corner with a good book and music. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com.