7 ideas for improving your people management skills

The most effective managers are often the ones who can manage people the best. People management is what is known as a soft skill. Soft skills are different from hard skills and are often more important when selecting job applicants: hard skills apply to a specific function – web design, HTML, driving a train, installing toilets; whereas soft skillsare to do with interpersonal relationships like, teamwork and communication skills. If you’re people management skills aren’t what they need to be, there’s hope for you. There are three key ingredients to improving your people management skills: patience, practice and knowing what to practice. Below we outline six ideas you can practice to improve your people management skills.

1. Active listening

Communication is a two-way street, it’s important for you to communicate your ideas effectively but it’s just as important for you to actively listen to what other people have to say. Listen to what’s being said rather than just waiting for your turn to speak. The next time you engage someone in a conversation be an empathetic listener – be silent because what the other person has to say genuinely interests you, not just because it’s the polite thing to do. In fact one of the biggest complaints expressed by employees is they don’t feel heard. Show them you’re listening by receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating and responding to their concerns.

2. Keep your cool

One of the fastest ways to show your inexperience is to lose your cool and start yelling or freaking out; this means people will probably follow your instructions because they fear you, not because they respect you. This is not a healthy work environment, in fact working in a stressful situation can be harmful to your health. Encountering stressful situations is unavoidable in the workplace, how you react will play a big role in the way people respond to you. The next time you feel yourself losing your cool, take a breath, calm your mind and try to respond when your heart rate is normal.

3. Pay attention to body language

Not all face-to-face communication is done with words, in fact your body language can say a lot more than you might intend. When you’re managing people pay attention to their facial expressions, how they’re standing and the kinds of gestures they make. You should also be mindful of your own body language: eye contact, good posture and be facial expressions. People will sense your body language and will often apply it to themselves. If your manner and expression is relaxed, then people will adopt it for themselves.

4. Manners

Manners go a long way when it comes to influencing people and managing them effectively. If you use brutish language or are rude you will find it hard to get people to do what you want. When you ask someone to do something for you say please, when they do it say thank you. But manners aren’t limited to saying please and thank you, you should also avoid openly criticising people in public, interrupting them or belittling them.

5. Role modelling

Do as I say not as I do is one of the most frustrating styles of management you can find – it’s not just managers, parents are also guilty of this. If you want your staff to act in a certain way you need to set the example, be the role model. Use your knowledge to teach others what you know, share with them how they can avoid mistakes, guide them and most importantly behave in the manner you would like your staff to behave. Lead by example.

6. Develop emotional language

Sometimes it’s not enough to just be right, you’ll often have to be more emotional and logical to persuade others, a kind of negotiation is needed. Develop your emotional language to motivate and inspire others. This will involve you deliberately choosing your words to influence people – the idea is to tell people the facts but at the same time attempting to influence their opinion to match your own.

7. Feedback & criticism

Open yourself up to the idea that you should be a constant student no matter how old or wise you get. If you’ve implemented a change in your people management style, you should open yourself up to feedback loops. Speak with the people around you and get their opinions – listen to what they have to say and see what you can learn. It can take a long time to successfully improve your people management skills so make sure you are constantly seeking feedback and are open to criticism.

You should be constantly trying to better yourself – take a management course, read books and receive updates from everjobs. Whatever you decide to do you should commit to being a lifelong student. But don’t forget to implement and practice what you’ve learned. With some basics in hand you can now go about improving your people management skills.

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