Steven Macdessi – Project Manager Steven Macdessi, Member of The Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia (IAMA)

Best Practices in People Management

People management refers to the process of monitoring and managing individuals. The concept behind people management is used in various organizations where the manager's primary duty is to effectively manage people and bring out the best in them. In order to boost the productivity of people, the manager must be able to lead, motivate and inspire them. These are essential skills that managers should learn and develop because solid people management skills are the only means in order to get the best shared output from everyone. Here are simple tips that you can follow to make a difference.

People are your most valuable assets so assemble the best team possible and try to leverage their skills and talents to achieve your objectives. Be creative and try to squeeze out their potentials to help them realize that they are capable of doing more. It is also important to make your people work as a cohesive unit, making the team larger than the sum of individual members. However, you can only achieve this by getting to know your team members, so you need to invest time and effort to get acquainted with them. This also gives each team member the opportunity to know you too. Remember that building rapport is key to achieving mutual respect.

Make full use of the time you spend building relationships with the team. Use this time to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each member and then set realistic expectations for each of them. Convey such expectations clearly and in a positive way so each member gets a sense that they can deliver the performance level you expect. Make sure your team members know that their work has value. If they know their work is important, they will be motivated to perform at a higher level. You may also have to brief your team as to what exactly are the goals of the entire organization and where they stand in relation to other teams. You have to make them feel that they play a vital role in achieving the overall objectives of the organization.

Another key to effective people management is your ability to listen and accept criticisms. The top managers are usually the ones who listen and learn from their people. They know how to react to feedback in a positive way. In the end they reap the rewards of the manner by which they handle what other people have to say about them. This is also a testament to the type of character they have and people view such a demeanour as a trademark of a true leader. Note that as a manager, your best advocates are your people and you can further develop your management skills by listening to them. It's a form of mutual support and both parties will benefit in the end.

Assess your people management skills and practices often to make sure you are functioning effectively with each member of your team. This can ensure that you and your team are continuously developing and growing. The bottom line is that as a manager, you need to consistently deliver positive results because this is what you get paid for and it’s also what pays your people. Hence, you have an obligation to focus on every task and work closely with your team to consistently deliver the desired results. Your people rely on you to guide them and make the numbers stack. You lead them, treat them right, earn their respect and they’ll help you in every way and in every step of the way.

Steven Macdessi