Essential people skills for management

Posted on May 05, 2022 by Dick Huiras, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

A true story: I was sitting in a board room with the eight top senior staff members of a corporation with 500 employees.

I needed them to understand as a consultant where I viewed success. Asked them to listen carefully. If I send all eight of you on a two-month vacation with no way to communicate with your company when you return I am sure your company would still be producing profits. However, if I send all your employees except for the people in this room for a two-month vacation, would your company be still producing profits. When you complete your P & L labor should never be a cost of doing business. Your labor costs should be an investment that can produce a Return On Investment

Communication: the process in human relations of passing information and understanding from one person to another. We can master not only our communication skills but to understand how other people communicate with us.

Compassion: motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on notions such as fairness, justice, and interdependence, it may be considered rational.

Recognize: make sure you recognize and reward your employees when they meet their goals. This could be through monetary means or verbal or written feedback. There is nothing worse than working hard to accomplish a good job and no one seems to care.

Leadership: Being able to balance the many needs of the employees. Having a vision for the organization is being able to communicate this vision clearly to others. Create a culture that invokes excitement and passion within people. Being positive, flexible, and focused. Being a team player, and jumping in to help wherever needed.

Attitudes and Aptitudes: Ability to inspire others to become actively committed to the organization’s goals and success. Be sure to communicate expectations and standards. Recognize and understand individual strengths, and respect others’ differences and values. Good leaders must also check their ego at the door and jump in with sleeves rolled up. Become partners with the employees.

Words of Wisdom: Help people understand interpersonal relationships and be able to recognize, and communicate what drives others and themselves. Active listening is KEY. Help others understand the consequences of their decisions. Focus on little successes rather than problems.

Feedback/Feedforward: What is a mistake or failure? It is an opportunity to make changes. Too often we concentrate on the past as though we can go back and fix it. We tend not to spend enough time putting together a plan for a successful future.

Availability: employees need to know that their manager or owners are available at all times. They need to know that they have someone who can make decisions and watch their back.