Six principles for better people management

People management, and explicitly the ability to get the most from the talent within your span of responsibility, is one of the essential skills for all leaders and managers regardless of operation type or structure.

What are the differences that make the best people managers? And how can each of us develop our ability to get the best from those we work with?

Fortunately there’s no ‘people person’ magic but a proven set of tools and techniques that can make good people managers out of everyone with leadership responsibilities.

Our leadership and management development team have identified six principles to help you get started:

1.       Clarity.

Managers that can provide clarity of briefing and expectation, autonomy and constraints provide their teams with the strongest basis for effective delivery. 

2.       Personal Participation.

Managers that actively contribute to the ‘doing’ elements of team tasks and projects win credibility for their ability to walk in the shoes of the teams that they lead. 

3.       Guidance.

Managers who can guide their teams to achieve excellence through formal or informal coaching, mentoring, advice and guidance develop a strong following among their teams. 

4.       Accountability.

Managers who are resolutely fair but thorough in holding individuals and teams accountable for successes and failures win the respect of those they work with. 

5.       Recognition.

Managers who publicly and privately recognise the efforts, contributions and achievements of their teams are most able to motivate their colleagues. 

6.       Opportunity.

Managers who actively support the career directions and aspirations of their teams and help them to achieve their personal goals are well regarded long after the original opportunity.

For leadership and management programmes that directly translate into improved business performance our team can help you explore ways to inject new skills and behaviours into your workforce.