Successful Management - 10 Simple People Skills*
Getting the best from your people is vital if you are to make
the best progress in your business or organisation. Much comes
from the way you interact personally and here are just
ten key actions to take to build great, fulfilling and
productive relationships...
This might be a bit of a no-brainer for you.
If you have any role at all in managing people, you need
to ensure that you develop great people skills.
By building rapport, you will develop ongoing, productive
relationships with all of your people, which will give you an
enormous return on the efforts you put in.
Here are ten things you can do, all of them easy, which will
remarkably change the response you get from your people, the key
asset you have in your business or organisation:-
1. Just Have Conversations
About anything! Talking to and more importantly, listening to
your people regularly and informally is a great asset. It
doesn't matter what it's about, Your understanding of them and
their trust in you will magnify if you devote priority time to
this each and every day.
2. Listen & Show you are Listening
Take the time to really listen to each of your people, rather
than just tell. If you truly hear, they will respond. Hearing is
more - it is about what you do with the stuff you've listened
to. And by using your face, your body language, eye contact and
what you say (see 3 below), you will go a long way to showing
that you are listening closely.
3. Ask Another Question
Such a simple tactic. Ask secondary questions about what you've
been told. Nothing, but nothing builds rapport and realtionships
like this. It shows that what they have been telling you is
valuable, is interesting and builds their confidence. And you
have been there to make that happen.
4. Support
Your people need you to help them along the way. With your
support, they will flower and grow. Support is what they hear
from you - it works both ways.
5. Coach
Don't get bogged down with technicalities. Coaching is about
helping them see where they want to get to from where they are
now. It's about exploring the possibilities - their
possibilities, not yours and calling to action. Simple as that.
6. Clear Expectations
By ensuring that all your people know exactly what you expect of
them, they will tune in to delivering it. Confusion over
perfomance is demoralising and saps energy. Take the time to be
clear.
7. Pay attention
In any conversation with your people, take the time to give your
full attention. Do your utmost to avoid being interrupted or
distracted and truly value them for what they are saying to you
- or the message you are giving them.
8. Show an Interest in Them
These are real people and if you delve a little, it will show
up. Having a real interest in who they are, their hopes and
fears, their passions and what's impotrtant to them makes a big,
big difference to how they perceive you. Get to know the name of
their dog, if their dog is their most prized posession!
9. Follow Through
During conversations you may offer actions that will be of value
to them. Responses to what they have said to you. Make sure that
you deliver these. Follow up and report back. Take actions you
say you will. If you can't, tell them why.
10. Remember Conversations
When you have subsequent conversations, recall something that
was said previously and bring it up. This is hugely rewarding
for them and lets them know that they said something of value.
Great managers really understand their people and work out ways
to get the best out of every one of them.
Maximising value from the most valuable asset you have in your
business.
Your people.