How to Manage People: 10 Tips & Steps for Success

Becoming a manager is no easy feat. It often requires years of hard work and leadership skills that prove your proficiency and earn the trust of your peers. But earning the title and a team is far from where your hard work ends. To maintain your reputation as a good manager and continue delivering results, you need to understand how to manage people effectively.

Anyone can skate by with solid technical skills, but great people management is what keeps you and your company moving forward. After all, a team is only as strong as its team members—and your team members are only as strong as your ability to lead.

Below, we’ll provide a 10-step process you can take to boost your people management skills.

What is people management?

People management refers to the practice of effectively leading and overseeing individuals within an organization, focusing on their development, well-being, and overall performance. As a manager, you play a pivotal role in guiding and supporting your team members to achieve individual and collective goals. Your primary responsibility lies in understanding the unique strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations of each team member and leveraging that knowledge to foster a positive work environment. By providing clear direction, offering constructive feedback, and promoting open communication, you can effectively manage people to maximize their potential.

In your role as a people manager, it’s crucial to prioritize the development of your team members. This involves identifying their individual learning needs, providing them with relevant training opportunities, and offering ongoing guidance and support. By investing in their growth and nurturing their skills, you not only enhance their professional capabilities but also foster a sense of loyalty and commitment within the team. Effective people management requires you to be attentive to their career aspirations and create a roadmap for their advancement, aligning their goals with organizational objectives.

Furthermore, people management entails focusing on the well-being and overall satisfaction of your team members. As a manager, you need to cultivate a supportive work environment where individuals feel valued, respected, and motivated. This involves fostering open lines of communication, actively listening to their concerns, and addressing any issues promptly. By demonstrating empathy, understanding, and appreciation for their efforts, you can boost morale and create a positive work culture. Encouraging work-life balance, recognizing achievements, and promoting a healthy work environment are all integral aspects of effective people management.

Why is people management important?

As a leader in today’s dynamic and competitive business landscape, you must understand the importance of people management. It goes beyond traditional management practices by recognizing the value of each individual employee and their direct impact on the success of your organization. Effective people management is not just about overseeing tasks; it involves prioritizing the well-being and development of your team members. By focusing on their growth, you can drive higher retention rates, foster engagement, increase productivity, and reduce costs. Embracing the significance of people management is essential for creating a thriving and sustainable work environment.

Improves retention rates.

As you strive to build a strong and loyal team, people management becomes crucial. By demonstrating your support, appreciation, and recognition for your employees’ contributions, you foster an environment where they feel valued and motivated to stay. Effective people management practices such as providing growth opportunities, encouraging open communication, and cultivating a positive work culture contribute to employee satisfaction and loyalty. Investing in their well-being and career progression helps minimize turnover, saving costs associated with recruitment, onboarding, and training.

Increases employee engagement.

Engaging your employees is vital for the success of your organization, and people management plays a key role in achieving this. By actively involving and empowering your team members, you ignite their motivation, commitment, and enthusiasm toward their work. As a people manager, you can drive higher employee engagement through regular feedback, recognition of achievements, fostering a sense of purpose, and facilitating skill development opportunities. Engaged employees are more productive, innovative, and customer-focused, improving business outcomes and overall success.

Boosts productivity.

To maximize productivity levels within your team and across the organization, effective people management is essential. By understanding the unique strengths and weaknesses of each team member, you can assign tasks that align with their skills and provide the necessary support and resources. Furthermore, fostering a positive work environment that values collaboration, communication, and teamwork plays a significant role in driving productivity gains. Through your people management practices, you can create a sense of shared purpose and accountability, encouraging your team members to perform at their best.

Reduces costs.

By implementing effective people management practices, you can also contribute to cost reduction for your organization. Investing in the development and well-being of your employees helps minimize turnover costs by fostering loyalty and job satisfaction. 

Moreover, when your team members are engaged and productive, there is a decrease in absenteeism and presenteeism, resulting in reduced costs associated with low performance and decreased efficiency. Additionally, a positive work culture and strong leadership fostered through people management practices can lead to lower healthcare costs, fewer workplace conflicts, and improve overall organizational efficiency.

As a leader in today’s business landscape, you recognize the significance of people management. It goes beyond traditional management practices and emphasizes the value of individual employees in driving organizational success. By prioritizing the well-being, growth, and development of your team members, you can achieve higher retention rates, foster engagement, increase productivity, and reduce costs. Embracing effective people management practices is crucial for creating a thriving and sustainable work environment that benefits both your employees and your organization as a whole.

5 Crucial People Management Skills

As a people manager, you possess a set of crucial skills that enable you to effectively lead and support your team members. These skills go beyond traditional management techniques and focus on understanding, connecting with, and empowering individuals within your organization. By honing these skills, you can foster a positive work environment, enhance productivity, and drive the success of your team. Let’s explore 5 essential people management skills that will help you excel in your role and create a high-performing team.

1. Active listening:

As a people manager, active listening is a fundamental skill that allows you to truly understand the needs, concerns, and perspectives of your team members. By actively engaging in conversations, maintaining eye contact, and providing your full attention, you demonstrate respect and create an open space for effective communication. Active listening involves not only hearing the words spoken but also paying attention to non-verbal cues and underlying emotions. By actively listening to your team members, you can build trust, resolve conflicts, and make informed decisions that benefit both individuals and the team as a whole.

2. Effective communication:

Effective communication is a cornerstone skill for successful people management. It involves conveying information clearly, transparently, and in a manner that resonates with your team members. By articulating expectations, providing feedback, and offering guidance, you ensure that everyone is on the same page. Additionally, effective communication entails being receptive to different communication styles and adapting your approach to each individual. By fostering a culture of open and honest communication, you promote collaboration, understanding, and a sense of shared purpose among your team.

3. Empathy:

Empathy is a powerful skill that allows you to connect with and understand the emotions, experiences, and perspectives of your team members. By putting yourself in their shoes, you can create a supportive and inclusive work environment. Empathy involves showing genuine concern, actively listening without judgment, and validating the feelings and experiences of others. By practicing empathy, you build trust, strengthen relationships, and foster a sense of belonging within your team. Understanding the unique needs and motivations of your team members allows you to provide the necessary support and encouragement for their personal and professional growth.

4. Macromanagement over micromanagement:

As a people manager, it’s essential to adopt a macromanagement approach rather than micromanaging your team. Macromanagement involves providing your team members with autonomy, trust, and the freedom to make decisions within their roles. By delegating responsibilities and empowering individuals, you create an environment that encourages innovation, creativity, and personal ownership. Micromanagement, on the other hand, stifles growth, erodes trust, and hampers productivity. By stepping back and focusing on setting clear expectations, providing guidance, and offering support when needed, you allow your team to thrive and reach their full potential.

5. Delegation:

Delegation is a skill that allows you to effectively distribute tasks and responsibilities among your team members. By delegating, you not only lighten your workload but also empower your team and foster their professional development. Delegation involves identifying individual strengths and assigning tasks that align with their skills and interests. It also requires providing clear instructions, setting realistic deadlines, and offering support throughout the process. By delegating effectively, you not only free up your time for more strategic initiatives but also demonstrate trust in your team members’ abilities, boosting their confidence and motivation.

Developing and refining these crucial skills will enhance your ability to lead and support your team. Active listening, effective communication, empathy, macromanagement over micromanagement, and delegation are all integral to creating a positive work environment and driving the success of your team. By continually developing these skills, you can cultivate a high-performing team, foster employee growth and satisfaction, and contribute to the overall success of your organization.

How to Manage People Effectively: 10 Tips

Managing people effectively is a crucial skill for any leader or manager. It requires a combination of self-awareness, strategic thinking, effective communication, and a genuine commitment to the growth and well-being of your team members. By implementing proven management techniques and adopting a people-centric approach, you can foster a positive work environment, drive productivity, and achieve successful outcomes. In this guide, we will explore 10 practical tips to help you manage people effectively and lead your team to new heights of success.

1. Determine your strengths.

Every manager needs to work on different skills. To become an effective leader, you have to understand your own strengths and management style. Many professionals choose trusted assessments like the CliftonStrengths Assessment (formerly known as StrengthsFinder) or the VIA Survey to get an accurate look at their current soft skills.

In addition to looking at your strengths, you may also want to consider the strengths of your team. Understanding where your team is currently in terms of skills, efficiency, and success will help you find areas of improvement. It will also help you customize your personal leadership strategy to accommodate the diverse people on your team.

2. Get your team evaluation.

Personal assessments don’t always get you the complete picture, as they often reflect your own beliefs about who you are and who you want to be as a people manager. To see real-world perceptions, we recommend asking your team members to evaluate you directly, preferably through an anonymous survey so they don’t feel pressured to offer solely positive feedback.

Asking your team members won’t just help you get an accurate evaluation. It will also start a conversation with them that displays your commitment to effective management and a positive work environment. As you proceed with learning how to manage people, this ongoing conversation will build trust and make your employees comfortable with expressing their opinions. As a result, you won’t be surrounded by yes-men and your team will be more effective as a whole.

Any mentors, coworkers, and supervisors you have can also provide feedback from a different perspective.

3. Set goals.

Once you have a complete understanding of your strengths, as well as your weaknesses, consider all of the skills that make a good leader—such as great decision-making and problem-solving skills. Determine which of these skills you excel at and which ones you need to improve specifically to help the people on your team succeed.

Then set at least five goals for improving your people management skills in the upcoming quarter. Make sure they’re specific so they can be as measurable as possible. You can start tracking these goals by logging them in a task management tool like Asana or Airtable or by using your planner or journal.

4. Find a support network.

Working closely with your team can help you build effective professional relationships, but working with peers can help you create a strategy to grow as a manager. A solid support network gives you an unbiased perspective of how your team is functioning and where you’ve made mistakes or succeeded in your decisions.

Your support network can be made up of people who are in a similar position in their companies and who therefore share some of your experiences. More experienced managers can also be great additions. Your network might be less formal, including mentors you’ve sought out on your own, or it can be a dedicated mastermind group or leadership development program.

Regardless, you should be able to brainstorm with your network and get proven strategies and team-building ideas to bring back to your team.

5. Do your research.

A big part of learning how to manage people directly is expanding your knowledge. Doing research beyond conversations with the people around you will enable you to integrate expert tips into your everyday work life.

Find management books or leadership courses that provide solutions you can implement within your team to reach your goals. Then read up on modern management theories that are important for all aspects of people management, from how to boost employee engagement to how to resolve disputes and encourage good communication.

6. Open new communication channels.

Good communication is the foundation of every happy and efficient team. Your team members—even those who aren’t direct reports—should feel empowered to reach out to you and each other at any time. Establishing new communication channels that encourage this exchange will build transparency and collaboration throughout your team. It will even help you practice and improve your active listening skills, which are essential for managers.

With 26% of employees finding email to be a productivity killer and 77% of employees believing email no longer improves communication, the right communication channels shouldn’t distract team members from their work. Instead, use collaboration tools that build productive communication.

As you perfect your online communication, you’ll also want to consider how to improve in-person communication. Over $37 billion per year is wasted on unproductive meetings where employees leave without any clear action items. Improving your agendas and methods for delegating tasks is critical when it comes to managing people.

7. Recognize your team members.

When you make a big contribution to your team or simply work your hardest on a project, you want to be recognized for your efforts. Similarly, employees are motivated to contribute when they are consistently recognized for their hard work and ideas. After all, no one wants to work where they don’t feel their contributions are making a difference.

Of course, praise shouldn’t be limited to high performers. Awards like “employee of the month” designations can demotivate your team as a whole. Instead, recognize when people are doing their best relative to their usual performance, not in comparison to each other. This will reduce animosity among teammates while improving employees’ confidence in their work.

8. Promote professional growth.

As you grow as a people manager, don’t forget that most of your employees want to experience growth, too. In fact, 87% of millennials and 69% of non-millennials believe in the importance of professional and career growth opportunities—though only 39% believe they’ve learned something new in the most recent month.

Set up one-on-ones with your direct reports about once per quarter to discuss their professional goals, so you can provide resources and even constructive feedback throughout the year. By helping with professional growth, you’ll inspire loyalty and increase proficiency in your team for better results.

One-on-ones will also help you figure out where people fit into a team (and where they’d like to fit), how they like to receive feedback, and how you can adapt and maximize efficiency as each person grows.

9. Implement cross-functional collaboration.

Cross-functional collaboration is the concept of bringing together team members from different departments to achieve a common goal—and it’s a great strategy for successful people management. Whether your goal is to increase efficiency or build camaraderie, this form of collaboration can keep your direct reports as well as other teams at the top of their game.

While implementing this strategy may be simple for small businesses, managers at larger companies will need to practice their collaboration skills with fellow managers at their companies to make this happen. Communicate with each other to discuss what projects can benefit from mixed teams and create a game plan together.

10. Reevaluate and reset goals.

When you complete Steps 1-9 of our suggested process, your growth isn’t over yet. Learning how to manage people is an ongoing process that involves constant evaluation of your skills and growth.

Create a feedback system that allows you to get input from your team at least once per quarter; then create a new goal each time you achieve one. Repeat each step of this process as needed to help you accomplish your goals. Regularly review and assess the progress of your team toward the established goals. If necessary, adjust goals and strategies to adapt to changing circumstances or emerging opportunities. Continuous evaluation and goal-setting ensure that your team remains focused, motivated, and aligned with organizational objectives.

Managing people effectively requires a combination of self-awareness, strategic thinking, and a genuine commitment to the growth and well-being of your team. By implementing the ten tips outlined in this guide, you can foster a positive work environment, drive productivity, and lead your team toward success. Remember, effective people management is an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and empowering your team members to reach their full potential.

Take Management to the Next Level

When you become a manager, your job is made possible by the employees you lead. Creating a great work environment that demonstrates value for each person’s opinion is the right thing to do and helps you get better results.

Of course, your direct reports shouldn’t feel comfortable working just with you. Every good manager needs to find ways to help team members work well with each other. An internal messaging platform can help each of your employees avoid roadblocks and improve their performance, thanks to efficient individual and group messages. You can learn about how to leverage internal communication to do more as a team in our guide.

People Management FAQs

1. What are the 5 C’s of people management?

The 5 C’s of people management are:

1. Communication: Effective communication is essential for building strong relationships, promoting understanding, and conveying expectations. It involves active listening, being open and transparent, and adapting communication styles to suit individual team members.
2. Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration among team members fosters a sense of shared purpose, enhances problem-solving abilities, and promotes a positive work culture. It involves creating opportunities for teamwork, valuing diverse perspectives, and fostering an environment of trust and respect.
3. Coaching: Providing guidance, support, and mentoring to team members is a vital aspect of people management. Effective coaching involves identifying strengths and areas for improvement, offering constructive feedback, and helping individuals develop their skills and reach their full potential.
4. Conflict Resolution: Conflict is inevitable in any workplace, and effective people managers must be equipped with conflict resolution skills. This involves actively listening to both sides, mediating discussions, finding common ground, and facilitating a resolution that is fair and beneficial for all parties involved.
5. Celebration: Recognizing and celebrating achievements, milestones, and contributions is important for fostering motivation and maintaining a positive work environment. People managers should acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of their team members through verbal recognition, rewards, and other forms of positive reinforcement.

2. How to develop people management skills?

Developing people management skills requires a combination of self-reflection, learning, and practical application. Here are some steps to help you enhance your people management skills:

1. Self-assessment: Reflect on your current strengths and areas for improvement in people management. Identify specific skills you want to develop, such as active listening, effective communication, or conflict resolution.
2. Continuous learning: Seek out resources such as books, articles, online courses, or workshops on people management. Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices in leadership and management.
3. Seek feedback: Regularly seek feedback from your team members, peers, and supervisors. Ask for their input on your management style, communication, and areas where you can improve. Actively listen and be open to constructive criticism.
4. Practice empathy: Cultivate empathy and emotional intelligence to better understand and relate to your team members. Put yourself in their shoes, consider their perspectives, and show genuine care and understanding.
5. Seek mentorship: Find a mentor or coach who has experience in people management. They can provide guidance, offer insights, and help you navigate challenges and develop your skills.

6. Take on leadership opportunities: Look for opportunities to lead projects, teams, or initiatives. Apply your learning and actively practice your people management skills in real-life situations.
7. Reflect and adapt: Regularly reflect on your experiences and outcomes. Assess what worked well and areas where you can improve. Be open to adapting your approach and trying new strategies.

8. Seek professional development: Consider pursuing certifications or further education in leadership and people management. These programs can provide valuable knowledge, frameworks, and networking opportunities.

Remember, developing people management skills is an ongoing process that requires dedication, self-awareness, and a genuine commitment to the growth and well-being of your team members. With continuous learning and practice, you can enhance your effectiveness as a people manager and create a positive and productive work environment.