For the next couple of months, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on people leader skills - a topic that is coming up more and more in the work I am doing with clients. As the saying goes, “People don’t leave organizations, they leave managers.” This longstanding adage matters more today than ever because when job markets are tight, people hunker down and don’t leave as often. Here lies opportunity. Perhaps we should reframe the expression to include, “Organizations don’t engage employees, managers engage employees.”
Many of our clients are concerned about employee engagement, retention, and productivity. The common thread to achieve these kinds of results is linked to the people on your team who are responsible for others. It’s worth noting that a painfully large amount of effort goes into cleaning up the messes that poor supervisors make. And it’s preventable.
Having strong managers can increase productivity, communication, performance, quality, innovation, customer satisfaction, well-being, and employee satisfaction.
Roles and Terminology - Why do they matter?
Getting results means that you have managers (aka bosses and supervisors) who have “People Leader Skills” (PLS). Even though PLS isn’t a catchy phrase, I am choosing these words to describe this concept quite intentionally. For instance, should I say leader or manager? Most people describe leaders as being visionary and inspirational, and managers as being tactical and operating under a shorter time horizon. While I have nothing against the term “manager,” I know some people scoff at manager vs. leader. I also think that anyone can be a leader, but today, I am focused on the work that needs to be done when leading (managing, supervising, or guiding) people.
Thus, if your title is supervisor, department manager, or CXO, or you aspire to be one of these roles, I am talking to you or about you.
I am also very intentional about the word “skills.” I did not say behaviors. I chose the word “skill” because it is more likely to be seen as something you can develop, vs. behaviors that are often viewed as fixed. If you can develop something, you can get better at it, and I think all leaders are a work in progress vs. “She is a born leader,” a rather fixed and limiting view.
Okay, are you still with me? Great.
Suppose you have the knowledge, experiences, and demonstrated behaviors needed to be considered for a promotion to people manager, and you continue to develop the following skills. In that case, you will be a huge asset to your organization.
Here is the list of skills I believe all people leaders need to have.
- Workplace Communication - Understand the importance of key communication aspects and utilize an intentional communication strategy. Clarity is king.
- Emotional Intelligence - Understand and manage your emotions and be able to empathize with others. You need to understand that other people see the world differently than you do, and that is a good thing.
- Vision - Have a long-term view of where your team needs to go.
- Inspirational - Effectively convey to the team where you are going and why.
- Decision Making - Analyze situations objectively and make timely, well-informed decisions while involving the right stakeholders. You need to create an environment where people provide you with the necessary information to make decisions.
- Conflict Management - Understand how to navigate interpersonal conflicts with diplomacy and create solutions that address and resolve conflicts.
- Trust Building - Understand what creates and destroys trust.
- Change Management - Lead through change with resilience, support others through transitions, and manage resistance.
- Accountability and Performance Alignment - Set clear expectations, track performance, measure goals, and have difficult conversations when needed.
- Delegation and Prioritization - Empower others and ensure there are workflows that focus team efforts effectively.
- Appreciation - Reward and recognize your team.
- Inclusivity and Teambuilding - Foster a culture of trust, respect, and belonging while understanding key components of teamwork so that you can get a group of people to accomplish more together.
- Coaching and Development - Mentor, give constructive feedback, and support team members’ growth through ongoing learning and development.
Phew! That’s quite a list.
Cleaning up the messes made by poor supervisors is expensive and risky, as is losing engagement with your people and having them leave. Investing in “People Leader Skills” for your team can help your company achieve the results you seek and avoid many missteps.
What do you think? Did I miss any? Do you have a better catchphrase?
Join me next month as I discuss ways to develop these skills. If you have questions or would like help developing your managers’ people leader skills, email me at Amy.Cell@yeoandyeo.com.
- Amy
