A manager’s success depends on his people skills
There doesn’t seem to be a clear-cut pathway to becoming a manager. I don’t think any child dreams of one day being in middle management. However, colleges and universities still offer management curricula, so someone must aspire to managing. My guess is that most managers have the position “thrust” upon them, an essential rung in the corporate ladder, with little or no choice in the matter.
In my professional career, I’ve both managed and been managed. I’ve seen some great managers and some who couldn’t manage to come in out of the rain. The quality that seems to divide these two extremes is “attitude”.
Being a great manager is no accident. It takes:
- effort
- time
- dedication
- continuing education
- a high degree of commitment to developing the skills which lead to greatness
The first step in achieving excellent or even adequate management skills is the desire to be a better manager. Recognition of the need for personal growth and the development of necessary managerial skills is paramount.
Regardless of what you may have heard or believe, very few (an infinitesimally small number of) people are natural-born leaders! It is amazing to witness the apparent arrogance of those who believe that possession of a degree or title makes them competent managers.
In any field of endeavor, excellence requires a commitment to the development of that excellence. There are no craftsmen that I know of, who believes or would dare to even joke that “I am a natural-born carpenter”, or ” I am a natural-born welder”. It just won’t happen. The humility of hard work, study and long hours of practice in their craft strip away the false bravado. It has taken them years to develop and hone their skills. Becoming an excellent manager is no less strenuous.
Managers manage people
After realizing that being an excellent manager requires diligent effort, a potential manager must decide what he is going to manage. Someone will say that because of my background, education or previous training, that “I will manage the accounting department”, or “I will manage receiving”, or “I will manage production”. The managers that think these thoughts have missed the boat and are doomed to failure, because what managers manage is people! P E O P L E ! (yes, I know that all caps is shouting on the web — it’s that important)
So, if you desire to be a manager and you recognize that managers manage people, then you are beginning to realize that only “your people” can demonstrate to others how effective your management skills are. It stands to reason then, that you must develop your people skills.
How you treat “your people” can make or break you and will directly impact your effectiveness. If you want “them” to respect you and your management philosophy, then you will have to:
- show your respect for them
- show your respect for their ideas
- show your respect for their needs
Smile and greet the “little” people, talk to them, acknowledge their existence, question their methods, explore their expertise, get to know them. Remember, you manage people not reports, not meetings and not conference calls. In most cases they will reciprocate and be more productive.
Without a doubt, the ultimate manager is the military leader who can motivate his troops and convince them to follow him into armed conflict. It is imperative then that the leader make sure that every soldier in his or her command knows of their importance to him. This leader’s success literally lives and dies with “his” people.
But in reality, doesn’t every manager’s success live or die with “his” people?
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