15 Ways to Be Awesome at Managing People

What makes a good manager in the workplace?

It would be best if you were committed to improving and developing your leadership skills and characteristics to manage others. Good managers can adapt their leadership styles to various personalities in the workplace, implementing feedback from their environment to achieve goals. Managing others effectively requires you to identify what motivates different people and find ways to emphasise those motivating factors in different situations. It also involves mediating between team members and using problem-solving techniques to facilitate a productive environment.

What About University?

Learning to be awesome at managing people is an essential component of university project management education. Project managers are responsible for guiding a team towards achieving a common goal, and effective people management is critical for achieving success.

Developing strong leadership qualities is one key skill for an awesome people manager. Universities often offer courses focusing on leadership development, including inspiring and motivating team members, effectively delegating responsibilities, and leading by example.

Effective communication is another essential skill for managing people. This includes verbal and nonverbal communication, such as active listening, providing feedback, and adapting communication styles to suit individual team members. Universities often offer courses in communication skills that can be applied to managing people in a professional setting.

In addition to leadership and communication skills, universities may also offer team building and collaboration courses. This involves understanding team dynamics, identifying individual strengths and weaknesses, and creating an environment that fosters collaboration and productivity. Project managers who excel at team building can better leverage their team members' strengths and achieve success in their projects.

Another key aspect of managing people effectively is developing empathy and emotional intelligence. Understanding the emotions and perspectives of team members allows project managers to provide support, address concerns, and create a positive work environment. Universities often offer courses focusing on emotional intelligence and how it can be applied professionally.

Overall, universities that offer project management courses recognise the importance of effective people management for achieving project success. Through leadership, communication, team building, and emotional intelligence training, students can develop the skills necessary to be awesome people managers and excel in their project management careers.

Ways Which Can Help You Manage People

Be humane

Remember that you are managing real people with their struggles and stories. Please don't treat them as mere resources or numbers that need optimisation. Treat them as human beings who deserve respect, care, and empathy. Show interest in their lives, listen to their concerns, and acknowledge their achievements. Remember to say thank you, please, and sorry when appropriate.

Learn to manage

Managing people is something that only comes naturally to some. It requires knowledge, skills, and practice. You can learn to manage by reading books, taking courses, attending workshops, or finding mentors. Some of the topics that you should learn about are:

• Leadership Styles and Theories
• Communication and feedback skills
• Motivation and engagement strategies
• Conflict resolution and negotiation techniques
• Performance management and evaluation methods
• Team building and collaboration tools

Understand what you are managing.

To manage people effectively, you need to understand what they do, how they do it, and why. You need to have a clear vision of your team's goals, roles, responsibilities and each individual. You also need to have a good grasp of the tools, processes, and standards they use. This will help you to:

• Set realistic and SMART objectives
• Provide relevant and constructive guidance
• Monitor progress and quality
• Identify problems and risks
• Recognise strengths and opportunities

Admit your own and others' mistakes

Nobody is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. The key is to admit them, learn from them, and move on. Don't try to hide or blame others for your mistakes. Instead, own them, apologise if needed, and take corrective actions. Similarly, don't punish or ridicule others for their mistakes. Instead, please help them understand what went wrong, how to fix it, and how to prevent it.

Let the person correct their own mistake.

One of the best ways to help someone learn from their mistake is to let them correct it themselves. Don't take over or micromanage their work. Instead, please allow them to analyse the situation, find a solution, and implement it. This will boost their confidence, competence, and accountability.

Protect your people

As a manager, you are responsible for your team's well-being and success. It would help if you shielded them from unnecessary stress, pressure, or interference. It would be best to defend them from unfair criticism or accusations. If someone has an issue with your team or one of your team members, they should come to you first, not directly to them. You should then decide how to handle the situation in your team's and organisation's best interest.

Be honest and talk about the future.

One of the most important aspects of managing people is communication. Communicating with your team frequently, clearly, and honestly would be best. You need to share information, expectations, and feedback with them. It would be best if you also talked about the future with them. It would help if you discussed their career goals, development plans, and growth opportunities. You must help them align their aspirations with the organisational vision and strategy.

Within the team, everyone should have a fair salary.

One of the main sources of dissatisfaction and conflict among employees is salary inequality. If some team members feel underpaid or overpaid compared to others, they may lose motivation, trust, or respect. To avoid this, you should ensure that everyone in your team has a fair salary that reflects their skills, experience, and performance. In addition, it would help to be transparent about how salaries are determined and reviewed.

Delegate effectively

Delegating is not only a way to save time and energy for yourself but also a way to empower and develop your team members. By delegating tasks and projects to your team members, you allow them to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and demonstrate their abilities. However, delegating effectively requires some skills as well. You need to:

• Choose the right person for the right task
• Define the scope, deadline, and expected outcome clearly
• Provide adequate resources, support, and feedback
• Monitor progress and quality without micromanaging

Recognise and reward good work.

One of the best ways to motivate and retain your team members is to recognise and reward their good work. People want to feel appreciated and valued for their efforts and achievements. You can show your appreciation in various ways, such as:

• Giving verbal or written praise
• Sending a thank-you note or email
• Giving a bonus or a raise
• Offering a promotion or a new opportunity
• Providing a gift or a perk
• Celebrating a milestone or a success

Whatever method you choose, ensure it is sincere, specific, and timely. Please don't wait too long to acknowledge someone's good work, or it may lose its impact. Please don't be vague or generic in your praise, or it may sound insincere. Please don't be stingy or inconsistent in your rewards, which may cause resentment.

Encourage feedback and innovation.

As a manager, you should not only give feedback to your team members but also encourage them to give feedback to you and each other. Feedback is essential for learning, improvement, and growth. Create a culture of feedback in your team where people feel comfortable and safe to share their opinions, suggestions, and concerns. You should also encourage innovation in your team, where people feel free and supported to experiment, explore, and create new ideas and solutions. You should:

• Ask for feedback regularly and listen actively
• Provide constructive and actionable feedback
• Appreciate and reward feedback and innovation
• Implement feedback and innovation when possible
• Learn from feedback and innovation when not possible

Resolve conflicts quickly and constructively.

Conflicts are inevitable in any team, especially when people have different personalities, values, or goals. However, conflicts can also be beneficial, stimulating creativity, diversity, and learning. The key is to resolve conflicts quickly and constructively before they escalate or damage relationships. You should:

• Identify the source and nature of the conflict
• Involve the parties in finding a solution
• Focus on the problem, not the person
• Use active listening and empathy skills
• Seek a win-win outcome or a compromise

Lead by example

Leading by example is one of the most powerful ways to manage people. It would help to tell your team what to do and how to do it. You should model the behaviours, values, and standards that you expect from your team. You should:

• Be professional and ethical
• Be positive and optimistic
• Be respectful and courteous
• Be accountable and responsible
• Be proactive and adaptable

Inspire and empower your team.

As a manager, you should direct and inspire and empower your team. You should help them see the bigger picture of their work, how it contributes to the team's and organisation's goals, and how it makes a difference in the world. You should also help them develop their potential by providing opportunities, resources, and support. You should:

• Communicate your vision and mission.
• Align individual goals with team and organisational goals
• Provide coaching and mentoring
• Delegate authority and responsibility
• Foster autonomy and ownership

Have fun with your team.

Last but not least, you should have fun with your team. Work can be stressful and demanding, but it can also be enjoyable and rewarding. It would help to create a positive and fun atmosphere in your team where people feel happy and relaxed. You should:

• Celebrate achievements and successes
• Organise social events and activities
• Share jokes and stories
• Play games and challenges
• Express gratitude and appreciation

To be an effective manager, ensuring good communication and relationships within the team is important. What better way to build team morale than to organise a team-building event?

Which games can you provide in teams?

The activities below will help improve communication and interpersonal relationships and encourage creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Human Knot

The fact that employees will need to collaborate to solve the puzzle makes this game an excellent tool for fostering a team-oriented culture in the workplace. To overcome the challenges presented by the game, you will need to demonstrate strong leadership skills and collaborate well with other players.

This game is excellent for enhancing your ability to communicate and solve problems. However, you'll need at least six players to play, which will take five to ten minutes.

How to play 

The following step is to extend your hand and take the hand of a player not standing immediately next to you. To play Human Knot, players must first position themselves in a circle with their backs to the outside and then reach out to grab the hand of a player not standing right next to them. Next, the players must clasp hands with someone sitting across from them rather than beside them. Finally, switch partners and join hands with your new companion, but use your left hand this time.

The game's objective is for the players to disentangle themselves from the knot without letting go of each other's hands to finish standing in a complete circle with their hands intertwined. To accomplish this goal, players must wriggle their way through one other's hands while maintaining communication.

Blind Retriever

This game is ideal for smaller groups of people who want to have fun while also improving their ability to communicate with one another. It is an excellent method for making everyone laugh and having a good time.

Playing this game is a terrific way to improve your communication and listening skills while having a good time. The game should take five to ten minutes to complete, and you will need at least two blindfolds and a random object.

How to play

The participants should be divided into two teams and instructed to line up behind a starting line. One member of each team is required to blindfold themselves while someone else in the room places an unidentified object in a certain location. If you utilised something that was not abrasive and had smooth edges, that might be of some assistance to you.

When they hear "Go!" the teams have to direct their teammates, who are blindfolded, to the unknown object before the other team arrives. Once the player has verbally completed all their directions, they can proceed past the starting line. The group that discovers and acquires the mysterious item first wins the game.

Perfect Square

Employees at Perfect Square are encouraged to take the initiative to lead or collaborate with their peers. They do this by turning a string length into a perfect square through verbal communication while they keep their eyes covered.

Blindfolds, a lengthy piece of rope with both ends tied together, and a knot at one end are all required to play this game, which is excellent for developing leadership, communication, listening, and problem-solving abilities. It takes between 10 and 20 minutes to play and can have anywhere from four to ten people participating.

How to play 

Put a blindfold on each participant and have them stand in a circle with their backs to the outside. It is appropriate for them to have a length of rope in each of their hands. Before beginning the game, all players must use the rope to create a circle. As soon as the circle is complete, the participants can place the rope on the ground and take a few steps backwards.

Now we may start the game. The players' objective is to manoeuvre the rope to touch the ground at each of the four corners of the square drawn on the ground. Selecting a leader who will direct the other participants solely via voice cues is necessary.

Conclusion

Being an awesome manager or leader takes time, effort, and dedication. By implementing these 15 strategies, you can create a positive and productive work environment, build strong relationships with your team members, and help them reach their full potential. Remember to be patient, adaptable, and open to feedback and continuous improvement. With the right mindset and approach, you can be an awesome manager who inspires and motivates your team to achieve great things.

Content Summary

• Managing people can be both challenging and rewarding.
• As a manager or leader, having skills and strategies to effectively manage your team and help them reach their full potential is important.
• In this blog post, we will discuss 15 ways to be awesome at managing people, including tips for building trust and rapport with team members, setting clear expectations and goals, providing ongoing feedback and coaching, recognising and rewarding achievements, creating a positive and productive work environment, and more.
• It would be best if you were committed to improving and developing your leadership skills and characteristics to manage others.
• Learning to be awesome at managing people is an essential component of university project management education.
• Developing strong leadership qualities is one key skill for an awesome people manager.
• In addition to leadership and communication skills, universities may also offer team building and collaboration courses.
• Another key aspect of managing people effectively is developing empathy and emotional intelligence.
• Overall, universities that offer project management courses recognise the importance of effective people management for achieving project success.
• Through leadership, communication, team building, and emotional intelligence training, students can develop the skills necessary to be awesome people managers and excel in their project management careers.
• Managing people is something that only comes naturally to some.
• It requires knowledge, skills, and practice.
• Don't try to hide or blame others for your mistakes.
• As a manager, you are responsible for your team's well-being and success.
• Be honest and talk about the future.
• Communicating with your team frequently, clearly, and honestly would be best.
• Within the team, everyone should have a fair salary.
• To avoid this, you should ensure that everyone in your team has a fair salary that reflects their skills, experience, and performance.
• Delegating is not only a way to save time and energy for yourself but also a way to empower and develop your team members.
• By delegating tasks and projects to your team members, you allow them to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and demonstrate their abilities.
• One of the best ways to motivate and retain your team members is to recognise and reward their good work.
• Encourage feedback and innovation.
• Create a culture of feedback in your team where people feel comfortable and safe to share their opinions, suggestions, and concerns.
• The key is to resolve conflicts quickly and constructively before they escalate or damage relationships.
• You should model the behaviours, values, and standards that you expect from your team.
• As a manager, you should direct and inspire and empower your team.
• Last but not least, you should have fun with your team.
• It would help to create a positive and fun atmosphere in your team where people feel happy and relaxed.
• To be an effective manager, ensuring good communication and relationships within the team is important.
• The activities below will help improve communication and interpersonal relationships and encourage creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
• The fact that employees will need to collaborate to solve the puzzle makes this game an excellent tool for fostering a team-oriented culture in the workplace.
• To overcome the challenges presented by the game, you will need to demonstrate strong leadership skills and collaborate well with other players.
• This game is excellent for enhancing your ability to communicate and solve problems.
• To play Human Knot, players must first position themselves in a circle with their backs to the outside and then reach out to grab the hand of a player not standing right next to them.
• This game is ideal for smaller groups of people who want to have fun while also improving their ability to communicate with one another.
• Playing this game is a terrific way to improve your communication and listening skills while having a good time.
• The game should take five to ten minutes to complete, and you will need at least two blindfolds and a random object.
• The teams have to direct their teammates, who are blindfolded, to the unknown object before the other team arrives.
• The group that discovers and acquires the mysterious item first wins the game.
• Blindfolds, a lengthy piece of rope with both ends tied together, and a knot at one end are all required to play this game, which is excellent for developing leadership, communication, listening, and problem-solving abilities.
• Put a blindfold on each participant and have them stand in a circle with their backs to the outside.
• It is appropriate for them to have a length of rope in each of their hands.
• Before beginning the game, all players must use the rope to create a circle.
• Selecting a leader who will direct the other participants solely via voice cues is necessary.