Managing PEOPLE  –

“To be a good leader at work you need to possess humanity, humility, and humour.”

        A good working relationship with colleagues is vital for a successful business.

        High-performance organizations have moved beyond autocratic leadership styles into cooperative approaches where management and employees share their visions and work together.

A handful of tips to improve your people management skills

*  Lead by example

        People pay more attention to what you do than what you say. 

        Set a good example in your work and play do what you say you will do and always be honest. 

        Try to keep your social and business relationships separate. Don’t talk business all the time.

* Build relationships

        Don’t be in a hurry. Make time to chat with people, face to face. Go for a coffee with them and forget business for a while.

        Try to find out their interests.

        Ask questions try not to interrupt them and listen with care.

        “Where did you grow up and go to school?”   

        “What are your interests?

        Have you any hobbies?”

        “Have you a partner and a family?”

        “Where do you live?”

* Consider the welfare of others

        Empathize with people in difficult times.

        Be compassionate and tolerant when things go wrong. 

        Try to understand the problems and the pain of others.

        Understanding others’ pain opens doors to their heart.

* Encourage and support colleagues  

        A good leader inspires and motivates people to go beyond what they thought they could accomplish.

        Make the time to chat, understand, encourage and praise them. Be considerate to their needs, their wants, and their problems.

        Show compassion in difficult times and offer help when needed. At times just be considerate,  be flexible to their circumstances. 

        If you give people support and encouragement they will often perform at a higher level than everyone thought possible.

        Good leaders can be recognized because their people give superior performances.

*  The key to leadership success

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

        Treat people the way you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes.

        Care for your colleagues with respect, be sincere, and show tolerance and patience if they make mistakes.

-Geoffrey Moss(mossassociates.co.nz)

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

SOURCE: “Secrets for New Managers”. A collection of guidelines and helpful advice.” Published by Moss Associates Ltd and Cengage Learning Asia. (Many of the articles in this book first appeared in the Singapore Institute of Management’s  bi-monthly magazine “Today’s Manager”)Also available as an e-book from Amazon.com and from the VitalSource Bookshelf.