Posted in interpersonal skills No comments

Why Managers Need Interpersonal Skills

I had a recent interaction with a friend at a network event who wanted to know what skills would be required to get ahead in their career. Now I know you may be asking the same question so I thought I’d share some insight on the topic.

Some essential skills include increasing your visibility, getting others to perceive you in a positive light, developing your executive presence and having strong interpersonal skills.

What are interpersonal skills? A general definition would be that interpersonal skills are the skills required to effectively communicate both verbally and non-verbally. However this doesn’t end there, it also includes:

Communication Skills, which in turn include:
1. Verbal Communication – What we say and how we say it.
2. Non-Verbal Communication – What we communicate without words, body language is an example.
3. Listening Skills – How we interpret both the verbal and non-verbal messages sent by others.
Team-Working – Working with others in groups and teams, both formal and informal.
Negotiation, Persuasion and Influencing Skills – Working with others to find a mutually agreeable (Win/Win) outcome.
Conflict Resolution and Mediation – Working with others to resolve interpersonal conflict and disagreements in a positive way.
Problem Solving and Decision-Making – Working with others to identify, define and solve problems, which includes making decisions about the best course of action.

It goes without saying that interpersonal skills are essential in any career or business as person-to-person interaction is required at any level and for virtually any job. Here is why every manager needs interpersonal skills:

It makes you relatable

With good interpersonal skills, your colleagues and even your managers positively perceive you as an approachable person. Coworkers are more comfortable interacting with you when seeking your assistance and advice. You’ll find that people become easier to work with, and you can engage with them more meaningfully, making your productivity more fruitful.

Increases Credibility and Customer Satisfaction

You show dedication to customer service and support when you’re able to interact well not just with your coworkers, but with your consumers. Diplomacy is imperative because you use it to represent and market on behalf of the company you work for and your employer. Customers see that you don’t compromise on productivity, that you are aware of their needs and are willing to act on their queries and listen to their input on the products and services you offer.

They Make You an Effective Leader

A leader without the ability to connect with his/her team will inevitably fail, or lose valuable members of that team resulting in the loss of productivity or burdening other employees with the work left behind. Effective leaders identify with their own weaknesses and look to turn them into strengths as soon as possible. They gather insight, spend hours learning and sharpening their tools, thus making them competent and ready to deal with any challenge that may arise.

Keeps the Feedback Loop Open

Most companies attempt to create a dynamic workplace, which adapts quickly not only to internal but also to external variables. An important component for a dynamic workplace is effective communication and an open feedback loop. If you are unfamiliar with the term it is essentially the communication that happens between a task-giver and a task-completer. During the process, as the person performing the task completes steps, they may ask for feedback from the supervisor that gave them the task. The manager then either tells the employee or person that they are doing well or to perform appropriate adjustments. Then this cycle or “loop” is repeated. The reasons why a feedback loop might break down are multiple but undeniably linked to interpersonal skills:

Not being approachable
Not being present both mentally and physically
Lacking overall communication with your subordinates

An extremely damaging behaviour that is very frequently seen is allowing the task to be completed and then giving the person feedback afterwards, especially if they asked for feedback previously and were denied it. It can affect productivity, morale and the quality of work produced. There is nothing worse than a person pouring hours of labour into a project only for a manager to come and tear it all down.

I hope these add value to you, let me know your thoughts on the relevance of interpersonal skills?

Founder and CEO of Elite Performers. Shiraaz is a Leadership, Career Coach and NLP practitioner who writes on leadership and management challenges. He also targets other areas of personal and professional development.

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Posted in management No comments

7 Tips For New Managers

Being promoted to a management position can be an equally exciting and an intimidating task – especially for those to whom leading does not come naturally. A promotion of this nature presents the newly appointed manager with the responsibility for motivating, guiding and driving a team of people, all the while having to manage performance expectations.

It’s not like you’re inexperienced, but your knowledge of management has likely been academic, abstract or gathered as a team member. And as a new manager, you’re no longer observing, but doing, and being judged on those actions.

So, what can you do to set yourself up for success? Well, take a deep breath for starters. You just need a little bit of fine-tuning since you’re new to the job, here are 7 tips for newly promoted managers.

1. Understand the new role and expectations

In order to be successful in any role, it is important to be clear on the expectations. Make sure you are clear on how success is measured in the role, what your objectives are, and the expected outcomes. This will help you to plan ahead and prepare, and ensure you feel more at ease in your new role. Create a successful plan and process that works for you and the team and communicate your expectations effectively. If this falls apart, the desired goals may not be reached within given deadlines.

2. Build relationships with your team

Get to really know your team, their strengths, weaknesses and career goals. Building trust with your team will enable you to manage them better which ultimately relates positively towards your performance. Seek resourceful ways to build rapport with each member individually and remember ‘people like people who are like themselves’

3. Seek a mentor

Seek a mentor in the organisation who has the experience and management style that you appreciate. This will be critical to your success as they have walked the road before and can assist you when you need to bounce ideas off and guide you in moments of indecision. Set up a weekly 30 minute call with your mentor to ask questions, gather information as well as insights. This also allows you to build a network within your organisation.

Leadership contains certain elements of good management, but it requires that you inspire, that you build durable trust. For an organisation to be not just good but to win, leadership means evoking participation larger than the job description, commitment deeper than any job contract’s wording.

4. Understand the difference between management and leadership

Leadership is often thought of as an act of inspiration, while management an act of control. Model the behaviour you want to see in your team and set the tone for the office. This is your moment to create a leadership style that resonates with you. What kind of person do you want on your team? Hard-working, dedicated, engaged? Then be those things. Don’t take a passive approach, GO ALL IN!!

5. Learn situational leadership

Situational leadership is an adaptive leadership style. This strategy encourages leaders to take stock of their team members, weigh the many variables in their workplace and choose the leadership style that best fits their goals and circumstances.
Leaders must be able to move from one leadership style to another to meet the changing needs of an organisation and its employees.

6. Learn how to deal with performance issues

Your goal as a manager should not be to make friends with your employees. The reason is friendships often prevent tough feedback and there’s no performance component to a friendship, whereas performance is your biggest concern as a new manager. This may the most challenging task as a new manager but will provide the biggest growth. Be prepared to give constructive feedback as well as receive the same. Use the learnings of this exercise to map out growth opportunities for both you and the team member.

Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing.
Warren Bennis

7. Embrace it and have fun

Work hard, yes, but also acknowledge wins and celebrate success. Celebrations are often great opportunities for team bonding, and a way to keep everyone enthused and motivated.
Leading can be an extraordinary and rewarding responsibility. One should never take it lightly or take it for granted. Embrace this opportunity for the growth it is going to provide.

What other tips do you think will help new managers in the workplace? Share these with me in the comments. I look forward to learning from you.

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