Employee performance often hinges on the support they receive from their managers. But, according to an August 2024 Gallup poll, only 20% of employees feel their manager motivates them to achieve higher performance standards.
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Why do good people managers matter?
People managers are employees who develop teams, coordinate their work, and support their success in the organization. They often act as the link between the company leaders who set organizational goals and the teams who work to achieve those goals.
As a people manager, you can motivate your team to improve productivity and work quality by developing professional skills. But you also have the opportunity to foster an exciting environment that encourages psychological safety and growth. When your employees feel that they can be honest and that you value their feelings, they may be more inclined — intentionally or not — to improve their work.
For example, various National Library of Medicine studies on leadership in healthcare settings associate different leadership styles with the quality of healthcare services. These studies concluded that patients often experience more favorable outcomes when hospital management encourages employees to exceed expectations while appreciating their work toward a common goal, a hallmark of transformational leadership.
Tips to improving people management
There are many ways to be an effective people manager. Here are some steps managers across fields can take to drive positivity in the workplace:
Tip 1: Take initiative
According to a 2022 Harvard Business Review article by John Baird and Edward Sullivan, your team may not directly come to you when they need more support. Active listening and observation can help you determine what you can do to help them improve.
For example, you may notice that, after moving desks, one of your employees is more distracted than usual. You schedule a meeting with her, and she says she didn't even realize there was a problem.
So, aside from the location of the desk, what changed? Through careful observation, you discover her new desk is underneath more fluorescent lights than her last one. This shift may be so subtle that she didn't notice it, but addressing the issue makes a huge difference in her performance.
Tip 2: Set clear expectations and processes
Ambiguous instructions may lead your team astray, frustrating your colleagues when they must redo work they're proud of. Setting clear expectations and everyday processes helps your team feel confident in their decisions.
However, remember that what you consider clear instructions may still leave some questions unanswered for a colleague. Effective people managers often ask for feedback and encourage questions along the way, establishing lines of open communication that reduce confusion.
Tip 3: Grow your emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity to understand, regulate, and express emotions — whether yours or someone else's. People managers must maintain good relationships with their teams, which requires navigating complex interpersonal situations using emotional intelligence.
For example, people managers may be responsible for implementing organizational changes or resolving personal disputes. These disruptions may bring up uncomfortable emotions, so identifying and addressing someone's reaction helps maintain your team's relationships.
Tip 4: Trust your team
A familiar mistake managers make is trying to “micromanage" or overly control their team's daily decision-making and work processes. Micromanagement communicates to your team that you don't trust them to do their jobs effectively.
However, you hired your team because they have the training, experience, and character to succeed. By trusting their skills and giving them autonomy, you can demonstrate that you value their hard work and intuition. Trust creates an environment where people feel free to use their skills and innovate as they see fit.
Tip 5: Celebrate wins
Managers should always encourage progress and development. But if you don't celebrate your team's successes, employees may feel their work is never good enough. Recognizing your employees' progress encourages them to do their best work and develop because it shows that you value their past and present work while appreciating their potential for growth.