About People Management
People management is an important part of every supervisor's job. If you are responsible for leading the work of all or part of a team or department within your organization, learning how to manage people more effectively is an important key to excelling at your job.
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Types
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As a supervisor, you can choose to be an autocratic manager or a democratic manager. Those who understand the importance of people skills in managerial success are much more likely to choose the democratic path. This type of manager recognizes that employees are valuable members of the team who deserve to be treated with respect at all times. Democratic leaders are open communicators who provide feedback and encouragement to employees to coach peak performance. Alternately, an autocratic leader focuses on the task parts of management and relies on the formal authority of his position to coerce performance.
Considerations
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One of the basic facts that every supervisor needs to know about people management is that leadership is a basic human need. When you are in charge of a department or group of people, you are responsible for conducting yourself in a manner that will inspire the people you are charged with directing to respect you and look to you for leadership, guidance and support.
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Benefits
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When you are viewed by your employees as a caring supervisor who has solid people management skills, you'll enjoy the benefits of directing the work of a team of cohesive employees who are likely to be engaged in their jobs and committed to the overall mission and vision of the organization.
When
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You can't turn your people skills on and off when you are a supervisor. As a manager, you must realize that you are always responsible for management of the people on your team, regardless of what other tasks might be in your workload at any given point in time. Effective people managers recognize that they must consistently exhibit positive behavior to earn the ongoing respect and cooperation of the people they are charged with leading.
Size
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One way that managerial jobs are defined is by the span of control. As a supervisor, your span of control refers to the number of people you are directly responsible for managing. In a decentralized company with few levels of management, it's likely that managers have a wide span of control with many direct reports. In organizations that have many people working in supervisory positions, it's likely that each manager has fewer direct reports, resulting in a narrow span of control.
Misconceptions
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Some managers think that the time they spend listening to employees is wasted time. This could not be further from the truth. Part of every manager's job is to foster a working environment characterized by open communication, and this means being available and accessible to employees as well as making sure that they feel like they have a voice in the organization. There is no better way to accomplish this task than by being willing to listen to the concerns and questions of your employees.
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