by Robert Tanner

Created on: January 17, 2010

Managers usually are promoted for their technical skills.  They likely were proficient in their technical field whether it was finance, marketing, operations, or some other field.  Having technical skills does not mean one has the managerial skills they need to be successful, however.  One of the best tips for a manager or prospective manager who wants to be effective is to improve his people skills.

Organizational turnover, poor morale, absenteeism, organizational conflicts, worker sabotage, and worker indifference are all symptoms of managers who lack people skills.  This raises an interesting question!  Specifically, are people skills born or made?  The truth is that both views are correct.  Some managers are naturally better at working with people.  They excel at getting the best out of people.  It is also true, however, that all managers can improve their people skills with time and effort.  Lacking people skills does not mean a manager cannot develop them.

Six Tips for Improving People-Skills

1. Acknowledge Areas of Improvement

A manager’s ability to improve his people skills begins with his acceptance that he has managerial weaknesses that he needs to improve.  Without this acknowledgement, he cannot become better in his interactions with people. He will become stuck in a cycle of always blaming others for the problems that occur.  This is the first and hardest step for a manager to improve his people skills. 

2. Commit to Improving People Skills

Once a manager admits her deficiencies in a certain area, she has to want to change her performance.  Some managers do not want to make the emotional and time investments to change the way they interact with others, however.  Change is not easy.  Once the manager makes the commitment, the process becomes easier. 

3. Attend Quality Management Training Seminars

Quality training via professional seminars can provide managers with critical knowledge they need to develop their people skills.  Effective training will offer opportunities within the seminar to practice key skills.  (This is important for adult learning as we need chances to apply what we are learning.)  Taking the training outside the workplace allows confidentiality as well. The manager seeking to improve his skills can experiment and be more open about his deficiencies without fear of it being held against him in the workplace.

Internal management

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