Hug, kick, smile or scowl - what are the secrets of people-management?

“Management is, above all, a practice where art, science and craft meet”?Henry Mintzberg

Even best laid plans and high performing teams contain members that require individual attention. Often the most talented people are the most critical and have their own views about matters that may challenge the leader or present them with problems or issues that are taxing.

The leader must find the balance between catering for the needs of talented individual without breaking the team character and dynamic.

Fundamentally, the needs of the individual are not satisfied by clever man-management tricks, or motivational theory. It is essential to recognise that team members have needs that the leader should ensure are fulfilled. These needs need not be confused with personal problems – they are to be understood from a professional setting.

1) Strong thinking/direction. The most essential is the need for meaningful direction and clear thinking. In the absence of this a whole set of performance issues follow, often misdiagnosed. This is less to do with man-management and more to do with a clear plan and rationale for decisions, which must be communicated clearly. In short a lack of meaningful direction creates a host of management problems.

2) Clarity of roles and fit into team. This is the need for belonging and clear terms of engagement. Everyone needs to feel belonging to a wider group and be clear how they relate to that group. The leader/manager should ensure that roles and terms of engagement are clear. If unclear, this has the effect of draining motivation as this confuses team members and creates wider tensions within the team.

3) Internal motivation. The question of motivating individuals is well documented, but teams that require constant external motivation are very counterproductive. The right people don’t need to be tightly managed or motivated to work hard, they should be self motivated and have the passion to succeed. Leaders should pay close attention to their recruitment methods to ensure the right type of people are recruited correctly and the wrong people are removed.

This is because the wrong people take attention away from the right people and often lead the right people to leave the company. Hours are spent on the wrong people ensuring that they are happy, yet this attention is often misplaced.

4) Strong performers. Strong performers are motivated by strong performance and when they have to carry weight, they get frustrated. Spend enough time in recruiting the right people and don’t rush to sack them quickly. If they fit the culture but not the role, try them elsewhere.

5) A-team players. Furthermore, don’t mix A team players with B team players. Even one B team player will lower the standard of the overall team. Again the recruitment policy is the first point of call with regards to team and individual motivation.

6) External focus. When the focus of staff is on external opportunities and they are performing well the manager/leader has to focus a lot less on personal/personality problems. Internal focusing leads to differences and clashes as people grapple for territory.

In fact, leaders should ensure that the brightest minds are focussed on the biggest opportunities for their team and not the biggest internal problems - this is one of the keys to driving high performance.

7) Criteria for individual attention. Sometimes individual team members need space and time so that they can fit better within the team. Managers and leaders often wonder how much latitude to give individuals in fear of not making exception for the "prima donna".

My recommendation is that the following criteria is used:

a) Is the individual flouting group standards? If not, or if done unintentionally, then the leader should make some time to support them. If they are then the leader should be wary of rewarding negative behavior.

b) Focus should always be put on why the individual is behaving the way they do. This will allow them to understand their own needs better. The better insight the leader has on human interaction and why the individual needs help the better focused the support will be.

c) Resolutions should be made to help them deal with whatever need they have and how to mitigate negative effects in a team setting. Endless discussion without an improvement in behavior should be viewed negatively.

8) When do you let someone go? If they fail the following 4 point criteria, then it may be time to let them go:

a) Are you putting in lots of management to deal with this person, or having to work around them? This is the single biggest criteria in this decision.

b) Are they constantly challenging or flouting group standards?

c) Would you hire them again?

d) Would you feel happy if they resigned today?

In summary, the art of man-management is a complex skill but modern management literature often focuses around emotional feelings and misses the wider and more functional point - people need strong thinking, clarity of roles and good leadership. When that is missing, a set of personal and performance issues result.

The criteria for individual attention should be clear (not just given because it is demanded) with an agreement on how to manage disruptions. Finally a wider agreement around what criteria one should use to move people on.

I would love to hear from people's experiences on both good and bad man-management techniques below.

Jilani Gulam (?https://twitter.com/Jilani_HealthiQ?) is founder and CEO of Health iQ.