What I've learned about people management

I have learned a lot about people management over my career through a mixture of experience, observation, experimentation and education. So often we just rattle off the term “people management” in daily conversations without a moments thought. It’s time to stop and look at each of those two words.

People – we are all different, all unique, each carrying in our minds our own very unique view of the world. Our view is our map of the world but the map is not the territory. Each of us views the same world differently based on our values, beliefs, experiences and upbringing. What is constant is that each of us share 6 universal core needs. Certainty (comfort, safety and security), Uncertainty (variety, challenge and adventure), Significance (respect), Connection (love and belonging), Contribution and Growth. When we find these six elements in either a partner or a job, we will never want to leave, such is the importance of these needs. Imbalance in these six needs creates negative feelings within us, often without us knowing or understanding why.

Management. You can’t manage the unknown and you can’t predict crazy. When people are grouped together in a work environment we are blind to each other's inner thinking. We are blind to what we don’t see between nine to five. When people spark with eachother in the workplace we look at the external causes, not realising the depth of underlying internal causes. People are not always logical. Our unconscious mind and conscious mind are both at play and sometimes how we behave makes no logical sense.

Management theories on the other hand are quite logical. Different managers use different management theories based on their own education, experiences and personal likes. So often our attitude is “here is the solution, now what is the problem?”. We try and make square objects fit into round holes and then wonder why we don’t get the desired results. No one management model is universally applied or even universally applicable.

We now live in the age of the Performance Improvement Plan (P.I.P). Battle hardened HR professionals know the only way to safely remove an employee is via a P.I.P. Still, it is by no means the perfect vehicle. It is time consuming. It is soul crushing. It is costly. Employees on a P.I.P can also rally and deliver short term performance to clear a P.I.P before returning to old patterns. So it is not a definitive result. The alternative is unfair dismissal claims and legal fees. Equally time consuming, soul crushing and costly.

What goes wrong? When does the employee who was the perfect candidate in interviews become the next person to be placed on a P.I.P.? Part of the problem is the abuse and mismanagement of Key Performance Indicators. Made famous with the boom in MBA graduates over recent decades very few SME organisations know how to effectively set KPIs let alone measure and monitor. I prefer the term Key Success Indicators (KSIs) – the notion of success is much more positive. Performance management has been so poorly practiced by management over decades that the mere words “performance management” strike fear into most employees. It tends to be done annually (at best) and is usually tied to financial implications, either positive or negative. Often it is also vague, directionless and demoralising.

So what is the answer? Effective people management in the modern day requires us to return to basics and treat people as people. Each person is a valuable unique energy with the core needs discussed earlier. Clear guidelines and regular meaningful conversation. Open, honest, timely feedback with no hidden agendas or unconscious bias. I am reminded of a colleague’s comment that there are always three versions of the truth in any situation.

Behavioural profiling is a great way to understand how your people process information, their natural behaviour state and any themes currently playing out in their behaviour. Sure the modern approach takes time and energy. Ultimately though it costs you less and results in a more productive outcome for all.