20 Rules for Effectively Managing People

### 20 Rules for Effectively Managing People People management definition ============================ People management is also referred to as [human resources management](https://www.deputy.com/blog/7-steps-to-strategic-human-resource-management) and includes the recruitment, training, and management of employees. Specific people management tasks include arranging compensation, conducting [employee performance reviews](https://www.deputy.com/blog/getting-the-most-out-of-employee-performance-reviews), and ensuring effective workplace communication. * * * How to be a better manager -------------------------- An effective leader should always strive to improve their [skills](https://www.deputy.com/blog/13-essential-skills-your-employees-should-learn) to become a better manager. Effectively managing people requires the ability to relate to different types of personalities and the capability to display strong [leadership](https://www.deputy.com/blog/6-impactful-leadership-activities-to-try-at-work) skills. Effective managers also need to have a good understanding of employment legislation, training, and employee [motivation techniques](https://www.deputy.com/blog/five-tips-to-motivate-employees-this-summer).  If you’re experiencing issues with the levels of communication within your workplace or are just curious to see how it can be improved, click the link below to start your trial of Deputy. The employee scheduling software platform that makes it easy for your hourly employees to message each other and easy for your managers to reach out to individuals as well as the entire team with just the click of a button. * * * _**Here are some tips to help you improve your skills to become a better manager:**_ * **Improve your leadership skills** As a manager, your employees look to you to lead them to meet the business objectives. Leadership involves making decisions about which employees are the [most suited to different tasks](https://www.deputy.com/blog/retail-5-easy-ways-to-divide-your-teams-responsibilities-for-the-best-workflow). You will also need to provide clear and detailed direction for your employees. Effective managers are able to mediate to resolve [conflicts](https://www.deputy.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-a-conflict-of-interest-in-business) that arise within the team. * **Focus on training and development** In order to become a better manager, you must ensure that your employees are equipped to perform their tasks to a high standard. One of the ways to prepare your team is to give them access to suitable [training](https://www.deputy.com/blog/customer-service-training-ideas-to-help-build-brand-advocacy) and development opportunities. As an effective manager, you may also be responsible for [hiring the right candidates](https://www.deputy.com/blog/the-recruitment-checklist-how-to-hire-more-effectively) to join your team. Individuals who want to become better managers view training and development as an ongoing process, which continues after a new hire has been through the [onboarding](https://www.deputy.com/blog/what-is-onboarding-and-why-is-it-important) procedure. Your job is to develop employees so they are confident enough to take on new challenges to be promoted within your business.  * **Demonstrate strong decision-making skills** Managers generally have the last word in relation to disagreements and making decisions regarding work. In order to become a better manager, one of your objectives should be to make impartial decisions, irrespective of the team members involved. * **Encourage team building** An effective manager is aware that he or she needs the support of their team to be successful. To become a better manager, you should go beyond ensuring that your team is cohesive. You should seek to improve your team’s reputation throughout the company. Your [team building efforts](https://www.teambonding.com) should include using objective methods to measure [team members’ performance](https://www.deputy.com/features/performance-management) and resolving any conflict that arises. * **Promote mentoring relationships** To become a better manager, you should seek to build a mentoring relationship with your employees. Being a successful mentor includes creating long-term developmental plans, giving professional advice and guidance and helping your employees to spot opportunities to advance their careers. * * * _**Now that we have reviewed some of the methods to become a better manager, here are 20 rules you can follow to manage your team more effectively:**_ **1\. Make an effort to get to know your employees** At the very least, you should know your employees first names. This is irrespective of the size of your company. You should also know about their personal interests outside of the workplace. Getting to know your employees is important because this gives you a better insight about how they perform their job. Additionally, showing an appropriate level of interest also helps to make your employees feel valued. **2\. Treat your employees as individuals** This rule leads on from the rule above. Getting to know your employees will give you the opportunity to treat them as individuals. Your employees’ unique strengths, preferences and developmental areas should dictate the approach you adopt. Effectively managing people means that you concentrate on individual employees and tailor your approach to meet their needs.  **3\. Stay consistent** An effective manager balances the need for individuality with consistency. You should encourage a good attitude and positive behavior on every occasion. You also need to deal with bad attitudes and poor behavior whenever they are displayed. Consistency shows your employees that you are a dependable manager, who will apply the same yardstick to everyone. **4\. Provide opportunities** The [cost of hiring a new employee is $7,645, on average](https://smallbiztrends.com/2018/09/cost-of-hiring-a-new-employee-in-2018.html). It is more cost effective and less disruptive for your business if you identify opportunities for progression for capable team members. After you have identified an opportunity, you can help your employees to prepare themselves for the selection process, for example, providing [interview](https://www.deputy.com/blog/restaurant-interview-questions-for-every-position) tips. **5\. Communicate clearly and accurately** [Communication skills](https://www.deputy.com/blog/the-best-service-starts-with-great-team-communication) are vital for effective management. You should be clear in your communication because ambiguity will lead to confusion. You must also avoid any misleading information when communicating with your employees. Every type of communication is significant in the workplace. So, the rules for effective communication apply whether you are using [email](https://www.deputy.com/blog/how-to-write-an-awesome-welcome-email-to-your-new-employee), [phone](https://www.deputy.com/blog/phone-etiquette-for-different-industries), letter or are speaking face-to-face. **6\. Acknowledge and celebrate wins** It is recommended that you celebrate with your employees when they have over-delivered on a task or have exceeded their targets. Celebrating wins show that you appreciate your team. This approach will be beneficial to your company, since employee appreciation has a host of advantages, including lower employee turnover rates and higher productivity. **7\. Set team focused objectives** You should set team focused objectives to help your employees create a bond. Setting goals on an individual level or at a departmental level deprives team members of getting to know each other better. Setting team focused activities helps them to [motivate](https://www.deputy.com/blog/five-tips-to-motivate-employees-this-summer) each other to achieve a common goal. **8\. Be friendly and approachable** The ‘us vs. them’ approach should be avoided if you want to get the most out of your employees. Unfortunately, some companies have encouraged a [culture](https://www.deputy.com/blog/how-strong-is-your-workplace-culture-and-will-it-help-you-grow) where the managers are seen as completely separate from employees. Ensuring that you are friendly and approachable will help your employees to feel comfortable to discuss different issues. Therefore, you will be in a better position to address any difficulties your employees are facing at work. **9\. Support innovation** Your employees should feel free to approach you about different ideas they have to improve how things are done. Innovation should be encouraged because employees have a greater perspective of how things can be changed for the better as they perform tasks on a day-to-day basis. **10\. Reward good work publicly** You can utilize [social media](https://www.deputy.com/blog/how-to-use-social-media-influencers-to-promote-your-restaurant) to shine a light on the employees who have achieved something outstanding. You can also recognize extraordinary achievements in front of team members, the department or the whole business. Rewarding employees should be done fairly and consistently to avoid any accusations of bias. **11\. Offer constant [feedback](https://www.deputy.com/blog/positive-feedback)** Most of your employees will be keen to know about their performance, including areas that require improvement. Make yourself available to provide feedback after a piece of work has been completed. You should identify areas of growth and provide training and development to fill any gaps in knowledge. **12\. Lead by example** An effective manager does not only expect his employees to do as he or she says. Instead, they realize they must lead by example. How you behave, deal with others and approach your work are different ways to set an example for your employees to follow.  **13\. Keep [flexible](https://www.deputy.com/blog/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-flexible-jobs)** When dealing with individuals it is always helpful to retain a degree of flexibility. You should acknowledge your employees’ commitments outside of work and make the necessary provisions. For example, you can allow employees with children to work flexible hours in order to reduce the amount they pay for childcare. Additionally, you should also adopt a flexible approach to your employees using their [annual leave](https://www.deputy.com/blog/6-questions-every-small-business-owner-staff-annual-leave-leave-loading). **14\. Address conflicts** Dealing with conflict may be one of the most challenging aspects of managing people. However, conflict resolution is an essential part of effective management. Avoiding conflict is not an option and neither is making others feel like your way is the only right way. Instead, you should seek to take the role of a mediator when conflict arises. However, ultimately, your job as a manager is to find a fair resolution to conflicts. **15\. Be transparent** One of the best ways to build trust in your team is to be transparent. Your employees will value your honesty, even if the news is not in their favor. There may be times when you are constrained by company policy and are unable to divulge sensitive information. In these instances, you should explain to your employees that you are not in a position to comment but will update them as soon as you’re able to. **16\. Show empathy** It can be difficult to see things through your employees’ perspective, especially if they are displaying challenging behavior. There could be a number of issues affecting the way that an employee is now approaching their work. It is likely that the employee is experiencing issues outside of work. Employees may also be displaying negative attitudes towards you, based on a type of behavior that you are displaying. An effective manager will put themselves in their employees’ shoes and listen to their concerns. **17\. Invite employees to give opinions** You should encourage a culture where employees are happy to provide their opinions on different aspects of the company. Your employees should be commended for giving their opinions as long as this is done in a respectable way. You should always thank the employee for speaking up, even if the opinion is not valid. Discouraging employees from giving their opinions can build up resentment.  **18\. Seek assistance** Just as your employees need help, you will also need assistance and advice from time to time. If you are dealing with a challenging employee, it is useful to get another perspective on how to handle the situation. You can seek assistance from a number of different people in your organization. For example, you can get guidance from someone in [Human Resources](https://www.deputy.com/blog/7-steps-to-strategic-human-resource-management), your mentor or another manager. Seeking help from people you trust will make you a better manager, because you will approach situations with new insights and knowledge. **19\. Help people to love their job** You can introduce small changes to help your employees enjoy their work and love their job. Simple touches like having a team lunch and redecorating the break room can go a long way to boost morale. **20\. Set clear and measurable objectives** Your employees should be clear about what is expected of them. Additionally, they also need to know how you will determine if the completion of a task is a success. Targets are important as they provide an objective basis for employees to know whether they are on the right track. Setting clear and measurable goals will help you conduct performance reviews because you’ll have tangible data to refer to. * * * Effective management can be tough, especially when trying to balance the competing interests of different employees. Scheduling your workforce is an aspect of management that should be simple. Deputy is an easy-to-use workforce management tool that not only schedules your hourly employees but includes features to make life easier for management. For example, our [communication hub](https://www.deputy.com/features/collaboration) allows you to keep in contact with your team through a secure portal. Sign up for a free trial today **(no credit card required)** to find out how Deputy can take care of your employee scheduling needs so you can focus on bettering your business. Click on the link below to get started! [](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3040938/9a550f3d-0dad-4e36-a42a-b1fe660dea70)