Why were they a good manager?
What did they do?
How did they make you feel?
What impact did they have on your work?
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Here are some of the reasons they gave:
Welcome VIDEO!
To find out more about this, we spoke to business leaders and HR professionals from around the world to see why they think that people management skills are so important for their organisation.
Why do people skills matter?
In business, it is often said that people are the most important asset. It should follow, then, that people management skills are an integral part of the success of any business.
To find out more about this, we spoke to business leaders and HR professionals from around the world to see why they think that people management skills are so important for their organisation.
Here are some of the reasons they gave:
- Managers are integral to developing a happy and productive workforce.
- People managers help teams and organisations face new challenges and adapt in changing markets.
- People managers are crucial in helping employees understand the purpose of the organisation and ultimately achieving organisational success.
Why do you think people management skills are important? What difference do good people management skills make in your organisation?
Why do you think people management skills are important? What difference do good people management skills make in your organisation?
Prioritising and delegating
Prioritising and delegating work are two aspects of management that many people find challenging. Do you recognise any of the following ideas?
- There’s so much to do I can’t see the wood for the trees.
- There isn’t enough time to get involved with delegation, even if I wanted to.
- It takes longer to explain a task than to do it yourself.
- Other people are simply not up to working at a high enough level
As a manager, delegating work will help you to perform better in your role. Look back at your own career and consider the times when you have grown or developed as an individual. It is likely that your manager at that time delegated a task to you which was just outside your comfort zone and stretched you so you had to develop new skills or abilities.
There are many benefits to delegating work. Take a look at the list below and see how many apply to your team or organisation.
Benefits to the organisation
- optimum use of staff resources
- wider ownership of company mission and objectives
- reduced vulnerability to unexpected absences
Benefits to you (the manager)
- time freed up for more vital tasks
- staff developed for wider role
- increased staff motivation
Benefits to the individual
- increased skills or knowledge
- motivation enhanced
- wider view of the company made visible
- trust and confidence built up
Urgency and importance
In order to delegate effectively, first you need to be able to prioritise. Many time management experts agree that one of the most effective ways to improve your time management is to regularly use a ‘to do’ list. Writing the list ensures that things will not be forgotten, and also forces you to review any changed priorities.
Look ahead over the next week or so and list all the tasks and activities you expect to carry out. Ideally, end up with a list of about 15 items. At this stage do not make any judgements about priorities. Just write the tasks down!
Once you have listed things ‘to do’, two questions may well spring to your mind: what order should I do them in, and how long should I spend on each task?
The first thing is to think about the ‘urgency’ and ‘importance’ of each task. They are two separate issues that have to be considered independently.
Urgency decides the timing of a task – when it should be done. It is good to remember that we all have different interpretations of what ‘urgent’ means.
Importance relates to your success in achieving the purpose of your job. Important tasks directly relate to specific aspects of your job or how you meet certain objectives.
Are the tasks you listed above important or urgent? Try sorting your tasks into the four boxes below based on whether they are high or low in importance and urgency.
A – High urgency and high importance
Tasks or activities falling into this category have to be done both quickly, because of their urgency, and thoroughly, because they are important to help you achieve your job purpose.
B1 – High urgency and low importance
Tasks or activities falling into this category have to be done quickly, because of their urgency – but only need a small amount of time spent on them to give an acceptable result, because they are peripheral to you achieving your job purpose.
B2 – Low urgency and high importance
Tasks or activities falling into this category do not have to be done quickly, because of their low urgency, but must be done thoroughly, because they are important to help you achieve your job purpose.
C – Low urgency and low importance
Tasks or activities falling into this category can be left for the moment, because of their low urgency and the fact that they are peripheral to your achieving your job purpose.
How did you do? Were there any surprises in how you categorised different tasks?
Delegating tasks
Now that you have prioritised all the things you have to do, you can use this grid again to help you decide which tasks you may wish to delegate.
Simply review the tasks you have placed in each category and use the suggestions below as a guide for delegation - see if this approach works for you.
Category A: High importance, high urgency Do them yourself now. Within reason, spend on them whatever time they take.
Category B1: High urgency, low importance Consider delegating these as a development opportunity, perhaps to a new team member. Get them done soon.
Category B2: Low urgency, high importance Consider delegating them to a reliable and experienced member of the team. These tasks need a ‘safe pair of hands’. Remember to schedule a time for completion.
Category C: Low urgency, low importance Delegate these tasks and schedule a time in the future for completing. Keep an eye on them.
Tips for successful delegation
As you think about the tasks you would like to delegate, consider the following tips.
- Analyse your own abilities, and the limits of your time. This way you can identify what can best be delegated.
- By delegating, leave yourself free to do the work that only you can do.
- Re-examine the tasks you find particularly easy – it may be appropriate to delegate these tasks as well as the tasks you don’t wish to do.
- Do not delegate exceptional tasks, such as tasks only you can do in time or to the required standard.
- Do not delegate tasks involving confidentiality or sensitivity.
- Use the delegation of important tasks to develop a team member’s role, improve performance and raise morale.
- Real delegation requires courage, judgement and faith in others – seek to exercise these qualities whenever you delegate.
- Do not delegate exceptional tasks, such as tasks only you can do in time or to the required standard.
- Do not delegate tasks involving confidentiality or sensitivity.
- Use the delegation of important tasks to develop a team member’s role, improve performance and raise morale.
- Real delegation requires courage, judgement and faith in others – seek to exercise these qualities whenever you delegate.