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What is it so important to Manage People?

Home » Management » Managing the People Side of the Business » What is it so important to Manage People?

Have you ever heard someone say, �I love the work; it�s the people I don�t like�? Or, �If I didn�t have to put up with all those difficult people, this would be the perfect job�? That�s because managing people is difficult�and often it�s not why you signed on to your job. Possibly you got into the business as a lower-level employee in a field you love; as your expertise and seniority grew, so did your responsibility for the people in your department, pulling you away from what you love, and closer to the people.

So what makes managing people so difficult?

� People can be unpredictable.

� People are different, and a one-size-fits-all management style

doesn�t work.

� People and their needs change.

� People carry emotions and drive emotional responses.

� People have baggage.

� People need motivation and inspiration.

� People desire and respond to different management styles.

� People are gifted with different strengths, skills, and talents .

Not to mention the fact that managing people requires that you put trust in others� competence and character, and that you might encounter a negative, high-maintenance person.

You might be tempted to ignore �people problems� in the name of business, thinking it�s not important, that you�ll just focus on the business itself and the people issues will go away. Think again.

Employees are the key to growth and execution of your business.

All jobs interface with people. Even veterinarians, who sometimes go into business to work with animals, not people, find that they still must interface with people, and that�s often the hardest part of their jobs.

People are the customers of all the work.

In the end you only have one of two options. You can hire people, use them, lose them, then hire more people to fix what you�ve messed up. Or you can hire people, train them (meaning, train them to do their jobs AND to be the workers you want to spend your time with), and you�ll retain them. It�s simple, really. Ignore people, and you�re ignoring the most important aspect of your business. Pay attention to the people first, and the rest of your business will benefit.

Next Page: What are some common mistakes leaders make when managing people?

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