Getting Your People Management Skills Ready for the 2020s

Throughout your career, you have probably heard the same advice many times over when it comes to people management skills. Communicate well, motivate your staff, make prudent hiring decisions, foster a positive attitude, promote team spirit, and so on and so forth. These are the old-established strategies most organisation decision-makers are used to and have applied throughout their entire careers.

But does this advice still cover people management skills today? ‘One common criticism of the traditional approach to managing performance is that its top-down and bureaucratic nature is out of synch with today’s organisational and social context’, according to a 2021 report by the Australian HR Institute in collaboration with the University of Sydney. In 2022 and beyond, the ideas behind how to improve people management skills have evolved. The time has come to look at adopting some new strategies to get the best out of your staff.

Nine fresh people management strategies

Let’s take a closer look at nine contemporary ideas on how to boost your people management skills:

1) Build up a strong HR team

When making your hiring decisions for the future, start with your HR department. A solid HR team will be your strong foundation and not only help you attract and manage the best people, but also create the best possible employee experience.

A McKinsey report advises that, to kick-start a shift within your organisation, ‘HR should manage talent rigorously […] to hire, develop, and retain the best employees’ in their role as “internal service providers that ensure high returns on human-capital investments”.’

Putting in place human resources professionals who understand this mission is the first step towards successful modern people management.

2) Communicate the 'why'

Successful organisations need to be purpose-driven. And all your staff need to be on the same page and understand what the common purpose is.

It’s therefore important that you clearly communicate your 'why' to all of your staff, across all divisions and sites, and make them feel part of a whole. Good people management starts with ensuring everyone is on the same page and pursuing the same goals.

3) Encourage people to take time off

This may seem counterintuitive. After all, in previous decades, staff who worked long hours and never took a day off were highly regarded in many businesses. But times have changed, and presenteeism is a relic of the past.

Today, employee wellbeing and mental health are important factors in the working world. A study by the Australian National Mental Health Commission has found that employees who work from home at least occasionally report improved mental health and wellbeing overall. So, encouraging staff who aren’t feeling 100% to head home and recharge their batteries will not only help them, but also position you as a caring leader. And, according to research by the University of Melbourne and many similar studies around the globe, people tend to respond better to this kind of management style.

4) Hire lateral entrants

‘With the Australian labour market as tight as seen in nearly a half century, employers are experimenting with ways to attract more talent’, says Callam Pickering, Senior Economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab. Traditionally, a great CV with relevant experience was highly desirable. And, sure, this is often still the case today. But in the modern working world, lateral entrants are a real force to be reckoned with.

You may want to consider someone without the typical qualifications or industry experience for a role if you think they may otherwise be an asset to your team. An eclectic workforce can bring a unique dynamic to your organisation. You might also find that such teams can be more enjoyable to manage and respond well to your direction.

5) Set up anonymous communication channels

In the past, most executives have shied away from allowing their staff to address issues anonymously. But studies have shown that anonymous communication channels can encourage employees to be more honest and address issues that might otherwise be swept under the carpet.

So, give your managers and staff space to share concerns or suggestions without needing to put their name to it. You may want to consider an open-ended online feedback system or a physical suggestions box. This type of people management may also uncover some creative new ideas that people might never have shared openly for fear of rejection.

6) Take a back seat

Yes, really! Micromanaging staff is so 20th century. Today, great people management skills may mean delegating tasks and allowing your staff to assume more responsibility. This approach will likely motivate them to put in extra effort and boost their productivity. (And vice versa – too much micromanagement may even get you sued!)

Allowing your executives to manage their staff without getting personally involved also helps them grow into strong leaders themselves.

7)  Promote cross-functional collaboration

Siloed thinking can be a real danger for organisations. There’s nothing worse than having every department focusing only on its own remit without seeing the big picture. (This is where an awareness of the 'why' also comes in very useful!)

Encourage your different divisions and locations to talk to each other and work on projects together. Getting different perspectives involved early on can lead to a better product or process that can save you time and money later on.

8) Let people work from home

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has become commonplace in the Australian business world. A hybrid work model has replaced the traditional presenteeism of the past and offers workers a better work-life balance.

Although the pandemic is largely over, you may want to consider keeping a hybrid working model in place. In other words, let your staff work from home a few times a week and physically attend their workplace when necessary. This approach has proven to increase productivity and employee morale.

9)  Measure your success

Successful talent management means knowing how your people are performing at all times. To this end, have HR set up a reporting system that feeds relevant metrics back to you and other decision-makers. Measuring performance and success rates can help you identify achievable milestones and KPIs to keep everyone on track.

An effective measurement strategy combines people management data with other business intelligence. This will ultimately allow you to effectively plan and monitor your workforce and make any necessary adjustments.

Are you ready?

Although the information on how to build people management skills in the 2020s is out there, many enterprises are still turning a blind eye to it. According to a 2020 Forbes article, most companies still follow 20th century management principles, and even business schools and universities haven’t all caught up yet and are still partly imparting obsolete methods. There is a real opportunity here for you to be a trailblazer and adopt modern concepts to get the best out of your staff. Apply the nine ideas above, and you may just find yourself leaving your more conservative competitors behind.