Putting People First

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

A Personal Approach to Management and Leadership

Globalization has produced a climate that has made people, goods and services more accessible. This climate of mobility and interdependence has increased competition, in particular, for those employees who have demonstrated their effectiveness, their talents and managerial competencies. Businesses and organizations are increasingly forced to adapt quickly to the rapid pace and scope of change driven by the new knowledge-based economy. Their success depends on the ability of their leaders, managers, supervisors and employees to respond to the challenges of today’s rapidly changing and interdependent environment.

Corporate executives and leaders are in search of the ultimate answer — the one solution that will resolve all of their problems and make them the best managers — Why? Ultimately they want to manage their organization much more effectively, and have the highest rate of success; in short they want a win/win situation that will not only put their company on top but will also lead them down the path to promotion and success. The endless pursuit to find a successful recipe for everyone simply points to the reality that it doesn’t exist. It takes a different solution for each environment, for each personality and for each problem. There is simply no one solution to fit everyone’s needs. Managers and leaders have to create their personal style of management and leadership by knowing themselves, their employees and their customers. In addition, they have to put into practice some of the key principles and strategies that are the essential ingredients for success.

The most valuable investment for businesses and organizations is their people. Every organization owes its prosperity and success to its human resources — to the talent, tenacity, and spirit of its employees, managers and leaders. The heart of any organization is the people who work within it. People cultivate relationships with customers. People make or break great organizations. Today, people problems represent one of the greatest challenges to management. Leadership and management concepts are meaningless without an understanding of people — their aspirations, needs and motivations. The management and leadership principle that is most successful puts people first. Although efficient processes and planning definitely help to achieve goals and objectives, people are the most important resources in order to produce desired results. Successful organizations and their leaders understand that the vitality and satisfaction of their employees is directly related to the buoyancy of their performance and productivity.

General Colin Powell said it best when he wrote: “Organizations doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavours succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.” How people are treated on the job does matter? Employees have repeatedly identified that the quality of their human interactions with their supervisors and co-workers is the most important ingredient to good, healthy working conditions.

Successful organizations and companies therefore ensure that not only the most competent and talented people are hired but also once hired; they are valued and respected for their contribution and input to the common good. Although the management of materiel, finances and information is crucial, focusing on people is the most important part for the sustainable success of any organization.The more you view your employees as human beings and understand the importance of their needs, the more effective you are as a manager and leader. Putting people first is in increasing danger of becoming a slogan that is over stated and under implemented. The rhetoric of “putting people first” isn’t good enough; management’s practices have to reflect this sincere intention through its actions and examples. People feel pressured to meet higher demands and objectives in all realms of work, family and lifestyle. Managers and leaders need to take into account the technological and bureaucratic complexity that pervades work and today's workload.

As a manager and leader, it is up to you to develop to develop the potential of your employees so that they perform at their best. You also need to know how to balance your family life and your work, as well as helping your employees to do the same. One of the greatest gifts that you possess is your innate ability to interact with other people. Have a passion to learn about the human side of management and leadership. Become an agent of change and share your passion!

It isn’t easy to be a supervisor, manager or team leader. You have to come up with ways and means to motivate your staff, keep your boss happy and get the tasks at hand completed. You have to coordinate the activities of your employees to achieve maximum performance and quality results, without overloading them. You need to motivate your employees to ensure that the job gets done effectively, while at the same time promoting a healthy work/life balance for them. You have to develop the confidence of your staff, both in their own abilities and in their opinion of you. Through open communication, you have to be transparent with your staff, your peers, your clients and your direct supervisor with regard to your working style and approach. You have to be a leader of change and initiate new and more effective ways of doing business. The importance of effective leadership is now more pressing than ever.

Today you can’t depend on the command and control style of management to get things done. Rather than controlling and monitoring, invest more in creating opportunities and a motivational environment in which your employees can excel and can perform good work. The new reporting relationship must be based on respect, trust, teamwork, reason and competence rather than on hierarchy, authority and power. As managers and leaders, you need interpersonal mastery to supervise and manage people, and to get your employees to support you willingly. Some of the most important management skills you need are communicating, planning, organizing, delegating, empowering and problem solving skills.

You need to treat people with respect and encourage them to perform, and to deliver excellent products and services. So as a manager and leader, you better have a genuine desire to work with your employees, to help them succeed by supporting them, listening to them and encouraging them. Employees are much more aware and involved nowadays. They want more participation, more collaboration, and have an ardent desire to be involved in some of the decision making processes, especially when the decisions will affect them and their working environment. Most importantly, employees want a healthy balance between the demands of work and life outside the work place. They want much more job satisfaction and less stress due to excessive workload.You have to understand that no one can change everything at once. You need to accept your work environment as it is, and your co-workers and employees as they are. In the very short term, you don’t have a choice. Of course, you should work at improving the situation, but it can’t be changed overnight in one big sweep.

To become an effective manager and leader demands discipline, focus, good judgment, and perhaps most importantly a willingness to individualize your management and leadership style to every employee reporting directly to you. You need to equip yourself with tools and strategies to meet the new challenges and to continue your learning process. You need to sharpen and master the people skills that you require to become more effective at your workplace. By using the principles of management and leadership, you benefit from the rewards of teamwork, and find ways to achieve your organizational objectives even in the face of adversity and constant change. You perform consistently at much higher levels, and you experience greater satisfaction and meaning from what you do. You become an effective catalyst for the development of your team and your organization. By putting people first, you become a more capable and effective manager and leader.

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