Interpersonal Management Skills For Business Success

Interpersonal Management Skills for Business Success
Soft management skills, also commonly called people management skills or interpersonal
skills are crucial for management and business success. For years, the performance of
employees and managers was judged on 'hard' skills – your IQ, your expertise, your technical
skills. For example, if you were a programmer, the standard was how well you could program.
Nothing else. Soft skills didn’t receive much attention.
As a manager, your soft skills are increasingly more important as responsibilities extend to
managing groups of people. You’re required to interact, guide, and help people daily. You’re
also part of an ever-changing business landscape that dictates the need to adapt. To excel you
need to work on developing those soft management skills. Here are 7 top soft management
skills to develop.
Communication Skills
Communication – both verbal and written – is arguably the most import soft
management skill to develop. Imagine the world with no communication. Nothing would get
done, and that which did get done, would take time – a serious amount of time. By
communicating effectively you manage expectations and ensure everyone is on the same
page. Effective communication requires that-
1. You present your ideas clearly to top management to get buy-in.

2. You communicate clearly with team members so they understand requirements of a job.
For example, by giving a team member a task to do and not indicating what you require
only sets that employee up for failure. You, in turn, become irritable because the completed
task is not up to your standard.
3. You communicate employee concerns and problems to top management. After all, you’re
the link and in many ways a voice for employees.
Tip-to improve your communication practice your writing. Since I’ve started writing –
thousands of words weekly – I’ve found that I’m more articulate and express myself with
greater clarity.
Leading and Motivating
You are responsible for managing a team of people. But, your duties extend beyond just
managing. To get the most out of employees you’re required to lead, to earn respect, and
motivate your team to achieve peak performance. You’re dealing with individuals who are
different. Different in terms of personality. Different in terms of cultural background.
Tip-Analyze before acting. While action is important, it’s only as good as the information
you base it on.
Teamwork and Networking Skills
Teamwork extends beyond being able to create a sense of community within your
team. You’re required to function with cross functional teams. How well do you work with
other cross-functional teams? Are you a good collaborator? Can you get others in your
team to collaborate? No business unit operates in isolation.
Tip- You need to be proactive about interacting with these cross-functional teams. Make a

concerted effort to build relationships with them. If you’re the manager of a sales team, set
up brainstorming sessions with the product development team.
Ultimately, you have a common goal- business success, which invariably involves profits.
Problem Solving
I think it’s fair to say that managers spend the majority of the time solving problems .
Heck, if there weren’t problems would you even have a job? Whether it’s a customer
complaint, absenteeism, or issues about not reaching sales targets, you have to have an
ability to solve problems. Problem-solving also requires a forward-thinking mind, a mind in
tune with identifying potential problems before they surface. Linked to this is the skill of
critical thinking, to evaluate problems and be able to find solutions.
People Management Skills
The study mentioned earlier highlighted that companies who have managers with
better people management skills saw a decrease in turnover by over 7%. Not to mention
the other benefits of increased sales per employee and for the company.
Managing then is all about people. How do you communicate? Are you empathetic? Can
you get the most out of your team? Are you respected?
The answers to these questions tie in with how you treat people. If someone has a family
emergency – but you insist that the person works, – that person will start to develop
resentment towards you and the business. You need to show you care about that employee
and not just the profits. People management skills also include empowering people.
Tip- Empower people so they’re equipped with the skills to do the job. Also consider
motivating employees, beyond just monetary rewards. Money can be a weak motivator,
only motivating to the point that employees receive the money. One suggestion is to
celebrate successes. Show that the company is progressing and make them feel like an
active part in that. This makes employees feel valuable. It makes them feel part of
something bigger.
Conflict Management Skills
Dealing with conflict as a manager is a given. Conflict can be about disagreements

over business objectives or personality clashes. Every team you manage will have people
with different personalities, different backgrounds, and different strengths and weaknesses.
When conflict arises, you need to intervene and resolve the conflict. However, a better
approach may be to coach and teach people how to resolve the conflicts on their own.
Tip- While conflicts are inevitable in any team you can also anticipate and prepare for them
in advance.
Adaptability
The business landscape has changed and continues to change at a rapid rate.
Technology is advancing, every day! Launching a company is quicker than before, with
many innovative start-ups following the 'lean innovation' approach, launching with a
minimum viable product – a product with just enough features to gather insights and
learnings.
Tip- While it can be difficult, start by first embracing change. In the words of the Greek
Philosopher, Heraclitus , 'Change is the only constant in life.'
Final Thoughts
Soft management skills are more important than ever, especially in an ever-
changing business landscape. It’s important then to be cognizant that you not only require
the hard skills or the expertise, but also the soft skills. Ultimately, it’s those skills that are
truly going to set you apart as a manager and a business.
Reference:
https://hubworks.com/blog/seven-interpersonal-management-skills-for-business-success.html

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Interpersonal Management Skills for Business Success

Nothing else. Soft skills didn’t receive much attention.

1. You present your ideas clearly to top management to get buy-in.

Teamwork and Networking Skills

Tip- You need to be proactive about interacting with these cross-functional teams. Make a

People Management Skills

Conflict Management Skills

Dealing with conflict as a manager is a given. Conflict can be about disagreements

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