Managing People 101

Every Tom, Dick and Harry (as well as their female counterparts) wants to be a manager these days. In fact, almost every young graduate I spoke to wants to be a manager. It’s the money and the status, I believe. But I wonder if they comprehend what the role entails other than just a title to flaunt.

The biggest concern of a manager is people management. No management guru can teach you how to manage people and how to study the nuances of the politics behind these folks. You can get the best books with the “best” advice but the bottom line is one person’s attitude, character and traits very much differs from another. And handling people in certain situations differs very much from another.

I have been at this for a few years and yet, it has always been a constant struggle. People are not static, they are constantly changing. Dealing with bosses is certainly different from dealing with peers, which in turn is different from dealing with subordinates. There's no one size fits all advice in dealing with them. Besides, if an issue arises, we have to resolve it then and there as these are the “in your face” kind of things where one can’t very well sweep a problem under the carpet.

For example:
How does one handle an unreasonable boss?
How does one thread the ground when dealing with local and regional bosses that do not see eye to eye?
How does one deal with a non performing peer who is co-running a project?
How much “face” should one accord the peer before jumping down his/her throat?
How does one deal with an over achiever subordinate?
How much of a leash does one give to an over achiever subordinate?
How much of the whip should one apply and how much of the carrot can one dangle?
How much authority should one delegate to an average Joe?
How much coaching should one give before it becomes spoon feeding?
How much … blah, blah, blah, …
And the list goes on and on ...

It is mind-boggling the amount of engagement, diplomacy and energy needed for this. I’m usually tired out after a full day of dealing with the various relationships and inter-relationships amongst the people I manage and the people who manage me! Being non confrontational yet cognizant of the fact that I should not allow people to bully/step on me, it is always a struggle to find that fine balance.

But ultimately, one learns this very fundamental lesson; "You can’t please everybody all the time."