Michael Armstrong - How to Manage People: Fast, Effective Management Skills that Really Get Results

• Dealing with Difficult People Roy Lilley

• Decision Making and Problem Solving John Adair

• Develop Your Leadership Skills John Adair

• Develop Your Presentation Skills Theo Theobald

• How to Manage People Michael Armstrong

• How to Manage Projects Paul J Fielding

• How to Organize Yourself John Caunt

• How to Write a Business Plan Brian Finch

• How to Write a Marketing Plan John Westwood

• How to Write Reports and Proposals Patrick Forsyth

• Improve Your Communication Skills Alan Barker

• Successful Time Management Patrick Forsyth

• Taking Minutes of Meetings Joanna Gutmann

The above titles are available from all good bookshops.

For further information on these and other Kogan Page titles, or to order online, visit www.koganpage.com .

Publishers note

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.

First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2008 by Kogan Page Limited

Fourth edition 2019

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:

Michael Armstrong, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2019

The right of Michael Armstrong to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBNs

Hardback978 0 7494 9882 5

Paperback978 0 7494 8481 1

Ebook978 0 7494 8482 8

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Armstrong, Michael, 1928-author.

Title: How to manage people : fast, effective management skills that really

get results / Michael Armstrong.

Description: Fourth Edition. | New York : Kogan Page Ltd, [2019] | Series:

Creating success | Revised edition of the authors How to manage people,

2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018053946 (print) | LCCN 2018055778 (ebook) | ISBN

9780749484828 (Ebook) | ISBN 9780749484811 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: ManagementHandbooks, manuals, etc. | LeadershipHandbooks,

manuals, etc.

Classification: LCC HD38.15 (ebook) | LCC HD38.15 .A765 2019 (print) | DDC

658.8/02dc23

LC record available a https://lccn.loc.gov/2018053946

Typeset by Hong Kong FIVE Workshop

Print production managed by Jellyfish

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY

The aim of this book is to give practical advice to managers and team leaders on how to manage the people in their teams getting the best results from them and dealing with any problems that may arise.

The book focuses on what front-line managers, ie those directly controlling teams of people, have to do themselves. A business may have all sorts of progressive human resource (HR) policies but it is managers who bring them to life. Many managers have to do their job without HR advice and this book is particularly designed to meet their needs.

The 17 exercises in this book are designed to test understanding and to explore issues in greater depth. The appendix contains notes on each exercise.

What do managers do? One answer could be: Get results. So, the manager of a retail outlet is expected to meet and indeed exceed sales targets. But to do this they have, amongst other things, to ensure that high levels of customer satisfaction are achieved. Think about the following news item and ask yourself what is likely to be the difference between the managers concerned.

In 2016, a European gas-station chain hired HappyOrNot, a small Finnish startup, to measure customer satisfaction at its one hundred and fifty plus outlets. One gas station emerged as the leader, and another as the distant laggard. But customer satisfaction can be influenced by factors unrelated to customer service, so, to check, the chains executives swapped the managers at the best and worst performers. Within a short time, the store at the top of the original list was at the bottom, the store at the bottom was at the top, and one of the managers was looking for work. (Owen, 2018)

There could be any number of reasons for the difference but the major factor is most likely to be the ways in which the respective managers managed their teams. This is because, essentially, the role of managers is to get things done through people. To do this they:

• see that the members of their teams understand what they are expected to do and then ensure that they do it;

• ensure that people with the right skills are in the right jobs and that they perform well in exercising their skills in those jobs;

• exercise leadership;

• motivate their staff;

• treat people right that is, fairly and with respect and consideration;

• deal effectively with the problems that inevitably arise in managing people.

Management and leadership compared

Are management and leadership the same or different? Some commentators claim that leadership is the same as management, others see them as distinct but closely linked and just as necessary activities, and others consider management a subset of leadership.

Here are the views of some well-known writers:

• Managers promote efficiency, follow the rules and accept the status quo, while leaders focus on challenging the rules and promoting effectiveness. (Bennis, 1989)

• Managers plan, budget, organize and control, while leaders set direction, manage change and motivate people. (Kotter, 1991)

• Management merely consists of leadership applied to business situations. (Hersey and Blanchard, 1998)

What do you think?

But whether you are managing or leading or both, it can be hard. There are the pressing demands from above to deliver results. Managers carry out their work on a day-to-day basis in conditions of turbulence and variety. It may not be clear what they are expected to do or how they are expected to do it. They have to be specialists in ambiguity. Unexpected events ambush them stuff happens. Decisions lead to unforeseen consequences. And they spend a lot of their time dealing with people who can be difficult, unpredictable or uncooperative.