The list of interpersonal skills as a manager
includes items that can be invaluable to any type of management position.
1. Conflict Management: Conflict management is an essential interpersonal
skill that all managers need to have an understanding of, according to
management expert Gregorio Billikopf writing on the University of California at
Berkeley website. Do not allow conflict between employees to go unaddressed. If
you see conflict starting to happen, take the employees aside and try to
address the conflict immediately. The longer a pending conflict goes unchecked,
the worse it will be when it finally does result in a confrontation.
2. Body Language: Much of what an employee gets from a conversation
with you comes from your body language and the signals you give, according to
business communication expert Lyndsay Swinton writing on the Management for the
Rest of Us website. Body language signals such as crossing your arms and not
making eye contact can make an employee believe that something bad is about to
happen. Work on your body language skills to make sure you get the point across
correctly every time. Make eye contact with your employee when you are talking
to him, and avoid authoritative signals such as crossing your arms that can
give the wrong impression. By the same token, crossing your arms when you are
trying to make a serious point will help the employee to understand that you
mean what you say.
3. Involvement: When you manage several people, you need to remember
that the individual tasks of each employee are important to them. If you assign
tasks, then keep a log so that you know which employee is engaged in which
projects. Have weekly meetings with employees to discuss the activities they
are doing in their daily job tasks, and stay up to date on what all of your
employees are doing.
4. Confidant: As a manager, you do not want to get too intimately
involved in the personal lives of your employees. But becoming an employee
confidant for the personal issues that affect employees' work performance is a
skill that all managers need to have. If a personal issue is affecting an
employee's performance, then encourage that employee to let you know what is
going on. You cannot help an employee if he does not give you some idea of what
the issue is. Work with your human resources department to come up with
solutions that will benefit the employee and the company.