Managers Interpersonal Skills and Building Relationships

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Managers Interpersonal Skills and Building Relationships

Creating an atmosphere of openness with clear lines of communication is a key factor in organizational success. Managers with good interpersonal skills deal with difficult issues straightforwardly, listen well, share information fully, and stay receptive to bad as well as good news. Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence," describes six vital skills needed for relationship management.

6 Vital Skills for Successful Relationship Management

Inspiration focuses on using other people's wisdom in situations, as well as the ability to connect with people emotionally. When a manager has a vision, this quality relies on understanding the entire purpose of the mission. This skill also includes involving others in the vision and listening to their opinions and thoughts.

Influence is learned and acquired by listening to other people, making others feel important and making them feel like their opinions are valuable. This strategy allows managers to influence others by making the person speaking feel significant.

Developing Others focuses on acknowledging people's accomplishments and strong points, then offering feedback to them. This skill is important because it helps the growth of businesses. Employees who feel valuable and appreciated are likely to accomplish more.

Initiating Change challenges the status quo and makes compelling, logical arguments when change is needed. Change is vital in growing businesses; businesses must be willing to accept change and proceed with it. Managers with good relationship management skills look for ways to overcome the barriers that stop change.

Managing Conflict in a constructive way is a key skill of any successful manager.  Managers with this skill are able to accept different perspectives, and they demonstrate self-control and respect for everyone. Managers with this skill are able to deal with difficult people and situations and look for solutions that everyone can accept.

Teamwork Teams that work well together result in higher performance and productivity levels. Encouraging teamwork includes building and promoting strong teams that communicate and work well together. It also includes encouraging participation from all members and rewarding teams for good work.

Other Key Interpersonal Skills

• Stay positive at the workplace. Smile more often.
• Respect your colleagues. Be polite to everyone irrespective of his/her designation and income.
• Develop effective communication skills (both oral as well as written).
• Make your fellow workers feel important.
• Stand by your colleagues in times of crisis.
• Be honest to others. Being trustworthy helps you gain the confidence of fellow workers.
• Be a patient listener and learn to control your emotions.
• Be a little more understanding and compromising to avoid unnecessary conflicts.