How important are people skills for managers in their career growth and why do organisations and managers not pay much attention in comparison to functional skills?
SN The very term “manager” implies some level of people management responsibility and skills. At entry and junior management levels, the focus is more on problem-solving and execution but even at this level, there is some requirement to interact with other people and influence their behaviours. The first insight therefore is that people skills are not only about supervising, delegating, controlling, etc. The more subtle skills required are around influencing, convincing, persuading, and motivating those people in the organisation, who do not report to you. And these are, at any stage of your career, the more substantial number. It is an interesting question as to why these are undervalued and underappreciated. They are often taken for granted. This approach may have been suitable several...
