What is the best way to learn how to manage other people?

I have been asked this question multiple times over the years. As someone working to turn managers into effective people leaders, I believe it’s valid and important. But what if I said I don’t have a specific answer to this query?

Let’s elaborate…

What I mean is that there is no set pattern for learning people management. For many of us, inspiration comes from our own managers. My first manager was pivotal in defining what good people management looked like. I have also seen my share of people who outlined the opposite quite well. So that’s one: Inspiration from the people around us teaches people management quite well.
But what else? If you are looking for something structured and specific, there are always courses and workshops around such topics. Primarily, you can explore:

• Leadership training programs are longer structured training designed to focus on leadership skills. They often occur over multiple days/weeks and provide good opportunities to network with people in similar areas.
• Leadership workshops and seminars: These are the smaller events, which again focus on specific people management skills and bring subject matter experts on board. They are usually spread over three days at most.
• Virtual training: Ever since the world went remote, training has become more accessible than ever. Virtual training programs can follow either of the above patterns, just that you get it from the comfort of your home.

That’s cool. Let’s think of another direction. Sometimes, we know what people management is, but the trouble strikes only when we sit down to get things done. And then a spate of problems stand up somehow:

• one team member is not accountable
• another is getting defensive at feedback
• and you hardly have time in between this

I have been there too. What worked best in these situations was coaching or mentorship from someone who knew me and my situation well. There’s a slight difference between the two modes. A mentor is someone senior who has been in a role similar to yours and can share insights based on their experience. If you have a great rapport, they are the portal to wisdom that takes you years to build otherwise. A coach, on the other hand, is someone who’s trained to guide you in specific leadership development areas. Leadership coaching has been super impactful for me. I have been at both ends of the table, coached in group and individual settings, and seen the changes closely.

But the thing is, there’s no set way to learn how to manage people. For most managers, it does not appear to be a concern until they are in the middle of a mess. The idea was also the root behind developing my product, Risely, where we take leadership development to every manager in the most accessible format possible. While solving for scale and ease, we have also learned that not every manager is made alike, and neither can the training be. So the game is entirely how you set it up: find what hits and learn with it to unleash your true potential.