Assessing People Management using Psychometric Test
People management using psychometric test one of the most difficult part of any managerial and leadership role. We could only wish that people or employees came with an operating manual so that we could manage them more effectively. Due to the differences and complexity amongst people, every operating manual would have been completely different. There would, then be, hundreds and thousands of operating manuals available, one unique to each person. Even then, things would probably have been much simpler.
The Importance of People Management Skills
Unfortunately, there is no such operating manual and people are of course, not robots. Therefore, managers must learn the key skills of people management so that they can keep them motivated, develop them and drive their performance. People management is one of the key differences between an Individual Contributor and a People Manager. It is also one of the most critical competencies. At the end, as the saying by Marcus Buckingham goes, “People leave managers, not companies”.
Assessing Managerial Potential Through Psychometric Tests
With that context, assessing managerial potential and people management skills is most important and that is where, psychometric test for managers become important. Most organizations focus on developing their managers as they are responsible for recruiting, retaining and inspiring the assets of the organization. Here are the most important people management competencies that one should aim to assess in managers.
List of People Management Competencies
Affiliation: Managers must be approachable so that doubts can be clarified on time and productivity doesn’t decrease. Affiliation means being warm and amicable instead of being distant and solitary.
Trust
Building trust in the team is most crucial. Especially, if the trust is vulnerability-based trust where each team member can be their true self. To build trust within the team, managers must also trust others easily. Withholding tasks and completing it on their own is a sign that managers do not trust their team. By giving away a task, providing structure, allowing the employee to speak up and giving feedback are all factors leading to building trust.
Assertiveness and Control
These two may be different competencies or can be clubbed together. Either ways, too much people orientation may also be detrimental to productivity and practicing assertiveness and control then becomes important. Managers must intervene when needed and should not leave others to act on their own. At the end, the accountability of a certain task remains with the manager.
Tactical
This is one very important people management competency that can be assessed using psychometric test for managers. Managers need to be tactical and diplomatic when dealing with people, must be able to adapt their conversations and flex their behavior based on the other person. Tactical managers are straightforward and transparent when required and prevent divulging too much information at other times.
Delegation
Managers are responsible for the team’s work productivity and for that, delegation as a competency becomes important. Managers must be able to delegate to develop the team members and to get the work done.
Developing people
Managers must also from time to time wear the hat of a coach or a mentor. They must take out time to support the people to reach their full potential and make them more efficient. Managers must play on individual strengths and create holistic teams to deliver value to the organization.
These were some of the critical people management competencies that psychometric tests for managers can help us assess. Additionally, these tests can also help us assess various other managerial competencies to arrive at hiring and developing decisions for managers.
