EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
“ People management is a responsibility and a duty, not a side-of-the-job task”
Katie Obi Chief People Officer OneAdvanced and for some leaders, it may seem like a tick-box exercise. But to ensure the right policies and procedures are in place, HR teams should lean into measuring these metrics.
This can be achieved through engagement scores, skip-level conversations and 360-degree feedback, for example. However, Katie insists that measurement is not the full answer.“ If a manager genuinely cares about their team, they’ re already listening,” she says.“ If they don’ t, accountability structures and governance lead to box-checking rather than a behavioural shift.”
As a result, she suggests that the real question isn’ t“ how can we hold managers accountable for listening”, but rather“ do we have the right people in our management positions in the first place?”.
“ People management is a responsibility and a duty, not a side-of-the-job task,” Katie summarises.“ Managerial roles should be reserved for people who actually want the responsibility of developing others, not used as a reward for technical performance, or a means to a title or pay increase.
“ If companies get the selection of people managers right, the accountability question largely takes care of itself.”
Likewise, Leena affirms that this type of leadership does not happen by accident. Instead, it requires organisations to“ invest in building the human skills that enable leaders to communicate openly, navigate uncertainty and engage others with confidence.”
“ When these skills are developed and made visible, radical transparency becomes not just an aspiration, but a consistent leadership practice,” she concludes.
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