People Management is Not a Popularity Contest

One of the biggest shifts people face when moving into management is realising that people management is not a popularity contest.

Many new managers are promoted from within their team and naturally want to preserve the relationships that helped them succeed. The challenge is that trying too hard to be liked can create problems rather than solve them.

For example:

• Avoiding difficult conversations
• Over-explaining decisions
• Blurring boundaries with former peers
• Wanting everyone to agree

While these behaviours often come from good intentions, they can undermine trust and create confusion.

The reality is that trust is not built by being liked all the time. It is built through fairness, consistency, transparency, and accountability.  In other words, meaningful communication.

Here are three principles that will make a significant difference:

Authenticity – People respond far better to people managers who are genuine, honest, and human than those who sound scripted or rehearsed.

Clarity – Teams perform best when they understand priorities and know what success looks like. Without clarity, even talented teams can end up working towards different goals.

Early Feedback – Involving people at the beginning of projects creates ownership, surfaces valuable insights, and reduces resistance later. Just as importantly, leaders need to show that feedback has been heard and acted upon.

Effective communication is not about speaking more often. It is about creating understanding, building trust, and ensuring people feel their voice matters.