Once an employee becomes a manager, he stops to be responsible only for his own work and starts to take responsibility for something he cannot create just himself. Thus, even if there is "Production Manager" or "Project Manager" written on his business card, he must first of all be able to manage people. Any management is primarily a matter of people management. What a manager should mainly know about people was aptly summarized by About.com:
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Every person is unique. He/she thinks differently and is motivated by different things.
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People are unpredictable. They experience different emotions so you can never say with certainty that you know what they will do.
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People are selfish, thinking of their own good and their own interests.
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People can be also generous and help others.
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People are fickle. What interested and motivated them yesterday, may not be valid today.
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People are often afraid, some of them only know how to hide it better.
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Due to the above characteristics, people are fun and you will never get bored.
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People need a leader. If you will not lead them, they will find someone else.
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