Does being a manager mean managing people?

Despite what the word itself suggests, being a manager and having to manage people is, in fact, a misnomer. The modern English word is derived from the Latin word manus, which means hand, as in control, and does not include the meaning of man, as in a person. The meaning of the word manage in common usage has today evolved to essentially meaning to be responsible for, and in control of, a bunch of stuff.

I'll start by saying that managing people is something you should always prepare yourself for, because, regardless of whether direct team management is part of your role, you will always have a part to play in managing stakeholders, who are people. However, it's best not to confuse people management with stakeholder management, which is a topic all on its own and will be covered later in this book.

Back to the original question: does being a manager mean managing people? The answer in fact depends upon your exact job or role. Using the broad categories – Team / Development / Project Manager – that we've previously set out, your involvement and level of people management responsibility will differ at various times. Let's explore this question of people management one step further now by thinking about Maslow's hierarchy.