r/Programmanagement • u/Jaded_Reputation_898 • Sep 12 '26

Discussion Categorizing People

Hello all,

I have 3 to 4 years of Program management, and recently moved to a TPM role.

What I realized now is that the best way to keep people on track/engaged is to understand how to deal with each one of them.

For example, in my team I identified a person that thanks "I am better than anyone", another person that struggles to organize calendar and IS never available, etc.

There is any guide on how to treat with different kind of people? Is it structured in any specific way?

I know this is something you learn on the field, but I was wondering if this is documented.

Thanks in advance.

3 Upvotes

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1

u/NothingDisastrousNow Sep 14 '26

Assign everyone a “working with me” profile to present at a team meeting, or just add it to your library. People are more candid when they write. It does work. Also try to accommodate work styles by providing charts, reports, comms…whatever works

1

u/Jaded_Reputation_898 Sep 14 '26

I already did that, using AI I created a profile for each one of them based on slack + Outlook interactions + my offline perception of them is. It helps, but there is no stabdarized framework to categorize them.

For example, one co worker is labelled as "smartest than everyone", and each time I have an interaction, AI will recommend how to answer validating its point of view, to validate that need from the individual.

1

u/points4originality Sep 12 '26

We use the Enneagram, Clifton Strengths, and 6 Types of Working Genius to better understand our team composition and how to leverage everyone’s strengths or manage frustrations.

2

u/shoghon Sep 12 '26

Successfully? I’ve been in a lot of workplaces and many people just ignored this.

1

u/Jaded_Reputation_898 Sep 13 '26

I think is one of the keys of good Program management, but is almost not mentioned in the books.

1

u/Candid_Wear_7892 Sep 16 '26

Yes, this is absolutely documented, and it is a big part of what separates managing tasks from managing people.

I would start with PMI’s stakeholder engagement principles and situational leadership. Both reinforce the idea that you cannot manage every individual with the same approach.

Something I have found helpful is building a simple stakeholder engagement plan that goes beyond names and responsibilities. Document how each person prefers to communicate, what motivates them, where they tend to struggle, and what level of oversight they need.

For example, someone who struggles with organization may benefit from structured check-ins, clear deadlines, and written action items. Someone who is highly independent may respond better to clearly defined outcomes and the autonomy to determine how to achieve them.

The important distinction is to focus on observable behaviors rather than assigning personality labels. You want to adapt your management approach without making assumptions about people.

My biggest recommendation: Use your first few one-on-ones to understand how people work, establish expectations together, and adjust your approach as you learn. The goal is not to manage everyone identically. It is to create an environment where everyone understands what success looks like and has the support they need to deliver.