In any organization, the primary concern of the management is the satisfaction of a range of stakeholders, customers, suppliers and employees. This involves making profit for the shareholders, creating qualitative products at a reasonable price for the customers, and providing best employment opportunities and rewarding the employees. Managing people becomes one of the main functions in running the organization successfully. This article talks about the tactics or strategies of managing people and concludes with a few suggestions on how to win the hearts of employees.

The 5Ms (Men, Materials, Methods, Machines, Money) essential for sustained business success are all inextricably linked, but the central thread connecting them all is people. The statement "Our people are our greatest asset" helps to manage people in the organization effectively, efficiently and economically for the sustained success.

And these people are to be managed in such a way that the organization survives forever on profitable lines. Then what is meant by `manage the people'? Well, it is nothing but management. If we examine the word `Management', we find three words hidden in it, i.e., `manage', `men', `t'. Then what is `t'. It stands for tactfully. Let us first understand what is meant by `tactfully'. The dictionary meaning of tactfully is the skill and sensitivity in handling the people or in other words, it is a sense of what is good and suitable way to deal with others.

Different people have different interpretations and notions about what exactly tactfully means. To few it is strategy, and to others it may be politics, grouping, rule book, love and affection. If you have any other word, you can perceive it in your own way.

A strategy is a plan of action which deals with giving direction, coordinating, and providing a decisional framework. Strategy is different from tactics in real sense. When we deal with military organizations, the term tactics is the answer to how to fight and win, and whether it should be fought at all is a strategy. But in management, both strategy and tactics are used interchangeably. It has been observed that employers/superiors use different strategies/tactics to manage people in their organizations. Let us see the most common tactics used to manage people in an organization.

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