Qualities of a GOOD supervisor

1
Qualities of a GOOD supervisor

• Self-confidence, no ego problem
• Show confidence in staff
• Give credit to staff
• Admit mistakes do not become defensive and
  explain away mistakes
• Admit you dont know everything
• Ask staff to find out, but offer assistance
• Personnel matters YOU find out

2
Good supervisor (contd)

• Apologize to staff if apology is warranted
• Put things in perspective big picture
• Openness open to suggestions
• Openness keep office door open, unless
• Good organization multiple tasks, projects
• Positive attitude, language use challenge not
  problem

3
Good supervisor (contd)

• Be caring and appreciative of staff efforts do
  not say You are paid to do the work
• Supportive attention to individual needs,
  family concerns let staff take breaks before
  you, unless situation requires otherwise
• Praise in public, reprimand in private
• Be fair treat all equally
• Share information (do not use information as
  power)

4
Good supervisor (contd)

• Suggest, do not command
• Explain necessary, mandated changes
• Be a risk taker (keep management informed) in new
  ways of doing things
• Be consistent to extent possible document your
  decisions
• Give breathing room to staff accept some
  variations in outcome

5
Good supervisor (contd)

• Deal with problem employee promptly so that
  others do not think s/he is getting away with it
• Do not micromanage trust employees
• Use modes of communication verbal (personal),
  written (policies and procedures), but all should
  be discussed verbally in meeting

6
Supervisor ultimately ...

• Work gets done without constant supervision
• Upside-down pyramid supervisor supports staff
  who get the work done on daily basis (effective
  work process is in place)
• Supervisor is no longer needed

7
New supervisor promoted within

• Boss to former co-workers
• Do not act like boss all of a sudden
• Ease into supervisory role
• Talk to staff individually, as a group
• You need them more than they need you

8
New supervisor hired from outside

• Learn culture of the organization
• Learn about informal groups, personal dynamics
• Get to know your boss, peers, your staff
• Get history of unit procedures from staff
• Get history of institutional procedures from boss
  and peers

9
Giesecke (2001) suggests

• Stage One (3-6 months)
• Time of learning and assessment
• Learn about units responsibilities, services
• Learn about budgets, resources available to you
• Learn how organization itself functions
• Know members of unit strengths, weaknesses
• No major changes fix obvious problems
• Address well-understood concerns

10
Giesecke suggests (contd)

• Stage Two (4-11 months)
• In-depth learning about the unit
• Feel more part of the organization
• Stage Three (11-18 months)
• Introduce major new ideas and efforts
• Implementation over long time

11
Giesecke suggests (contd)

• Stage Four (18-24 months)
• Consolidate changes you introduced
• Bring stability to the unit
• New procedures are routines by now

12
As a new supervisor

• Meet with your supervisor to find out
• His/her objectives for your unit
• Units objectives in organizational context
• Expectations, special projects
• How he/she communicates with you, staff
• Meetings for you to attend
• Reports, statistics expected

13
Meet with your boss (contd)

• Budget cycle, your role in budget preparation
• Processing equipment/purchase requests
• Evaluation process yours, your staffs
• Whether s/he talked to your staff prior to your
  appointment about what to expect from you

14
As a new supervisor (contd)

• Meet with your staff to find out
• Each persons responsibilities
• His/her perception of top priorities
• His/her concerns you should know about
• His/her expectations from you
• Workload reasonable?
• Areas of interest to pursue?

15
Meet with your staff (contd)

• Position description up-to-date?
• Equipment needs, skills updates
• Resources s/he is responsible for
• Concerns about other units
• Recommend any changes?
• Anything else?

16
As a new supervisor (contd)

• Get to know peers
• Responsibilities of their units
• Interactions between their units and yours
• Their concerns about your unit
• Strengths/weaknesses of your unit
• How do they want units to interact?
• Interaction with your boss

17
Remember as a supervisor

• Nothing that we do is a matter of life and death
• Dont take yourself too seriously
• Dont think you are so important as to be
  irreplaceable
• Relax and trust your staff
• You need them more than they need you

18
Management styles

• Bureaucratic emphasis on rules, regulations
  go by the book
• Autocratic arbitrary keep subordinate
  dependent on manager for instructions
• Democratic we approach team concept
  leaders of the pack requires well-trained
  staff
• Spectator free-reign manager is facilitator
  requires highly skilled expert staff

19
Concepts

• Authority right to give orders/instructions to
  others and use organizational resources
• Power ability to influence others to do what
  you want them to do (without coercion)
• Responsibility obligation to carry out all
  duties to the best of ones ability
• Accountability having to answer to someone for
  your actions or failure to act

20
Source of power

• Position ( authority of position) power to
  instruct, punish and reward
• Personality traits and character e.g.,
  friendly, easy to talk to, explains things well,
  not uptight
• Expertise credential, training/education S/he
  knows what s/he is talking about
• Connection with others in organization inside
  knowledge information about whats going on

21
Terminology

• Supervisor (a type of manager) of people, of
  work process
• Manager focus on results of work processes may
  oversee multiple work processes
• Leader focus on the big picture
• One may play all three roles

22
Motivation Abraham Maslow

• Maslow (1908-1970)
• A Theory of Motivation, Psychological Review
  (1943)
• Motivation and Personality (1954)

23
Hierarchy of needs (Maslow)

• Physiological hunger, thirst, shelter, etc.
• Safety security, protection from harm
• Love (belongingness, social needs) affection,
  belonging, acceptance, friendship
• Esteem internal (self-respect, achievement)
  external (status, recognition, attention)
• Self-actualization cultivate ones potentials

24
Hierarchy of needs in workplace

• Physiological adequate pay (living wage),
  rest periods
• Safety safe working conditions, union
  protection, free of harassment, ergonomics
• Social interaction with coworkers social
  activities in workplace
• Esteem status, merit awards, opportunities for
  advancement

25
Hierarchy (contd)

• Self-actualization needs
• participation in strategic planning
• involvement in planning your work
• freedom to make decisions affecting your work
• opportunities for growth and development
• creative work to perform
• satisfaction of job well done

26
Motivation to remember

• Motivational speaker does not motivate a person
• Words do not motivate a person
• Reward and punishment not effective tools
• Its how ones expectations are met in workplace
  that determines ones motivation (Is this place
  worth my effort?)