Supervising people is truly an art form. That being said, there is a good deal of science to developing the skills needed to be effective as the person in charge. Here are the basic building blocks for becoming the best boss you can be, from a corporate HR director with more than twenty-five years experience managing and training supervisors.
Treat Others the Way You Would Want to be Treated
Treat everyone on the job with respect and courtesy at all times. As a supervisor and company representative, you need to set the example for everyone else. Even the new guy who you may not be inclined to choose as a close friend needs to be shown the same degree of respect as the rest of your crew. You need not be friends with your people, and should actually avoid close friendships with subordinates to avoid real or imagined favoritism, but you do need to give common respect and courtesy.
Treat other employees like adults. If you act as if you expect them to be mature, honest and capable, they are more likely to act to fulfill your positive expectations. The reverse is also true. Treating employees like naughty children is more apt to produce the expected results.
That is not to say that a supervisor leaves the employees unattended. Learn to delegate by giving out jobs or tasks to each of the people you supervise. Some of them, like the older woman who has been there for ten years, may not need close supervision and will meet her quotas and deadlines without follow up. Still others, especially new people, will need to be monitored periodically to ensure that they know what to do and how to do it.
Effective Communications Makes a Good Supervisor Great
You should have departmental meeting with your people on a regular basis and in some cases, where time sensitivity is paramount, daily meetings to ensure that everyone's priorities are the same. Encourage questions and be courteous in answering them so as to encourage others to come forward if they don't understand. If language issues exist, get someone who is bilingual to intercede.
Keep everyone in your group aware of the priorities and the order of priorities so they will do first things first. Avoid telling one employee and expecting him to communicate it to his work mates, unless he is a qualified lead person. This presents the impression of favoritism, particularly if it is the same employee who gets the information first all the time.
Professionalism Sets the Right Example to Employees
Don't bring your problems to work or talk too much about your personal life with your crew. However, be cognizant of the fact that each of your employees will have personal issues that they bring to work from time to time. Allow each to talk about their problems to you and be sympathetic. Giving them an ear once in a while is good, and shows you are human and understanding. If the same person has personal problems all the time, however, beware. You may have a problem employee on your hands. Talk to HR if this occurs.
Part of being a consummate professional is listening to your people. New employees often come to the company from other places where they have been trained to do work in a superior way. Take note and learn from the new guy who worked for a bigger company with lots of training programs. You might have a chance to do things better or faster than before.
Fairness to All Gains Respect From Employees and Peers
It is imperative that you impose the same standards and benchmarks on all employees in the same way. Don't favor anyone or give excuses why an employee cannot do a task. If it is vital to the job, non-performance needs to be addressed with a structured disciplinary program, like an attendance program. Everyone needs to meet the requirements or they need to find another job with different requirements that they can meet. If disability issues become apparent, consult with the HR department or an attorney who specializes in employment issues.
Fairness also equates to promotions and better job assignments. Get your employees ready to be promoted to higher levels by training and developing their skills. Even if it means a good employee will be transferred to another part of the company, by developing your people, you are building a stronger base and your achievements will be noticed by those in higher authority.
A Winning Workplace Starts with the Boss
Your efforts to be positive, to be a winner and to find the good in everything is a gift that can make you a great supervisor instead of just an adequate one. If you take the above steps into account, your winning disposition can motivate your people to win for you as well and ultimately, your department to achieve great results. Give it a try. What have you got to lose besides your trepidation about supervising people?
Was this helpful? Read also How to Manage a Department and Be the Best Boss.
Therese Haberman - With a MS degree and 25 years in HR mgmt, in 2005, Ms.Therese began a writing career specializing in children and HR.
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