The Basics of Supervision.

Read this if you’re a people manager!

What Happened to The Art and Skill of Being a Supervisor?

There have been quite a few articles shared recently that speak about the importance of, and the difference between, being a leader or a manager. While these make for good reading, it appears that use of the word “supervisor” has become a negative and a title or phrase that should be avoided. However, given the productivity and staffing challenges being faced by many today, perhaps we need to rethink and question our paradigm on where to put some of our professional development focus.

Certainly, being an effective leader or manager is a desirable goal for anyone interested in their career and personal growth. And I’m pretty sure we’d agree that employees with supervisory or lead responsibilities want their team members to “Do the right things.” (Leader), as well as “Do things right.” (Manager). But I must wonder if by putting our attention on these sometimes-lofty discussions, we are overlooking or losing sight of the basic skills needed to help us achieve those goals.

Getting Back to Basics

Years of research have suggested that the biggest impact on our personal work climate (how we really feel about going to work each day), is directly impacted by those behaviors that our immediate line manager does or does not do on the job. We can easily test this by asking ourselves a few simple questions…. Who do we think was the best boss we ever had? Why do we think that of him/her? Reflecting on the answers to these questions may give us a clue as to what really is important if we, as leaders or managers, want to positively impact the work group climate of our team, and then as a result, their productivity and performance.

Let’s start with the premise that anyone who is responsible for guiding and directing the work of others, regardless of their level, can be considered a success if they help their team be successful. So, answering the question “What do I need to do to help my team succeed?” is probably where we should start. Referring again to research based on motivational factors and employee performance (satisfiers and dissatisfiers), we might be surprised at the simple behaviors that supervisors can do to positively impact their team’s climate and in turn, help them enhance their performance. And these are actions that supervisors have total control over!

The Key Management Practices

These behaviors, or Key Management Practices as I like to call them, are things that anyone with people oversight responsibilities can do, and if you believe in the research, should be doing. So, first line supervisors, mid-level managers, senior leaders and even executives might want to consider the extent to which they effectively demonstrate these:

Ensuring Job Clarity…Helping an employee understand how they fit into and contribute to the success of the larger team or organization is simple, yet foundational. This is especially true in times of downsizing and equally important as teams grow, add team members, and when roles and responsibilities are reassigned. By ensuring job clarity at the individual level, you are answering the question for the employee of “Why am I here?” and helping reduce member’s stress levels, frustrations, and unproductive rumors and conversations.

Agreed Upon Performance Standards…Simply put, and at the task level, are you and the employee clear and in agreement on the expected output and time frames? Following the principles of a SMART objective, hopefully you and the employee would have the same answer to the question, “What does a good job look like?” Also, the smarter the goal, the easier it is for the employee to monitor and track their own performance which also helps avoid surprises later for the boss and the employee.

Giving and Receiving Feedback…Good or bad, letting team members know how you think they’re doing in a timely manner is critical to helping employees correctly measure their progress on a specific task, project, or overall job performance. Giving this feedback in real time and in a private and respectful manner is equally important and of course impacts how and if your feedback will be received and be helpful. Also, consider if you are open to feedback from team members about your behaviors and how you interact with them. Feedback is truly a gift and answers the question “How am I doing?” for anyone.

Supporting Team Members… There are so many ways we can let employees know they are supported and can get assistance if needed. Being available, reachable, responding to escalations in a timely manner, and advocating for individual and team contributions are just a few examples. By demonstrating these supporting behaviors, we answer the question for the employee and team “What if I need help?”

Providing Rewards…One of the key practices many supervisors say they have no control over. If we’re talking about money, salary, compensation, etc. this may be true. However, managers DO have control over the extent to which they can recognize team members, say “Thank You”, utilize company recognition programs and do other things that employees perceive as rewarding. Assigning high profile/exposure project work and challenging development opportunities may be two examples for rewarding good performers.

Fostering Teamwork…Publicly encouraging and recognizing teaming behaviors helps create a work climate of sharing and helping others. Specific actions such as measuring, tracking, and discussing team goals and progress in team meetings also serve to reinforce and foster teamwork. Unfortunately, there are some who just can’t seem to consistently find the time to even have team meetings and who therefore are sadly missing utilizing this key management practice.

So, How Do You Think Your Team Feels About Going to Work?

With some reflection and targeted discussion, most people managers can probably form a picture of their team’s work group climate. If there’s interest in not only maintaining performance, but enhancing individual and team productivity, you might want to assess your own use of the six Key Management Practices mentioned above. A check-in with your own line manager, or feedback from your team or colleagues, may help identify those practices where the frequency could be increased, or their execution improved.

If you’re interested in receiving a brief self-assessment that you can take to explore your use of the Key Management Practices described above, message me and I’ll be happy to send you a self-scoring survey.

Ken Radziwanowski

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