By Dr. Paul L. Gerhardt, PhD
www.paulgerhardt.com
A vast number of people would say that supervision is about getting results. However, the question is, will supervisors who demand compliance without questions and demand immediate results be effective in their role?
Whether you are a supervisor or not, if you are in a position where you are required to direct other people’s activity, then you definitely need to review your supervisory skills. The main objective in leading people is to maximize potential for getting better results.
Essentially, effective supervision can be boiled down to building positive working relationships. Although trust between people requires some time to develop, once it does, supportive efforts and thoughts can be applied to whatever situation occurs. A result of effective leadership can be seen when conflicts become minimized, cohesion among employees is evident and time is maximized.
The best leaders know that supervisors should be able to trust each employee to get their tasks done satisfactorily and exceptionally. Likewise, each employee should be able to trust his or her supervisor to give perceived ample support and fair compensation.
Generally, employees have high expectations for leaders in their workplace. Employees want and need to be treated respectfully and with dignity. When there is trust, a strong working relationship builds the commitment that gets the work done.
Effective supervisors understand the importance of training their employees and helping develop each one properly. It truly should be seen as a sincere joy to take time to refine employee’s skills. The benefit of this is quite obvious. Employers can lower costs by retaining employees and helping each employee see themselves as challenged and valued. In doing so, workers should have the skills and support to meet the future needs of the organization. Training also benefits the employee as it gives him or her, an opportunity to grow and take on new roles and responsibilities within the workplace. Responsibility and opportunities for growth motivate.
Employees who no longer feel that they can grow within an organization will most likely seek better employment elsewhere. Consider this, if the company takes the time to train their employees to use new technology and updates the employees’ skills with handling contemporary technology, the employees would most likely find reasons to look elsewhere.
Supervisors must also be coaches. Coaching is all about developing employees to become self-directed and make effective decisions. It takes a great deal of effort and time to always have to stand over someone’s shoulder to make sure the work gets done. With all the responsibilities that supervisors have, it pays and makes excellent sense to trust employees enough to be able to delegate work and support employees through coaching.
There are often cases where supervisors are tasked with resolving conflicts. Conflict resolution is very important as any conflict within a team can affect the performance of the employees. When performance gets affected, the bottom line can get impacted. It pays to learn how to develop conflict management skills.
The workplace must feel safe for all involved. Supervisors are often tasked with maintaining safety. This to is a very important skill that must be taken seriously and involves proper training. Supervisors must make it clear that safety is crucial. This may initially and often be done by communicating to the employees that they are valued and vitally important. Having a safe place to work helps the organization to become more productive. Lower costs keep organizations strong, which ultimately should result in more job security for everyone.
Excellent supervisory skills are vitally important! Making sure that your leadership skills are kept sharp can be the best investment anyone can make. The benefits of effective leadership skills are higher profits, enhanced productivity, increased employee confidence, greater employee satisfaction, a safe work environment and a positive workplace with an improved bottom line.
