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You’re supposed to tell people what to do. All too often, though, people in management positions forget to make expectations clear, so make sure your employees or supervises know exactly what you want from them on every project. Make Expectations Reasonable With budget cuts sweeping the nation, more and more people are shouldering extra responsibilities. From volunteers at non profits to high level employees at large corporations, we’re all working extra hard.
In this climate, it’s important to keep seasonable expectations. Don’t give people tasks that are doomed to failure. If your company or department is suffering from budget cuts or employee losses, productivity may dip, so it’s important not to blame employees for things they’re not responsible for. Correct Mistakes When someone makes a mistake, let them know. This gives them an opportunity to correct it rather than making the same mistake. Correcting mistakes does not mean you’re being a bully. Rather, it means you’re giving people a chance to succeed.
Communicate When you’re in a position of power that allows you to see the big picture, it can be say to forget that not everyone has the benefit of your bird’s eye view. Communicate frequently with people you supervise about future plans, projects, and goals. Make sure to communicate both the positive and negative. Too often, bosses get caught up in criticizing rather than praising, so avoid this common mistake. Treat Employees Like People You shouldn’t be overly involved in your employees’ personal lives in most cases, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to invest in them as people.
Make small talk and convey a sense of genuine care for them as people. Remembering birthdays, offering condolences when someone dies, and creating a team environment can lead to a substantially better working environment. Criticize Constructively Criticism can be beneficial to a person’s Job performance, but not if they feel like they’re being torn down as a human being. Rather than questioning a person’s dedication or competence, give specific instructions about what they can do differently. Don’t engage in blaming or name calling.
Offer Praise Perhaps the most important thing a good boss does is to offer praise when someone does something right. Aim to praise everyone at least twice as often as you criticize them. Even employees who are slacking off or not performing well can benefit from regular praise. When people feel good about themselves they tend to do better. Accept Criticism Perhaps the most critical difference between good bosses and great ones is that great bosses are willing to accept constructive criticism. Ask your employees what you can do to be a better supervisor, and be willing to listen to their concerns.
Don’t Engage in Office Gossip Every office has its own politics, with in groups, out groups, and cliques. Don’t get manage, will suffer. Treat each employee equally, and don’t Judge performance based upon how much you or someone else likes a particular employee. Don’t Be a Pushover It’s true that some of the worst bosses are Just blatantly mean, but being a pushover can be equally problematic. If you’re afraid of confrontation, your employees don’t have a chance to get meaningful feedback and improve at their Jobs.
Work to straddle the line between being a pushover and a bully, and instead be assertive but kind. Your employees will be grateful for your combination of assertiveness and friendliness. 0 QUALITIES A SUPERVISOR SHOULD HAVE The 10 main qualities required are: 1 . Great communication skills: As a supervisor one must communicate clearly and correctly to avoid misunderstandings and frustrations. When receiving information from a subordinate, she should be sure to receive it correctly – There is no harm in asking again if necessary. 2. Adapt to the changes: World is changing at a fast pace.
The efficient supervisors ought to keep up with it. Do not Just blindly follow the age old norms and rules. Think out of the box if required. Adjust to the needs of the organization. 3. Value the employees: The people are any supervisor’s real asset. They are ones running the business and the work. A good supervisor understands their worth and treats them accordingly. 4. A coacher/mentor: Share your experience. A good supervisor shares her wisdom, knowledge and experience with the employees. She helps them perform better. This also strengthens the bond and the trust between them. 5.
Disciplined: If a supervisor is disciplined then only can she expect the people to be so. The boss is an example – Come on time, meet the time- lines, set a behavioral code if necessary. 6. Feedback/incentives: Promotions, feedback, raises and accolades should be showered on the deserving people. 7. Be an example: Be hands on – Do not Just always delegate. At times the boss should take on projects too. She may try picking up something less attractive or uninteresting and complete it wonderfully. This sets an example to all the team about taking up challenges and about how any work is important. . Be approachable: The employees should not hesitate in approaching the supervisor with their concerns and problems. An efficient supervisor will make sure that there is enough trust and openness teeny her and the employees for the latter to come to her with their grievances. 9. Be considerate: People are not Just employees. They have families, friends and a life beyond work. Unless there is something urgent, do not make them work beyond the usual hours. Let them have their weekends and vacations. Be practical when setting the time-lines.
This all will in turn improve the efficiency and the productivity of the employees. 10. Positive attitude: Be polite. Wish employees good mornings and be generous in thanking them. Inquire after about their families off and on. 11. Criticize instructively: When mistakes happen a good supervisor tries and understands the reasons behind the mishap. She criticizes or assesses the employee in proportion to the mistake. And it is always better to not to scream or scold in front of the others. Give constructive feedback; show them the right way to do things.
. Equally important is understanding and incorporating employee feedback. A good supervisor interacts effectively with her employees, maintaining open lines of communication to ensure she stays informed bout project progress and brewing problems. Empathy If you can’t place yourself in your employees’ shoes, you can’t lead them effectively. For example, a parent might not be able to work overtime, or an employee going through a hard time might need temporary special considerations.
Be as accommodating as possible in the face of genuine need, and your employees will be loyal in return. Ability to Delegate A good supervisor excels in delegating tasks to those employees best-equipped to handle them. Proper delegation streamlines a project, ensuring efficiency and maximizing profitability. Poor delegation, on the other hand, compromises a project. For example, if you delegate a vital task to an inexperienced employee, the whole project can slow. Worse, you might have to backtrack to fix errors, an inefficient use of time and resources.
Flexibility No single approach to management works in every situation. Rather, a good supervisor chooses tactics based on the situation. For example, as a deadline nears, you might adopt a hard-line approach to ensure the work gets done. But your employees can’t operate at full-speed perpetually, so adopt a more relaxed approach during downtime between projects. This gives employees time to recover their strength. Confidence Your employees look to you for inspiration. If you seem wish-washy or fearful, they’ll assume you don’t know what you’re doing.
That insecurity will create a negative workplace atmosphere, stifling productivity. But if you display confidence and positivist, your employees will be secure in your skills as a leader. Humility While a confident and positive outlook is important, not every decision you make will work out well. When a project fails or a choice backfires, accept responsibility and learn from the mistake. Don’t blame your employees for problems that resulted from your mistakes. (1) Tame yourself – You have to begin by understanding your personality and taming it.
If you are too quiet, you will need to work on becoming more outgoing and decisive. If you are too decisive, to the point where you scare people, you will need to work on toning yourself down. You want to become a thoughtful, considerate leader who knows where you are going and is able to communicate that properly to the team. (2) Have a goal – If you don’t know where you are going, you will never arrive, and no one will be able to follow you. Your goal can e as simple as “providing every customer with the best service” or “no injuries, no deaths on the Job” or “make a profit. (3) Have a “clear, simple message” – You must be able to convey your goal in a sound bite. People can understand and retain clear, simple messages. You have to be able to repeat the message at meetings, in newsletters and in general conversations. If your people know the message, they will be able to follow. (4) Look and act like a leader – People have a much easier time following someone who looks as they should. Your clothes should be clean and pressed. Your shoes should be polished. You should walk with confidence. (5) Be trustworthy – People won’t follow you if they don’t trust you.
You must be ethical and People don’t trust people who say one thing at a meeting, and then say or do something different outside of the meeting. (6) Care about your people – You can’t supervise people if you don’t like them. You shouldn’t become best friends with your staff, but you should know them and know what their problems are. Because you care, you should attend their weddings, and the funerals of their close family members. Because you are their leader, you should not attend more personal unction’s, such as their birthday parties.
You need to keep yourself concerned with your staff, but not intimately involved with them. If you are really not a “people person,” consider another, non-managerial position in your organization. Ruth Hag (wry. Managerial. Com) is the President and CEO of Hag Environmental Company, a hazardous waste consulting firm. Ruth is also a business management consultant. She trains supervisors to identify their shortcomings and tame them, while creating management systems that focus on their employees rather than themselves.
She is also the author of several books, including a four-book series on supervisory management which includes Taming Your Inner Supervisor, Day to Day Supervising, Hiring and Firing and Why Projects Fail. She and her partner, Bob Hag, host the weekly radio show Manage Living, which can be heard on-demand on her site. 5 most important skills to become an effective supervisor 1 . Delegation skills: This is one of the most important supervisory skills and requires logical rules and technique for proper assignment. Effective delegation saves time, develops people, motivates the team and increases the production.
Poor delegation will result in frustration, De-motivation and creates confusion among the sub- ordinates. The delegated task must be specific, measurable, realistic, agreed, time bound, ethical and recorded. 2. Interpersonal Skills: Employers appreciate supervisors who get along with people at all levels and so they hire supervisors with good interpersonal skills like communication, problem solving skills and team building skills. Interpersonal skill helps to build a trust between you and the sub- ordinates and thus able to work harmoniously and efficiently. 3.
Performance valuation skills: Evaluation of employee performance is one of the most challenging aspects of a supervisor’s Job. This evaluation improves employee’s Job satisfaction and morale by letting him/her know that the supervisor is interested in their Job progress and personal development. This serves as systematic guide in planning employee’s further training, assist in determining special talents, skills and capabilities. PEP also provides an opportunity for employees to discuss Job problems and interests. 4. Training Skills: It is a supervisor’s Job to identify and impart training to the employees on regular basis.
It helps in increasing the Job knowledge and skills of the employees and thus expand the overall personality of the employee to achieve individual goal and organization goals. 5. Decision making skill: This is an important skill required for a supervisor in order to complete their Job responsibilities. Best way is to solve problems by selecting one course of action from several possible alternatives where the positive outcome can outweigh possible losses. Avoiding decision may be easier; however, making own decision and accepting the consequences is the best way to stay control of your time and success.