All businesses rely on effective supervisors. Good supervision often means the difference between meeting targets and missing them. As role models of good practice, HR professionals must possess and display top-notch supervisory skills
Why is it important?
All businesses rely on effective supervisors. Good supervision often means the difference between meeting targets and missing them. As role models of good practice, HR professionals must possess and display topnotch supervisory skills.
The leap from being led to leading can be a daunting one. “You will be the jam sandwiched between your team and the individuals you report to,” says Mike Perrott, consultant at learning and development consultancy MaST International.
But most people have the potential to become effective supervisors, as long as they understand their roles and approach their jobs in the right way.
Where do I start?
As a new supervisor, it is important to clarify your role and objectives to individual employees and to your department.
Accept that you may no longer be part of ‘the gang’ in the same way you once were. This does not mean you have to feel alienated, it is just that the relationship will be on a different footing.
Even if you knew those in the department before, take the time to get to know their strengths and weaknesses and find out what motivates them. What are their personal and professional aspirations? Are there any skills gaps that some training might overcome?
Finally, ensure you have a firm grasp of what they need to do their jobs effectively.
What skills do I need?
Effective supervisors need a combination of technical HR skills and good interpersonal skills. Being technically competent will help secure the respect of the department, as it shows you know what the job is all about. But you also need some core management skills, including being able to communicate clearly, excellent time management, decisiveness, performance assessment, and being able to delegate and influence.
Manage performance
Establish benchmarks and guidelines for performance so everyone has a clear picture of what is required of them. And when allocating or delegating tasks to individual members, make sure your approach is fair and even-handed. “Be sure to delegate effectively, allocate work properly and don’t hold work back without good reason,” advises Perrott.
Give full credit to the team for its successes, both at team and individual levels.
Develop assertiveness
While new supervisors should beware of being too heavy-handed, it is important to assert yourself and be prepared to have difficult conversations in the early days. Find out what the issues are and build your credibility by confronting them head on.
Don’t let a department member get away with something just because you once worked alongside each other, as you will be setting a dangerous precedent.
Similarly, be prepared to query decisions made by your manager or defend the actions of your team if you think it is appropriate, as long as you can back up what you say.
Prepare for pressure
Increased responsibility will mean increased pressure, and it is important to recognise the effect this will have on you. “You must really want to do the job. It will involve personal risk and you will have more pressure in your life as a result of this,” says Perrott.
“This is a job that may require you to hold down your day job and be a supervisor, requiring a great deal of balancing,” he adds. Counter the effect of this by keeping a healthy work-life balance and try to leave work hassles at the office.
For more information
Books
The New Supervisor: How to Thrive in Your First Year as a Manager, Martin M Broadwell, Perseus Books, ISBN 0201339927
Skills for the First-Time Supervisor, Douglas Gordon, Delmar, ISBN 0538432292
The Effective Supervisor, John Adair, Spiro Publishing, ISBN 0852904622
By Scott Beagrie. Courtesy of Personnel Today magazine.www.personneltoday.com.
