What is the primary role needed of a supervisor? Monitor? Guide? Direct? Yes, these are important in developing skill in staff. However, employees want a meaningful relationship with their supervisor, and that doesn’t happen at a distance. Employees in all industries are expecting managers to be interested in and care about their staff. Sure increasing skill in staff is necessary, as is support for building their confidence, interest in career and personal goals for boosting their commitment, and enthusiasm for individual and team accomplishments for amplifying their energy and passion. Organizations hiring supervisors are paying closer attention to the “soft” skills candidate brings to the table. Most importantly, their ability to communicate: clearly articulating information and actively listening to what their staff has to say. When strong communication skills aren’t a priority, managers may make these mistakes.
Mistake One: Lack Interest in Their Staff
To succeed at supervising, you must take a personal interest in your team. Get to know what makes them tick by finding out their goals, hobbies, favorite food, how they like to be recognized, and what motivates them. Knowing what is important to employees and respecting their beliefs and values builds trust and meaningful relationships. Bottomline, staff need to feel valued which requires conversations that go beyond the daily work routine.
Mistake Two: Provided Unclear Direction
In my course Nurturing Collaborative Teams, we spend a significant amount of time on communication, and through a simulation exercise participants see how poor we are at giving direction. Typical challenges are using big words most people can’t understand, getting off topic, talking “around” the point, and not checking for understanding to name a few. Use the KIS principle (Keep It Simple) while working in a socially diverse environment. Simple words, simple sentences, simple direction. Also, do not assume that staff who are nodding in agreement, understand. Ask questions and invite summaries of what you said to check what they know. Finally, when staff are ready to take on tasks independently, clearly state your expectation including what needs to be done with timelines. Make sure to check for understanding and then get out of their way. At this point, you are delegating, which means staff have the skill and confidence to do the task. Sure, it may not be done the way you would do it, but the outcome is the same. PS. If staff are making large mistakes, they were not ready for the task to be delegated to them.
Mistake Three: Micromanage
Micromanaging is giving a task to an employee and then making sure it get’s done YOUR way. You continually check on him and correct him There are many reasons why supervisors micromanage, but one thing is sure, it is about the supervisor’s insecurities, not about the staff’s ability to perform. What the team perceives is a lack of trust in their capacity to do the job, which leads to resentment, poor job performance, and eventual resignation. Simon Sinek says “ A boss who micromanages is like a coach who wants to get in the game. Leader’s guide and support and then sit back to cheer from the sidelines.”
Mistake Four: Avoid Issues
I am a certified mediator and passionate about addressing concerns as quickly as possible to avoid those concerns turning into full blown conflict or grievances, taking time and resources from the organization. Like most people, managers avoid talking through concerns because they have not been taught to have the right kind of conversation and fear of uncertainty has them not responding. After 28 years in leadership, I am confident communication and having tough conversations should be mandatory training for all organizations. I pass on the phrase, “Everybody is somebody’s difficult person,” because so many times in our lives, we come up against people who do not share our beliefs and values; how we address these issues makes or breaks the relationship. Furthermore, supervisors are role models, so if they choose to gossip and avoid conversations, their staff are likely to do the same.
Mistake Five: Don’t listen
I hope you see the communication theme working its way through the blog. Listening to understand is not a strong suit of many managers, and so it negatively impacts relationships with their team. For example, I have a friend who finishes my sentences for me, and it is now a habit. It’s frustrating to have a conversation with her because I know she is not listening to what I am saying and instead is thinking about how to respond. Often, she is wrong, so I feel even less understood and give up on the conversation.
When we listen to understand, we are practicing skills such as paraphrasing, summarizing, checking out assumptions and asking open-ended questions. We try not to interrupt and are sincerely curious to hear what the other person has to say.
Mistake Six: Don’t share the vision
Managers should share the vision, mission, and goals of the organization with their staff. However, supervisors are surprised when I ask if they have a team vision. Their response: “Isn’t the organization’s vision enough?”. It is important to establish a team vision that inspires and provides focus to the work of the team. After all, how does a group move forward without it? A team charter that includes a vision, purpose, goals, shared values, individual responsibilities, authority and reporting expectations communicates how the team works together. New members quickly grasp team priorities, responsibilities, standards and accountability. Furthermore, without setting direction through goals, teams stagnate and miss opportunities for innovation and creativity. With a charter, teams celebrate success, continue to improve, and collectively get the job done. Work becomes “we” instead of “me.”
Communication skills in managers are critical to the health of their team. Without active listening and concise sharing of information, mistakes are made that impact performance, job satisfaction, and team effectiveness.
For more information about being a great supervisor, register for our free webinar training
Remember the Golden Rule: 10 Ingredients for Great Supervision, on Wednesday June 7th, 2017 @ 12PM MST.
P.S. Don’t miss early bird savings up to 20% for GS Classroom Fall 2017 starting June 1st!