Survival Skills for Supervisors and Managers
Roberta Cava
Published by Cava Consulting
info@dealingwithdifficultpeople.info
http://www.dealingwithdifficultpeople.info
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Copyright 2002 - 2011 by Roberta Cava
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ISBN 0 9580132 25
Survival Skills for Supervisors & Managers.
Whenever work is delegated to others, the person responsible for their actions is their supervisor. It doesn’t matter whether those individuals have the title of supervisor, foreman/woman, manager, department head, superintendent, executive or CEO – if they’re supervising others – they’re supervisors. Survival Skills for Supervisors and Managers offers detailed, proven strategies for handling many supervisory issues
Survival Skills for Supervisors and Managers is for those entering a supervisory/management position or are already supervisors/managers but are running into difficulties doing their job properly. To learn more about supervising staff, be sure to look at Roberta’s book Easy Come – Hard to Go – the art of hiring disciplining and firing employees.
Roberta Cava is the owner of Cava Consulting in Australia and has presented her seminars worldwide, including her most popular session: Dealing with Difficult People that has been presented to over 52,000 participants. She is the author of 20 books and will be writing more.
BOOKS BY ROBERTA CAVA
Dealing with Difficult People
(22 publishers – in 16 languages)
Dealing with Difficult Situations – at Work and at Home
Dealing with Difficult Spouses and Children
Dealing with Difficult Relatives and In-Laws
Dealing with Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
Dealing with School Bullying
Dealing with Workplace Bullying
What am I going to do with the rest of my life?
Before tying the knot – Questions couples Must ask each other
Before they marry!
How Women can advance in business
Survival Skills for Supervisors and Managers
Human Resources at its Best!
Human Resources Policies and Procedures
Employee Handbooks
Easy Come – Hard to go – The Art of Hiring,
Disciplining and Firing Employees
Time and Stress – Today’s silent killers
Take Command of your Future – Make things Happen
Belly Laughs for All! – Volumes 1 and 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My gratitude is extended to the thousands of participants of my seminars who have contributed ideas on how they handled their supervisory/management roles. Special thanks to the participants of my most popular seminar Dealing with Difficult People who showed by their comments that their most difficult people were more often than not - their supervisors and managers.
DEDICATION
Dedicated to those participants of my Survival Skills for Supervisors and Managers and especially those who had been given supervisory and management positions with little or no training. Many of those participants paid for their own training because their companies simply would not do so.
SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR
SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS
Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Role of the Supervisor / Manager
What is a supervisor/manager?
Qualities of a good supervisor
Why supervisors/managers fail
Role of the supervisor/manager
The person in the middle
Responsibility
Authority
Accountability
My role as a supervisor
Supervising former peers
Socializing with your staff
Chapter 2 - Leadership Styles
Leadership
Use of leadership skills
Good leadership
Bad leadership
Leadership styles
What is your leadership style?
Theory Y vs. Theory X
Getting to know your staff
Leadership behaviour
Alternative leadership approaches
Chapter 3 - Delegation
Delegation
Excuses for non-delegation
Risks of delegation
The delegation process
Delegation Do’s and Don’t’s
Sample delegation problems
Demotions
Standards of performance
Position descriptions
Knowing your employees better
Analyzing your job
How much do you delegate?
Chapter 4 - Motivation
Motivation
What motivates most employees?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Altruism
The need Hierarchy at work
Herzberg’s Theory
Problem employees
Understanding frustration
Common ways we see anger expressed at work
Keeping an employee’s desire to contribute
Performance appraisals
How often should performance appraisals be done?
Pet employees
Job enrichment/enlargement
How do you motivate your staff?
Chapter 5 - Time Management
The Busy man
Areas of life
Principles of time management
Time log
Bottlenecks
Different kinds of tasks
Swiss cheese approach
Complex long-term assignment
How to choose priorities
Bring forward file
The in-basket
Reward vs. punishment
Daytimers and “to do” lists
Solutions to time wasters
How to manage interruptions
How to prevent interruptions
Are you at fault?
How to control crisis
Assistant’s suggestions to bosses
Procrastination
Five types of procrastinators
Lateness
Summary
How much time do we have?
Time breakdown
Chapter 6 - Interpersonal Skills
How to listen
Tune outs
Blocks to effective listening
How do you rate as a listener?
Improve your listening skills
Qualities of a good listener
How do you rate as a speaker?
Communication tips
The communication process
Message loss through repetition
Communication process
How to avoid being misunderstood
Skill of paraphrasing
Skill of feedback
Process of feedback
Feedback steps
Non-verbal communication
Space bubbles
Territory
Physical clues
Employee’s body language
Chapter 7 - Problem Solving and Decision-Making
Three criteria required for problem solving
Sample problem
Dealing with your own problems
Problem solving and decision-making guide
Driving and restraining forces
Brainstorming
Planning for problem solving
The importance of planning
Planning factors
Jobs skills inventory chart
The change process
Meeting objections head-on
Making change happen
Conflict resolution
Creative problem-solving
Chapter 8 - Training and Development
Qualities of a good trainer
Teaching adults
Characteristics of adult learners
Differences in adult/child learners
Learning process
How to ‘lock in’ training
One-on-one training
Determining training needs
Testing abilities of employees
Dimensions tested
Manpower planning
Training needs of supervisors
Learning a new skill
Training of others
Retention of information
Training vs. development
Career development
Training procedure
Tangible/intangible behaviour
Setting objectives
Sample objectives
Identifying costs of training
Methods of instruction
Methods I use
Preparing for a seminar/workshop
Group vs. individual activities
Technical vs. life skills
Theoretical vs. practical training
Bridging
Timing of training segments
Use of training aids
Re-enforcement of training
How to keep participants motivated
Instructor’s apparel
Presentation skills
Chapter 9 - Meeting Skills
Conducting meetings
Role of the chairperson
Planning a meeting
Using and developing group’s unique talents and abilities
Overcoming cultural or personality differences
Evaluate
Follow-up
Preparing for a meeting
Avoiding planning blunders
The use of questions at meetings
How to chair a meeting
Types of meetings
Meeting traps
Problem participants
Conclusion - Putting it all together
Bibliography
When I first started offering my Dealing with Difficult People seminars way back in the early ‘80s, I assumed that the most difficult group of people faced by those in the workplace would be difficult clients. My second guess was difficult colleagues, co-workers or workmates. I was wrong in making these assumptions because overwhelmingly, the most difficult people identified by my participants were their supervisors or managers!
Why was this the case? Because most of their supervisors/managers/department heads (and anyone else responsible for getting work done through other people) had not received the basic training necessary for them to successfully supervise others. These difficult supervisors made mistakes such as:
Embarrass their staff by disciplining them in front of workmates or clients.
Label staff’s behaviour (stupid, dumb) or make sarcastic remarks, instead of trying to correct the actual behaviour of the staff member.
Don’t give recognition for a job well done. Instead, they concentrate on the two percent of the things their staff do incorrectly, instead of the ninety-eight percent they do properly.
When dealing with customer complaints, they don’t back up their staff and don’t give employees a chance to tell their side of the story before acting. (Should say to the client, “Let me investigate this and I’ll get back to you.”
Don’t provide an up-to-date job description with key performance indicators and standards of performance for the tasks performed by their staff.
Don’t provide the necessary training to fill the gap between job requirements and employee’s skills.
Conduct performance appraisals on staff without a proper job description upon which to base their evaluation. (If the employee doesn’t know what’s expected of him/her, and the supervisor doesn’t know either - how can a fair evaluation of the performance be conducted?)
Have one set of company rules for staff - another for themselves. Bend the rules when clients go over the head of front-line staff, causing embarrassment for staff members.
No set policy and procedure manuals available. Rules and regulations of the company are not clearly defined.
Harass staff (either through bullying or sexual harassment).
Do nothing to improve the employee’s interest in their jobs. Some are afraid their employees are now ready to compete for their job, so do as little as possible to develop their skills for their next step up. (It’s a proven fact that more supervisors are not promoted because there is nobody prepared to take over their existing job.)
Are not available when their staff needs their help. They say they have an “open door policy,” but are always “too busy” to deal with their staff’s problems.
Won’t listen to their staff’s suggestions about better ways to complete tasks. The person doing the job normally has the best ideas on how to do the job better, faster, and more efficiently.
Are perfectionists and expect everything to be done perfectly. Just because they can do the job in ten minutes (they have fifteen years’ experience) they expect the newcomer to do it in the same amount of time with the same amount of accuracy.
If this describes your actions - seriously consider getting the necessary tools to do your supervisory or management job properly.
When I became aware of how desperately supervisors/managers needed this training, I decided to expand the seminars I offered (through colleges, universities and private industries) to include one on supervisory skills. After 900 hours of research, I ended up with over one hundred pages of handouts. This was a "crash course" because most companies could not spare their staff for more than two or three days at a time.
Since then, thousands of participants worldwide have attended the seminar. Participant's evaluations ranged from, "Where were you when I first got my supervisory job?" to, "I had an M.B.A. and still hadn't learned what I needed to know to be an effective supervisor. Your seminar filled that gap."
The success of my seminar, and the fact that I have already written several books already, stimulated me to put my findings into book form so I could share the information with a larger audience.
This book is geared towards those who might be entering a supervisory or management position, those who have been making the above mistakes, and those who are already supervisors or managers, but are running into difficulties doing their jobs properly.
CHAPTER ONE
THE ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR/MANAGER
Did
you realize the responsibilities you took on when you agreed
to take that promotion to the position of supervisor or manager? Did
that position ask more from you than you had expected it to? If so,
you're not alone.
Most supervisors and managers (at some time or another) ask themselves, "What was I doing when I accepted this position? It demands from me twice as much as I thought it would. Everyone's pulling at me - my boss from above, my staff from below, and my new co-workers (other supervisors/managers) from the side!"
The secret to this transition is knowledge. Knowing what you're expected to do and how you should handle different situations are the keys to successfully supervising others. No longer are you just responsible for your own actions, but you're responsible for your staffs' as well. This is the big difference between being a worker and being a person who supervises others.
What is a Supervisor?
A supervisor is anyone who is responsible for getting work done through other people. This includes, clerical supervisors, foremen, managers, executives, and even CEOs. Supervision isn't easy - it's hard making the transition from being told what to do, to making decisions for others. It's also difficult to rely on others to complete assignments for which you (the supervisor/manager) are held accountable.
What does it take to be a good supervisor? I'm sure you could come up with a long list of your own. Probably some of the following would be on that list:
Qualities of a Good Supervisor/Manager
Communicates well
Open to new ideas
Flexible and organized
Good time manager
Patient
Foresighted
Keeps employees informed
Dresses the part
Is fair and consistent
Approachable
Good motivator
Available
Open to criticism
Delegates well
Uses positive reinforcement
Good leader
Gives constructive discipline
Self-controlled
Good problem-solver
Assertive
Can pace him/herself
Empathetic
Knowledgeable
Comfortable with power
Encouraging of others
Tactful
Willing to accept responsibility
Good role model
Personal life in order.
If you’re a supervisor, ask yourself how many of the above qualities you have. Have you determined some that you don’t have? Is there anything you can do to gain those qualities?
Why do supervisors fail?
Think of supervisors you’ve worked for in the past. Did any of them do things that made them failure as a supervisor? In addition to NOT having the qualities (listed above) the following can also result in failure for supervisors.
These supervisors are:
Indecisive
2-faced
Too authoritarian
Too friendly
On a power trip
Supervising former peers
Promoted too early
Late
Procrastinators
Perfectionists
Indecisive
Afraid to delegate
Workaholics
Disliked by staff
Inconsistent
Distracted
Moody
Unpredictable
These supervisors have:
Poor work ethic
Poor judgement
Poor leadership abilities
Nervous or emotional problems
These supervisors:
Ignore problems
Show bias or favouritism
Lack training
Don’t back up staff
Harass staff
Don’t keep promises
Expect too much of others
Staff more qualified than they
Use passive or aggressive behaviour
Abuse drugs or alcohol
Lack team spirit
Family life in chaos
Allow nepotism (relatives or friends in company)
Do you have any of the above undesirable qualities? If so, what could you do to remove them that will make you a better supervisor?
The Role of the Supervisor/Manager:
If you're in a supervisory position now, or are getting ready for one, you'll have little success in fulfilling the requirements of your role unless you have all the following responsibilities:
1. Delegate work to subordinates
2. Check subordinate's work
Most supervisors and foremen have these two responsibilities, but unfortunately some don't have the next two:
3. Conduct performance appraisals
4. Discipline subordinates
Another responsibility that's an advantage is:
5. Hire your own staff
If you have only the first two responsibilities, you're in a "lead hand" position. This is a "no win" situation, so you should speak to the person who conducts performance appraisals and/or gives the discipline. Suggest that they handle the first two responsibilities as well, or that you have the latter two (three if possible) so you can do your job effectively.
To give you more information on these essential responsibilities:
Delegate Work to subordinates: These are the actual tasks you give to your subordinates for completion.
Check subordinate’s work: This is where you check your employee's completion of tasks to see that they're done properly. You'll check quantity and quality of the task performed and how long it took to complete.
Conduct performance appraisals: YOU should be the one that does the performance appraisal for all your subordinates; nobody else. Your supervisor shouldn't do them, because s/he's not directly responsible for the work of your subordinates. S/he might review your findings to see if they're fair, but YOU complete the appraisal on each employee you supervise.
Discipline subordinates: Because your staff ends up making you look either good or bad, you need this control to correct production and/or behaviour problems. Most companies withhold permission for supervisors to fire employees due to the importance of fending off charges of "wrongful dismissal." This should be handled by those specially trained in its implementation. (This and the next topic are covered in my next book: Easy Come - Hard to Go - The Art of Hiring and Firing Employees).
Hire your own staff: This is a plus - but not always allowed by companies. Try your best to have input into the hiring of the people who work for you. If you’re on different wavelengths, it can be very difficult for both of you to work as a team.
How does your supervisory position measure up? If you don't have the first four responsibilities, you're in trouble. You'll receive questionable respect from your subordinates, and have little control over the outcome of their work. If you don't have that control over your employees, and they do an unsatisfactory job who looks bad? You do!
The Person in the Middle:
Many supervisors didn't prepare for the transition from worker to supervisor. They were not aware of how they'd be "The person in the middle." Try to visualize the supervisor as being in the centre of a five petalled star. This person is no longer just responsible for his/her own actions, but responsible to the following groups. They're:
1. Subordinate to their bosses (usually managers).
2. Responsible to other staff groups in the implementation of policies and procedures.
3. If they work with a unionized company, they're responsible to unions as mediators.
4. Responsible for their own staff.
5. Responsible for co-operating with other supervisors.
Here are more details on these responsibilities:
A. Responsibility to the department or company
1. Knowledge of supervisory techniques and the skill to use them.
2. Production - quality and quantity of work.
3. Good leadership and handling of employee relations.
4. Economy in operation and cost effectiveness.
5. Planning and co-coordinating work with other sections to avoid duplication of costs and effort.
6. Knowledge of, and continued improvement of policies and procedures as required.
7. Establishment of standards of performance for one's work group - both quantitative and qualitative.
8. Estimates of budgets and control of costs within estimates.
9. Proper care and use of equipment, materials, and supplies.
10. Loyalty and open communication to one's own supervisor.
11. Knowledgeable about company organizational charts and where his/her unit fits into the overall picture.
B. Responsibility to Staff:
1. Indoctrination and introduction of new employees. (You introduce new employee to other staff. Delegate one employee to show your new employee the ropes. This would enable the new employee to learn such things as; where to find the washroom, when and where coffee breaks and lunch breaks are held, etc.
2. Knowledge of rules and regulations. Have you read your company's policy and procedures manuals - if not, why not? They contain the rules, regulations, policies and procedures that relate to all employees. Are these policies and procedures up-to-date? If not, see that they're updated so you and your staff know what the company expects of you.
3. Adequate instruction so employees can complete assignments properly. (See Chapter 8 -Training and Development).
4. Delegation of accurate, definite, and reasonable assignments.
5. Recognition, respect, and praise when due.
6. Fair evaluation of performance and treatment.
7. Good working conditions and pleasant work group.
8. Having a good disposition, appearance, and attitude.
9. Freedom to get on with the job without too much interference.
10. Staff allowed freedom of expression and given constructive criticism.
11. Keep staff informed of all changes and reasons for them.
12. Sympathetic help and consideration with personal problems.
13. Loyalty and the defence of the group. Be willing to stand up for your staff.
C. Responsibility to Unions:
What does the union expect of the supervisor?
1. That you'll give fair treatment to all employees.
2. Avoid grievances by using good management practices.
3. Communication of all changes affecting employee relations.
4. A reasonable approach in formal discussions.
D. Responsibility to Other Supervisors:
What do supervisors expect from each other?
1. Co-operation and a mutual understanding.
2. Knowledgeable of objectives, responsibilities, and priorities of the company and departments.
3. A reasonable approach to conflicting interests.
4. Knowledge that if anything is changed in one department, it may affect other departments.
E. Overall Responsibilities:
These responsibilities fall under the heading of five management functions:
Planning: coordinating, scheduling, budgeting, and setting production objectives;
Organizing: task identification, giving of responsibility and authority;
Staffing: job requirements, recruitment and selection, training and development;
Directing: guiding, supervising, motivating, orienting;
Controlling: performance appraisals, disciplining, assessing objectives, and correcting errors.
The role of the supervisor then, is to get work done through other people by planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling.
Here are some other supervisory terms used when delegating tasks:
Responsibility:
This is the actual task that requires completion.
Authority:
Means the subordinate has the authority to complete the task. For example: You’ve given one of your staff the responsibility of ordering office supplies for your department. The employee makes a list of what staff members require and takes that list to the Supply Depot. The Supply Clerk refuses to fill the order and says, "You don't have signing authority for your department."
You made a mistake - caused embarrassment to your employee - and wasted valuable time.
Another supervisor asked one of his staff to go to the Human Resources Department to pick up an employee’s personnel file. Because the file was confidential, the employee required written permission to release it. The employee returned without the file.
So, make sure your staff has not only the responsibility (the task) but also the authority to fulfill their obligations.
Many supervisors believe that if they delegate a task to an employee, they can divorce themselves from the responsibility of that task. This is not so. The following information will help you understand this concept:
Accountability:
There are two levels of accountability:
1. Delegated Accountability:
The supervisor gives the responsibility (task) to the employee. The employee is accountable to the supervisor for the task.
2. Final Accountability:
The final accountability remains with the supervisor who delegated the task to the employee. Because you have this final accountability, your staff has the ability to make you look good or bad. This is why it's essential for you to have the authority to discipline staff and conduct performance appraisals.
The Role of The Worker vs. The Supervisor:
Here are the major differences between workers and supervisors:
Supervisor: Typically works with people, ideas and plans.
Worker: Typically works with tools, material and equipment.
Supervisor: Produces through others by training them and by building a climate that encourages them to perform well.
Worker: Directly produces a product or performs a service.
Supervisor: Often must make decisions concerning employees, material, machines and schedules with incomplete information.
Worker: Often works under precise instructions on specific jobs
Supervisor: Plans work with and for others.
Worker: Follows plans for own job.
Supervisor: Responsible for work of others
Worker: Responsible for own job.
Supervisor: More duties in varied areas.
Worker: Duties usually limited and competitive.
Supervisor: Essential part of the organization
Worker: Essential part of an organization.
My role as a supervisor:
What is your role as a supervisor? In writing (being as realistic as possible), complete the following questions:
1. My duties as a supervisor:
2. Supervisory duties I feel I do well:
3. Supervisory duties I must handle better:
4. What specific training do I need?
Did you have trouble completing #1? This would happen if you don't have an accurate up-to-date position description. If you don't have one, see Chapter 3 to help you prepare an accurate one.
#2 will identify things you are good at. (You should do things you're good at as often as possible). If your job doesn't give you this satisfaction, obtain training or move on to a more suitable position.
If you've identified anything in #3, decide whether you need clarification from your manager, or require on-the-job or outside training.
In #4, if you need training, by all means ask for it. Because of belt-tightening, many companies may tell you they can't offer you the training you think you require. Try negotiating with them. Offer to pay half of the costs of training, or sign an agreement that if you leave the company within two years you'll pay for the training.
If they still refuse to pay for your training - pay for it yourself! It will be one of the best investments you can make, and will put you ahead of others in your company who didn't receive the training. Stop waiting for "big brother" (your company) or something external to change your life. Somehow find a way to get the training you need.
Supervising Former Peers:
In talking with supervisors (especially new ones) they identified that criticizing or disciplining employees is their hardest supervisory responsibility. This is especially true if they're supervising former peers.
How should you handle the first day on the job where you're suddenly responsible for supervising your former peers? What kinds of problems could this cause? What kinds of feelings are involved? How will the unsuccessful co-workers react to you being their new supervisor?
Former Peers may:
- feel jealous, envious, angry
- feel they are better qualified
- unco-operative
- sabotage your efforts
- don't respect you as a leader
- gang up on you
- expect favouritism or bias on your part
- they know your weaknesses and take advantage of them
New Supervisor may:
- go on an ego trip
- may show bias, favouritism
Let's say you're the new supervisor and you know that several of your former co-workers applied for the position you obtained. You'll likely fail if you don't handle that first day or week properly. It's necessary to diffuse any feelings of envy and jealousy your new subordinates might have. Hopefully, before your first day on the job, your manager will have explained to your former co-workers why they did not receive the promotion. This should not be your job, so don't try to handle it.
On your first day, your manager should call a meeting where s/he introduces you to your new staff. The manager then leaves, so you can take over the meeting. How you conduct the rest of the meeting often determines how your new staff accept you.
If you anticipate hard feelings, deal with your former co-workers' feelings first. Start by saying, "I know a few of you applied for and wanted this promotion. I can understand that you may feel a little upset that I got the position instead of you. The company chose me, so what we do from now on depends on how all of us work together. I need your support to handle my job properly. In return, I'll do everything I can to be a good supervisor. Can I count on you to help me do a good job?"
Then have each member make a commitment to you that they will give you their support. Ask, "Margie. how about you, can I count on your support?" "Dave?" And cover every employee in the room. The body language of the employee will tell you whether to expect further difficulty from any employee. If s/he’s made a verbal commitment to you, s/he’s much more likely to cooperate in the future.
If however, you see reluctance in his/her answer, don't let the moment pass by. State, "Margie, I detect a little hesitancy from you? What can I do to make the situation a little easier for you?" If the employee remains difficult, you may have to call her in privately to deal with the issue. If poor productivity or negative behaviour continues (and especially if it's sabotage) activate stronger discipline. Nip the problem in the bud - don't let it grow and flourish and contaminate others in your section.
Socializing with your new staff:
Before your promotion, you normally went out on Friday night after work with a few of your co-workers. Should you still socialize after work now that you're supervising your former co-workers? Many would say yes - that if you didn't, your staff would assume that the position "had gone to your head,” or, “you're too good for them now!"
Be careful on this one. If you do still socialize with your former co-workers, follow one rule. That rule is that you never talk about business during social times. This is necessary, especially if you do not socialize with all your new staff. It’s easy for other staff to assume you'll show favouritism to the ones you’re socializing with.
It's time too, to look at your new situation. You now have a new peer group. What is this new peer group? They're your new co-workers - other supervisors. Cultivate their friendship so you can obtain information through the informal network that keeps you knowledgeable about what is going on in your company.
We'll now move on to the different leadership styles you can use with your new staff.
1
CHAPTER TWO
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Leadership:
John F. Kennedy believed leadership to be "Inspiring people to put forth their best effort."
General Eisenhower demonstrated leadership with a simple piece of string. He'd pull it on a table and say: “Pull it, and it will follow wherever you wish - push it, and it will go nowhere at all.”
It's just that way when it comes to leading people. Leadership isn't something that comes automatically just because you have people working for you. Leadership depends on followers. If people won't follow a boss's lead voluntarily - if they always have to be forced - s/he's not a good leader.
Leadership depends on your ability to make people want to follow, voluntarily. Bosses who prod (rather than lead) rarely get the best out of those who work for them. All these employees want is to keep their boss off their backs.
Most people want to do a good job, as long as someone appreciates their efforts and encourages them. That's where a leader must put his or her greatest effort - in showing employees that their work is valued and appreciated. Keep in touch with what and how your subordinates are doing. Supervisors must get away from their desks and spend time in the work area so they "get a feel" for the actual working conditions.
Keep an "open door" policy, so employees having problems fulfilling their tasks can discuss alternative approaches.
Keep employees informed of any changes that have occurred which will affect the outcome of their duties.
Leadership Skills and Traits:
Here are some of the skills and traits of a good leader:
Respected by peers
Energetic
Others seek his/her ideas
Enthusiastic
Is a risk-taker
Influential
Persevering
Independent
Comfortable with power
Goal oriented
Knows what’s going on
Self-confident, assertive
Has many new ideas
Creative
Organized
Flexible
Caring of others
Empathetic
Willing listener
Understanding
Good motivator
Personal life in order
Delegates well
Sense of humour
Trainer
Responsible.
How many of these do you have? Are you missing any? What do you think you can do to improve those you feel you're missing?
Use of Leadership Skills
In addition to the above-mentioned skills, add the following supervisory skills:
Intellectual/Cognitive skills
1. Figures out what’s wrong; shows others how to solve problems.
2. Handles abstract ideas and sees a broad perspective; sees the whole picture, while others may focus on parts.
3. Plans and follows through.
4. Projects into the future, seeing consequences of decisions.
Personal skills:
1. Judges appropriateness of own decisions, directions or suggestions; gauges appropriateness of own timing in these same areas.
2. Copes with unpleasantness. (This would include disciplining or laying-off employees or helping employee deal with personal or co-worker problems).
3. Is able to absorb interpersonal stress.
4. Is able to tolerate ambiguity, delay, and frustration.
Interpersonal skills:
1. Listens to, observes and recognizes the skills and abilities of others.
2. Interacts with others easily; has the ability to inspire confidence in others.
3. Perceives and articulates unstated feelings; recognizes and states goals, problems, ideas and interests of group.
4. Follows well. Does not bad-mouth his/her superiors.
5. Supports members of the group; accepts responsibility; is able to determine appropriate behaviours and courses of action.
6. Organizes others, directs activities, delegates responsibility and establishes the mood of the group.
Good Leadership:
Good leadership is a precious commodity. Many employees have a difficult time identifying someone who was a good leader.
Can you remember a supervisor in your past that brought out the best in you? What did s/he do that was different from the average leader?
These exceptional supervisors probably gave the impression that:
a. S/he had faith in his/her staff’s abilities.
b. Took the time to find out what his/her employee’s abilities really were;
c. Knew which employee was a whiz at organizing a large quantity of material and let them use that talent;
d. Knew which employee had the talents to deal with a particularly difficult client.
To accumulate this knowledge, wise supervisors:
a. Know the talents and abilities of their staff;
b. Have examined employee personnel files to learn what their staff have done in the past, which organizations they may belong to etc.;
c. Have enough interest in his/her staff as human beings to identify their strengths (and weaknesses) and to use their strengths in the workplace. (see chapter 3: delegation).
S/he trained you properly and:
a. Coached or trained employees properly before setting them free to do their jobs;
b. Gave his/her staff enough rope to do their job, but pulled them in when it looked as if they were heading for trouble;
c. Made sure that the gap was filled between the employee's qualifications and the needs of the position by either on-the-job or outside training; and
d. Tried to make sure his/her employees were ready for their next promotion. (see chapter 8, training and development).
S/he encouraged staff:
a. By concentrating on the 98% of the work his/her staff did right, not the 2% of the work they did wrong;
b. Made sure his/her staff was aware of their responsibilities;
c. Made sure his/her employees knew that it was okay to make mistakes, as long as they learned from them, and didn’t make them again. (see chapter 4 - motivation).
S/he recognized his/her employees’ talents:
a. Showed them talents they didn't even know they had;
b. Encouraged them to stretch their talents and abilities
c. Helped employees reach their full potential;
d. Made employees feel like doing almost anything for them, if they asked.
e. Found their employee’s "hot buttons" that made them want to do their best for him/her; and
f. Seemed to know what motivated each member of his/her staff. (see chapter 4 - motivation).
Bad Leadership:
Can you remember a supervisor in your past that brought out the worst in you? What did they do that made this happen? Did they give you the impression that:
1) You couldn't do anything right. Did they concentrate only on what you did wrong, but never said a word about what you did right? Did they give you the impression that you weren't very smart?
2) That you needed a firm hand to make you work hard. Did they use an authoritarian (18th century) style of management with you? Were they important, but you weren't?
3) That you didn't need to know anything about the company except how to do your job correctly? Did they imply that the less you knew about the company, the better it would be? Did they appear unsure of their own abilities?
4) Never considered you for a promotion. Did they keep you from obtaining the training you required to progress in the company? Were they threatened by your talents and abilities; react as if you knew too much?
These are all characteristics of a supervisor who sets you up for failure. Make sure you make every effort to be like the first kind of supervisor described - the supervisor you respected.
Do you feel leaders are born - or do they develop as they mature? Both situations are true. If you've ever watched a group of very young children together, you'll soon see one or more leaders emerge. Others will be contented to follow these leaders.
Later, when these children grew up, they could either remain the same or change course completely. Some early leaders become the "class clown" who often alienate others and have their leadership taken from them. Some early "followers," after consistent positive feedback from their parents, teachers, and friends, become self-assured enough to become leaders. Many become leaders when they gain the knowledge, maturity and self-confidence required.
Leadership Styles:
Leadership styles differ from highly authoritarian (Theory X) to highly employee participative (Theory Y). Most leadership styles have changed from authoritarian to participative in the last century because:
Changing social values. The class system of the 18th century meant there were large social and business gaps between management and workers. It was seldom possible for a worker to obtain a managerial position unless something unusual happened.
Legislation protecting workers' rights. No longer are 10-year-olds expected to put in 16-hour days. Employees have regular coffee and lunch breaks. Employees now have vacation and statutory holidays, etc.
Supply and demand on the labour market. Mass production of items and diversification of products has meant there are more jobs with more qualifications required, which lessens the gap between workers and management.
Competition - both domestic and foreign. The availability of communication and travel between countries has made it possible for international trade. This increased competition within countries as well.
Declining profit margins. At the turn of the last century it was not unheard of to obtain 30% profit for a product or service. There are many ‘middlemen’ involved, rather than the producer selling directly to the consumer.
Profit margins are lower because of mass-production of articles through the availability of automation and robotics. Competition with international markets has caused profit margins to remain low.
Higher level of formal education of workers and management. The gap between workers and management has lessened because there are more intermediary levels between the two extremes. Most free world populations believe that anyone can achieve the level of position they want, if they want it badly enough. They believe the opportunity is available for anyone to become what they want in life providing they have the ability to do so.
Unions and their power. Unions stepped in at the beginning of the century to fight for the rights of the workers. They were necessary to take employees out of the squalor they often had to work in. On the negative side, unions today are making it almost impossible for some companies to stay in business. This in turn, increases the unemployment level.
What is Your Leadership Style?
Here are the differences between the two following theories:
Theory Y vs Theory X:
Theory Y Assumption 1: People are naturally active, they set goals and enjoy striving.
Theory X Assumptions: People are naturally lazy. They prefer to do nothing.
Theory Y Assumption 2: People seek many satisfactions in work, pride in achievement, enjoyment of process, sense of contribution, pleasure in association, and new challenges.
Theory X Assumptions: People work mostly for money, status and rewards.
Theory Y Assumption 3: The main force keeping people productive in their work is the desire to achieve their personal and social goals.
Theory X Assumptions: The main force keeping people productive in their work is fear of being demoted or fired.
Theory Y Assumption 4: People normally mature beyond childhood. They aspire to independence, self-fulfillment and responsibility.
Theory X Assumptions: People remain children grown larger – they’re naturally dependent on leaders.
Theory Y Assumption 5: People close to the situation see and feel what is needed and are capable of self-direction
Theory X Assumptions: People expect and depend on direction from above. Don’t want to think for themselves.
Theory Y Assumption 6: People who understand and care about what they’re doing can devise and improve their own methods of doing work.
Theory X Assumptions: People need to be told, shown and trained in proper methods of work.
Theory Y Assumption 7: People need a sense that they’re respected as capable of assuming responsibility and self-direction.
Theory X Assumptions: People need supervisors who will watch them closely enough to be able to praise good work and correct errors.
Theory Y Assumption 8: People seek to give meaning to their lives by identifying with nations, communities, churches, unions, companies and causes.
Theory X Assumptions: People have little concern beyond their immediate material interests.
Theory Y Assumption 9: People need ever-increasing understanding. They need to know why they’re ding what they’re doing and how it fits in with the company’s objectives.
Theory X Assumptions: People need specific instruction on what to do and how to do it. Larger policy issues are none of their business.
Theory Y Assumption 10: People crave genuine respect from their fellow man.
Theory X Assumptions: Pay people well, and they’ll be happy.