Supervisors and Managers...

Supervisors and Managers Training

The Professional Supervisor

Self-Study Guide

Velsoft LearningWorks Training

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How to Use This Guide This Self-Study Guide is designed and laid out in a way that will guide student learning much in the same way that an instructor would. This workbook is comprised of several modules called Sessions. Each Session focuses on a major concept in the course. In each Session, we have included short-answer and (in some instances) multiple choice questions which relate directly to the Session material. Several times throughout the guide, you can take the opportunity to internalise what you have learned by completing the self-reflection exercises entitled “Making Connections.”


Table of Contents Session One: Course Overview ........................................................................................................ 1

Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 1 Pre-Assignment ....................................................................................................................... 2

Session Two: Adjusting to Your Role ............................................................................................... 5 A Survival Guide ...................................................................................................................... 5 Making Connections ............................................................................................................... 6 Case Studies ............................................................................................................................ 9

Session Three: A Supervisor’s Responsibilities .............................................................................. 15 Session Four: Making Plans ........................................................................................................... 16

Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 16 Urgent-Important Matrix ...................................................................................................... 18 Exercise: Prioritising .............................................................................................................. 19 Exercise: Types of Task ......................................................................................................... 21 The Elements of Planning ..................................................................................................... 22 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 24 Allotting Time ....................................................................................................................... 24

Session Five: Setting Goals ............................................................................................................ 25 The Basis for Planning ........................................................................................................... 25 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 27

Session Six: Leadership .................................................................................................................. 28 Exercise: What Is Leadership? .............................................................................................. 28 Leadership Research ............................................................................................................. 29 The Leadership Formula ....................................................................................................... 31 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 33

Session Seven: The Situational Leadership Model ........................................................................ 36 The Situational Leadership Model ........................................................................................ 36 Applying the Situational Leadership Model (Exercise) ......................................................... 38

Session Eight: Problem Employees ................................................................................................ 39 Particular Problem Employees Case Studies ........................................................................ 39

Session Nine: Synergy .................................................................................................................... 47 What Is a team? .................................................................................................................... 47 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 50

Session Ten: Trust .......................................................................................................................... 51 A Bond of Trust ..................................................................................................................... 51

Session Eleven: Team Development ............................................................................................. 55 The Four Stages of Teams ..................................................................................................... 55 Exercise: How Can I Help? .................................................................................................... 58 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 62 Team Leadership ................................................................................................................... 63 Characteristics of Vital Team Players.................................................................................... 64 Case Study: Bill Newman ...................................................................................................... 65 Discussion Questions ............................................................................................................ 67

Session Twelve: Communication ................................................................................................... 69 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 69 Defining Effective Communication ....................................................................................... 71 Active Listening ..................................................................................................................... 71


Asking Questions .................................................................................................................. 72 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 74

Session Thirteen: The Communication Process ............................................................................ 75 Steps to Effective Communication ....................................................................................... 75 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 77

Session Fourteen: Motivation ....................................................................................................... 79 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 79

Session Fifteen: Orientation .......................................................................................................... 82 The First 48 Hours ................................................................................................................. 82 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 86

Session Sixteen: Training ............................................................................................................... 91 On-the-Job Training .............................................................................................................. 91 Making Connections ............................................................................................................. 93

Session Seventeen: Providing Feedback ....................................................................................... 97 Types of Feedback ................................................................................................................ 97

Session Eighteen: Delegation ...................................................................................................... 101 Exercise: Delegation Definitions ......................................................................................... 101 Making Connections ........................................................................................................... 102 Exercise: When Not to Delegate ......................................................................................... 105 Making Connections ........................................................................................................... 107 Degrees of Delegation ........................................................................................................ 108

Session Nineteen: Dealing with Conflict...................................................................................... 109 When to Get Involved and How to Resolve Conflict .......................................................... 109 The Problem Solving Process .............................................................................................. 111 Making Connections ........................................................................................................... 112

Session Twenty: Discipline .......................................................................................................... 113 What Is Discipline? .............................................................................................................. 113 Making Connections ........................................................................................................... 116

Session Twenty-One: A Personal Action Plan .............................................................................. 117 Post-Assignment (Pre-Assignment Revisited) .................................................................... 117 Starting Point ...................................................................................................................... 121 Short-Term Goals and Rewards .......................................................................................... 122 Long-Term Goals ................................................................................................................. 122

Summary...................................................................................................................................... 123 Recommended Reading List ........................................................................................................ 124

The Professional Supervisor 1


Session One: Course Overview

With a host of new challenges and responsibilities to tackle, new supervisors need training like never before. Learning how to supervise your new employees on a trial and error basis can lead to discouragement. The lessons in this course can help you overcome many of the problems a new supervisor may encounter. In this course we discuss the various ways to deal with transitioning into your new supervisory role. We review the responsibilities and commitments of a supervisor to their staff, and their organisation as a whole. You will learn leadership and conflict resolution skills as well.

Learning Objectives

The exercises and investigations in this course will help you:

Clarify the scope and nature of a supervisory position.

Learn some ways to deal with the challenges of the role.

Recognise the responsibilities you have as a supervisor, to yourself, your team, and your organisation.

Learn key techniques to help you plan and prioritise effectively.

Acquire a basic understanding of leadership, team building, communication, and motivation, and what part they play in effective supervision.

Develop strategies for motivating your team, giving feedback, and resolving conflict. Take this opportunity to consider your personal objectives and reasons for taking this course.



Pre-Assignment

In this Pre-Assignment we would like you to rate your supervisory skills. Use the rating chart below to assign a rating value to each skill.

Rating Chart 1 = Fair 2 = Needs Work 3 = Good 4 = Very Good 5 = Excellent

Item Rating Skill

Role As A Member of The Management Team:

1 Understand your role as a supervisor

2 Maintain good working relationships with colleagues and senior management

3 Foster quality consciousness in the work group

4 Have effective ways to eliminate stress

5 Be able to see the overall picture

TOTAL

Your Organisational Skills:

6 Define work objectives so they are clear to employees

7 Prioritise work to be done

8 Handle details effectively so things don’t slip through the cracks

9 Use a planner to schedule work

10 Manage multiple priorities, projects, and assignments

TOTAL



Item Rating Skill

Your Leadership Skills:

11 Help others build self -esteem

12 Manage a diverse workforce

13 Use the technical, organisational, and human support available to improve job performance

14 Establish and maintain high performance goals for the unit

15 Be a role model for your employees

TOTAL

Your Communication Skills:

16 Provide clear directions or instructions

17 Use questioning techniques to collect information

18 Encourage feedback from peers, work group, and supervisors

19 Provide timely feedback on performances

20 Really listen to what others are saying

TOTAL

Your Interaction/Team Skills:

21 Develop work teams to prepare them for future responsibilities

22 Understand and accept the potential of team work

23 Build a climate for effective team functioning

24 Work with people of diverse aptitudes and attitudes

25 Recognise individuals for the contribution they make

TOTAL



Item Rating Skill

Problem/Conflict Resolution Skills:

26 Handle and resolve conflicts as they arise

27 Be proactive in identifying potential problems

28 Be creative when solving problems

29 Recognise conflict as a positive element in a work group

30 Follow up to see if solutions are really working

TOTAL

Pre-Course Score

Add together your points for each category of your pre-course assignment and enter them here.

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TOTAL



Session Two: Adjusting to Your Role

Moving into a new role that demands increased responsibility and authority can be a major adjustment for you, as well as for those who work around you. You may find yourself in an uncomfortable position of supervising your friends, which can lead to difficulties. In this session, we address some issues that may arise as you transition into your new role as a professional supervisor. We provide you with some helpful advice to make your role change successful. You will be answering questions dealing with the topic of supervision in two case studies.

A Survival Guide

Often, new supervisors feel that they’re thrown into the deep end. They’re not sure where to start or what to do first. This course is an excellent beginning to your new role. However, there are four keys to surviving life as a supervisor – now or ten years from now. Ask for help. This is not the time to be a superhero and pretend that you know everything. Remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question. Ask others for advice, including your own supervisor, your colleagues, and experts in the area. It’s even OK to ask employees questions, as long as they’re the most likely source of information. (For example, you wouldn’t want to ask them about the company’s disciplinary process, but you might want them to walk you through how they approach a particular task.) Ask for resources. What people and/or materials do you and your employees need to do a better job? Make a list of these items, how it would improve job performance, and how it would generate profit. Then, submit your requests in writing, and keep copies for your records. Remember, you won’t receive anything if you don’t ask. Find a mentor. Find someone that you can turn to for advice and guidance over the long haul. A seasoned supervisor is ideal, but anyone that you know and trust (and that is knowledgeable) will certainly be able to help you. Set limits. Learn to say, “No,” to plan, to prioritise, and to manage your time and resources. This is something we’ll talk about later on in the course.



The Average Supervisor

Research by the Atlantic Region Management Training Centre has shown that the average supervisor has the following characteristics:

Between 31 to 50 years of age

Usually between five to 15 years with the company

Less than five years supervisory experience

Promoted from the ranks (they were best at their job so let’s promote them)

Traditionally high school educated with some technical skills

One in three has completed university

Making Connections

The Transition

Usually people are promoted because they are good at doing something. Then they have to learn how to be good at doing something else. What are the biggest differences between being an employee and being a supervisor?



How can I master this new identity?

How can I overcome fear of failure?

How can I act as a role model for my employees?



Dealing with Older Employees

The key here is to treat them as individuals, respect their skills, and give them opportunities to shine, but refuse to be bullied into accepting behaviour that isn’t right, such as disregarding safety. Even employees who are about to retire have a lot of valuable information to share if they are encouraged. Ask for their input. Research tells us they are just as interested and capable of learning as younger employees, providing they have the opportunity and don’t feel threatened. Organisations who at one time didn’t want to spend training dollars on older employees because of a fear they wouldn’t learn (or that they would learn, but leave and take that expensive knowledge with them), are beginning to realise that with the skills shortage they can’t afford to leave one segment of the workforce out of the loop when it comes to training.

Dealing with Friends Who You Now Supervise

Everyone needs friends, and friendships in the workplace can survive providing there are guidelines. Most of the supervisors who have been successful maintaining their friendships say they talked it over with their friend and made an agreement to only talk work at work, never during their social time together. Other guidelines include going to parties and social events but leaving earlier than the others, and never getting intoxicated in company with the people they supervise.

Supervising Union Members

Know the union contract inside out. Keep the lines of communication open with both union stewards and with all employees so everyone hears the same message: you want to work with them for the benefit of everyone. Make friends with the union steward but don’t rely on them to always get your message out to the employees. Settle grievances at the lowest level possible, hopefully before they become official grievances. Organisations don’t usually like supervisors who cause a great number of grievances. On the other hand, you don’t want to be seen as a pushover, so again, know your contract. If you are new and don’t know the contract, find someone who will explain it to you, so you know what you can and cannot do.



Case Studies

Read the following case studies and answer the discussion questions.

Case Study 1: The Friendly Supervisor

Upon her promotion to supervisor, Ann Rogers was determined to maintain close relationships with as many employees as possible. Ann wanted to be considered one of the group and made it a point to become involved in many off-the-job social functions. She was successful in forming, as well as maintaining, numerous personal friendships among her workers. As time passed, Ann realised that this decision caused considerable difficulty in performing her duties. Employees took advantage of the personal friendships and failed to develop respect for her as supervisor. Many workers ignored her requests, did not work any harder than they wanted to, and became undisciplined in performing work assignments. As a result, productivity declined and the work unit became disorganised. George Mullen, her boss, had not given Ann any indication that he was aware of the situation. However, Ann believed that he must know something about what has been happening. She was reluctant to approach him on the matter, but she knew something had to be done to avoid further complications.



Discussion Questions

If you had the opportunity to advise Ann, what would you suggest?

What should George’s role be?

Do you have any additional suggestions that can help new employees make a smoother transition?



Points to Consider:

The Friendly Supervisor

Anne was naïve to assume she could remain friends with all her employees without any discussion of the change that had taken place, once she accepted the role of supervisor.

Like Jim, Anne needed to talk with the employees about her expectations and their expectations. She had a new role with new responsibilities and that should have been addressed up front.

You can be friendly with employees without being friends with them.

Work friendships belong at work.

People who take advantage of you are not friends anyway.

George has a role to play here as well. He is shirking his duty by not talking with Anne; preferably before damage was done to the department.



Case Study 2: The New Supervisor

Jim Carter had just been appointed supervisor in the Production Department. He had previously been an employee in the same branch and had replaced Joe Jackson, his former boss who had retired. One Friday afternoon at 4:15, Jim was returning to his office from a meeting when he met two of his employees, Pete and Mike, on the stairs, dressed for going home. “Where are you guys off to?” asked Jim. “Just nipping off early to avoid the traffic,” Pete replied. “You shouldn't be doing that,” said Jim. “We've got another three quarters of an hour to go yet. Now, come on, get back in there, and get to it.” “Come on, Jim,” said Mike. “You know you always used to do it yourself when you were in our shoes. Let's go. Have a good weekend!” Jim barred their way. “Just a minute,” he said. “Times have changed now. I'm the boss, not old Joe, and unless you guys get back upstairs and work till 5:00, I'll make sure you get docked for it.” Pete and Mike went back upstairs without a word, but Jim didn't get much co-operation from any of his staff that afternoon, and hasn't since.




What did Jim do wrong?

What advice would you give Jim now?

Do you have any additional suggestions for new supervisors to make their transition easier?



Points to Consider

The New Supervisor

We as supervisors are not always right. We don’t lose face by refusing to back down; but we do gain stature when we are willing to apologise. In this instance Jim would apologise for his approach, not because employees should not be asked to work until the end of their workday.

One of our first acts as a new supervisor should be to sit down with employees and discuss what they expect of you and what you expect of them. Obviously Jim hadn’t done this.

New supervisors must be wary of acting rashly. If supervisors have a history of doing what they are about to ask others not to do, they had better take some time to develop a rationale for their changed behaviour. For example, Jim could say he had never realised the cost to the company to leave early time after time.

Aggressive behaviour rarely wins the day for us. A calm approach without arrogance will serve us far better in the long run.

New supervisors should never speak disparagingly of their predecessor. You can’t build yourself up by tearing others down. This is actually a good rule at any time.



Session Three: A Supervisor’s Responsibilities

Although there is glory in accepting a supervisorial role; such as financial and professional gain, there are standards you must live up to. You will be responsible for leading others in your team, while at the same time being accountable to your managers. At first, it may be challenging to achieve a balance in your new responsibilities. In this session, we briefly outline your new responsibilities as a supervisor. Understandably, you will have specific responsibilities in your own job, but here we discuss the fundamentals. Every new supervisor should adhere to these responsibility recommendations.

Fundamental Responsibilities

Regardless of what industry you work in, there are some fundamental responsibilities to management, to your team, and to you, that you must be prepared for. Responsibilities to Management

Projects are on time, on budget.

Kept informed of progress and of possible problems.

To defend their position/point of view in public, while you address your criticisms to them in private.

Responsibilities to Workgroup

Your support and recognition in public, while you address criticisms to them individually and in private.

Fair and consistent interpretation of rules, regulations, and policies.

Opportunities for them to grow and develop.

Safe work environment.

Communication. Responsibilities to Yourself

Recognise your competence and your successes.

Recognise you can’t do it all. Learn from failure and go on.

Commit to continuous learning.

Balance. Nobody ever said on their deathbed, “I wish I’d spent more time in the office.”



Session Four: Making Plans

To become successful in your new supervisory role, you need to make a plan for your upcoming activities. Not only for your long-term future, but for your short-term future as well. There are several planning and time-management techniques you can learn as you consider your new responsibilities and the projects you will be supervising. In this session, we describe the planning process that you can use as you return to your work. A planning matrix that categorises urgent and important tasks can help you to plan your own activities, as well as your team members’. As you implement these strategies into your work routine, your employees will begin to see the advantages of time-management, and planning.

Making Connections

Old Saws

You have probably heard these old saws many times. Discuss what these expressions mean to you, as related to your professional, supervisory role. A stitch in time saves nine.



He who hesitates is lost.

Paralysis by analysis.

All the plans of mice and men oft go awry.



Urgent-Important Matrix

An important part of planning is deciding what is urgent and what is important. The matrix below describes four quadrants in which to categorise your tasks; each with a particular level of urgency and importance.

Urgent: Failure to complete it by a certain time will conceal or reduce the benefit of

doing it permanently.

Important: Needs doing but doesn’t have the time constraint. The timeline can change.



Types of Tasks

Both types of tasks have a place. If we are less than adequate planners, having considered the ROI of what we do, we tend to get struck in firefighting mode or crisis management, where everything is urgent. This would not have happened had it been dealt with in a more organised and timely manner. Another way tasks can be broken down is by progress or maintenance.

Progress Task: You believe this task may move you towards a position which is fundamentally better than the one you are in now. These usually exist in your head, are rarely urgent, are usually new, and are often uncertain.

Maintenance: These tasks do not move you forward, although they may very well keep you from falling back. We do more of these because they are obvious. They are usually urgent (such as month end financial statements), we are comfortable with them, and they are easily justifiable. These tasks tend to be safe.

Exercise: Prioritising

For each task, determine whether it is progress or maintenance and urgent or important. Then, prioritise these items.

Maintenance/Progress Urgent/Important

Your Ranking

You want to have lunch with your boss. (45 minutes - 1 hour)

You were instructed the day before to prepare your equipment budget for the next twelve months. (2-3 days)

You open up your email and see 53 messages waiting for you. (1-1½ hours)



Maintenance/Progress Urgent/Important

Your Ranking

You need to talk to one of your staff about the new computer program coming online next month. Staff training has not been scheduled and you are afraid there will be glitches that effect clients if staff isn’t trained properly.

You have a stack of unanswered mail that has been labeled “high priority” that you feel must be attended to urgently. (1½ hours)

You'd like to catch up on the professional journals that are piled on your desk. (1 hour)

You need to prepare a presentation for a meeting slated for next month. (2 hours)

There is a meeting at 2:00 p.m. for all supervisors, but you don't know what it is about.

There is a rumour that there will be some major staff changes coming down the line that could affect your whole department.

One of the critical employees in your department is out sick today and you must find a replacement if you are to fill an important order for a client.



Exercise: Types of Task

In terms of the Urgent-Important Matrix, in which quadrant do you spend most of your energy and resources?

What activities/tasks fall into your Urgent-Important Matrix?

What are the routine tasks or interruptions for you?



What are the things you should be doing that provide greatest opportunity or pay-off?

What are the trivial activities that may cause you to waste time?

The Elements of Planning

Plans are what come out of the planning process. Plans are what you intend to do in the future. Before you can develop plans, however, you must set targets – goals or objectives. There are four elements of planning:

Goals: Goals or objectives specify future conditions the planner wants to attain.

Actions/Strategy: These are the preferred means, or courses of action, to reach those objectives.

Resources: Time, equipment, people, etc. that are always in short supply and that put constraints on the action. These have to be considered as you set targets and develop your strategies.

Implementation: Ways and means, including the assignment and direction of personnel, to carry out the intended action.

Typically, the goals you set for yourself (or that are set for you) will be a part of the company's overall objectives. They will be targets to aim for in the near future. They will pin down your department's output, quality of workmanship, and allowable expenses.



The Efforts of Others

Recognising that part of what supervisors do is get work done through the efforts of others. To achieve this, they must schedule and prioritise. They must organise resources to make sure plans hit their targets/goals, that:

People are at work on time

Resources aren't wasted

Machines are in good repair and able to give their expected daily output

Services will be of the highest quality to ensure customer satisfaction Your work targets/goals will be achieved through short-range planning. Check your habits. If you are too busy to worry about anything but today, chances are you spend your time fighting fires that could be avoided by planning a week or even a month ahead of time.

Employees and Change

Employees have confidence in someone who is willing and able to plan their work well for them. Nothing breaks down morale like continual crises. Employees don't like change. They like going home at night fairly certain of what they will do tomorrow and that the tasks will be ones they feel able to do. If you show them you can schedule the work smoothly, employees will feel more like pitching in when the occasional emergency comes up.



Making Connections

Planning to Plan

"Failing to plan is like planning to fail.” — Sir Winston Churchill

What are the essential things to look for when you purchase a day-planner?

What are the key strategies for using a day-planner successfully?

Allotting Time

Once we begin using a planner, we sometimes have a tendency to only make note of meetings we must attend or other activities that must be completed, without allotting the time required. For example, if you are attending a meeting that will take up two hours of your time, block out that two hours. Then you have a more realistic sense of how much time has been used and how much time you have remaining to use. The next step, however, is when you leave that meeting, if you have made a commitment to do a task that will take more than 30 minutes of your time, schedule it in your planner.



Session Five: Setting Goals

Part of the responsibilities of your new role as a supervisor requires you to define your organisation’s common vision for the future. In order for your employees to become motivated and productive in their job, they need to understand the destination which they are working toward. If there is no shared vision, there will be no teamwork within your organisation. In this session, we demonstrate to you how setting goals can be a very effective way of motivating your employees as new supervisor. You are encouraged to remember the acronym “SMART,” as you develop goals in your business. As well, we discuss other characteristics of realistic goals.

The Basis for Planning

Goals and objectives are the basis for planning. As the Cheshire Cat said to Alice, "If you don't know where you are going, then any road will take you there." And that is often how we approach life. We just live, and if we end up where we want to be, hey, that's great. If we end up where we don't want to be, hey! That’s life. We can do a bit better than that, if we really want to. The first element in planning is knowing what we want to achieve, and the way we word our goals is the biggest factor in helping us achieve them. Lucky for us, some smart person has come up with an acronym to help us remember these characteristics. Goals should be SMART. S=SPECIFIC When we make our goals too general we aren’t able to visualise them, and if we can’t see them, we have a hard time devoting our efforts toward reaching them. We are more apt to do a good job of redecorating the bathroom if we have a picture in our mind of how it will look when it’s done. M=MEASURABLE If we can’t measure a goal, we have no idea how close we are getting to reaching it, and that can be de-motivating. For example, you have decided you will save some money from every payslip in order to take a holiday this summer. But if you don’t set a specific amount each pay, and you don’t have an amount you want to reach, you are less apt to put the money away. A=ATTAINABLE



We sometimes think that we should set high targets or goals for ourselves, in order to grow and stretch. Well, we do want to grow and stretch, but if we set goals that aren’t doable, we soon get discouraged and we stop trying. The really high achievers in the world know this. They set goals that they know they can reach, with a little stretching, and when they get there, they set another goal they know they can reach. They climb the mountain one foot at a time. R=RELEVANT Goals have to make sense, and have some importance, or they will soon be discarded. Set goals that make sense to you. (Another word that is often used for the R in this acronym is Realistic.) T=TIMED Put a deadline on your goals. Deadlines are great for getting things done.

The Three P’s

You will also want to make sure that your goals have the three P’s.

Personal: There has to be a buy-in.

Positive: You won't want to work towards if it isn't.

Put in writing: Remember and can refer back to for all of the above. Make them Personal. You set goals because you want to reach them, not because your boss or your spouse wants you to. Similarly, when you are helping your employees set goals, they must be goals that your employees want, not the goals you want for them. Without buy-in, you are wasting your time. Make them Positive. We can create negative energy by saying what we aren’t going to do, but the effect is more sustainable when we say what we will do. Goals aren’t just about work. You are a whole person with many more sides to you than just your skill as a supervisor for your organisation. While you are thinking about setting goals, let’s think about areas in which you want to set goals. Put these goals or targets in writing. So everyone will remember them all the time and work towards them.



Making Connections

A Goal in Mind

In the space provided, use the SMART acronym to describe a goal you have in mind for your future. This goal can be personal or career orientated, but it must be aligned with the three P’s. Take your time with this exercise, to ensure you have included all of the different aspects of setting goals.



Session Six: Leadership

There is no single definition of leadership that we can give to you that would be fully comprehensive of the experiences that you will encounter. One of the many positive characteristics of a successful leader is their humble attitude toward knowledge. Leaders must realise that time, experience, and their business environment will influence the leadership style they develop. In this session, we will introduce a brief history of leadership studies, underlying the topic of professional, organisational supervision. We imagine this information to be a starting point from which your leadership skills can grow.

Exercise: What Is Leadership?

How do we define leadership?

Our definition: The art of influencing others to do something desired by the leader. A leader cannot be a leader without followers (individuals who are influenced to take action by another person). Name some individuals who you regard as world leaders (living or dead).



Leadership Research

A Leadership Survey

In 2007, consulting firm Blessing-White surveyed nearly 8,000 employees, and found that the most important leadership characteristics were:

1. Empathy 2. Trustworthiness 3. Business aptitude 4. Depth 5. External attunement 6. Clarity 7. Responsibility 8. Internal attunement

A Great Person Approach

Another way to examine leadership is using the “Great Person" approach, and search for universal characteristics common to all leaders. When researchers looked at the lives of people like Churchill and Lincoln, both of whom are considered great leaders, they found that both men had suffered personal defeat many times. Churchill was sent home from school in grade four because his teachers said he was too slow. Lincoln ran for office and was defeated 19 times before he became President of the United States.

The One Best Way Approach

The next stage of leadership studies was an attempt to find out what effective leaders did. The idea here was if it could be discovered that leaders did, then people could become effective leaders by doing the same thing. This can be thought of as "the one best way" approach. However, once again, research was inconclusive. The way one leader got results might in no way resemble the way another leader got similar results.



It All Depends Approach

The next major step was to look at the relationship between the situation in which the leader acted and the way the leader behaved. This "it all depends" approach led to the development of a number of contingency or situational theories of leadership. What these theories had in common was the idea that a leader's behaviour should be determined by the nature of the situation. In other words in situation A, leaders should do X to be effective, while in situation B, leaders should do Y to be effective. Research has generally found support for this idea. Firefighters battling raging fire respond better to certain kinds of leadership behaviour, while volunteers for the United Way, for example, who are planning their door-to-door campaign respond better to other leadership styles.

Leading Effectively

A leader who used the same approach in both situations, even if the people were the same individuals, would not likely be equally effective in the two situations. Effective leaders are able to realise what will be effective and how to adjust their style to the situation. There have been a number of other approaches and ideas in the study of leadership, including the idea of self-leadership. This approach takes a view that a leader's responsibility is to develop and motivate others so that they become self-led, not requiring leadership from others.



The Leadership Formula

This is in line with recent studies, as researchers have begun to realise that a critical element had been left out of their research. Now studies are beginning to include the followers and their readiness to follow as part of the equation. There are four levels of follower readiness:

R1: Followers who are willing but not able

R2: Followers who are not willing and not able

R3: Followers who are able but not willing

R4: Followers who are willing and able Researchers have also identified four levels of follower commitment.

C1: People do what they are told and wait to be told what to do next

C2: People do what they are told and ask what to do next

C3: People do what they are told and suggest what to do next

C4: People do what they have been told and then go on to the next step As a leader, you need to think to yourself, “Where do I want my people?” Most feel comfortable at C3, but if we truly want to empower people, we should be working toward having them at C4.

Two Major Dimensions of Leadership

From all this intense scrutiny, it was discovered that there are two major dimensions to leadership.

One is the level or amount of emphasis devoted to getting the work done. The other is the amount of attention given to providing support and encouragement to the people doing the work.



Direction and Support

Various names have been used for these two dimensions, such as Task and People, but let's use the terms Direction and Support to refer to them. Direction refers to providing information about the task, assigning responsibilities, indicating deadlines, instructions about how to do the task, etc. Support refers to things such as encouraging, expressing confidence, dealing with conflict within the group, expressing appreciation, maintaining a positive spirit in the team, and so forth. You can use this table to compare the two dimensions.

Direction Support

Autocratic

Task orientated

Top down

Direction

Democratic

People orientated

Bottom up

Supportive



Making Connections

Direction and Support

Below are four situations in which you must determine how to lead each individual. Read each situation carefully, and answer the corresponding questions. Do your best to keep in mind the information about leadership you have learned already in this course. We suggest using a percentage ratio to evaluate the direction and support each individual needs. For example: The employee will need: 30% Direction and 70% Support.

Situation 1

You have a new person in your work group. She is intelligent and enthusiastic, but so far she knows very little about the work your group does or the layout of the large building in which you work. You have discovered that you have a sudden need for a set of figures from a department at the other end of the building. The newcomer is the only person free. In asking her to do this job, how much direction would you need to give her?

How much support?



Situation 2

You have a small group of experienced people within your work group who cooperate to produce a regular analysis of sales information from your region. This is a complicated task which took a long time for them to learn, but they are now a very competent team. Recently, however, there have been minor mistakes in their report. The group does not seem as interested in their work as they were, and once or twice they have asked you questions to which you are quite sure they know the answer. In trying to get their performance back to its earlier level, how much direction would you need to give them?

How much support?

Situation 3

A member of your work group is learning a task which he hasn't done before. He has mastered the basics but, in his efforts to improve his speed, he is making an increasing number of mistakes. You can see he is becoming frustrated and that much of his early commitment to learning the task is evaporating. In coming to his assistance, how much direction would you need to give him?

How much support?



Situation 4

Your supervisor has just told you that she wants you to go to a conference tomorrow. You will be away all day. You have worked with your assistant for 5 years and in that time she has often filled in for you while you were on holiday and also at short notice. In asking her to stand in for you tomorrow, how much direction would you need to give her?

How much support?

Our answers are:

Situation 1: 80% Direction, 20% Support






Session Seven: The Situational Leadership Model

As a supervisor, you need to consider the styles of leadership that you will use to motivate your employees to be productive. Depending on the particularities of the situation, you may need to adjust the style of leadership you use to direct and support your employee in their tasks. In this session, we review a conceptual model as a useful technique for determining the type of leadership style you will use in a given situation. As we indicate later on, this model is only a basis for your leadership techniques, rather than an absolute rule.

The Situational Leadership Model

Paul Hersey, a Californian psychologist, along with people like Ken Blanchard, did some ground-breaking studies in the early 1980’s about leadership that resulted in identifying four leadership styles. These styles are still generally accepted as relevant today.



Telling Style

This is a one-way communication process, with the supervisor providing the information and instruction. This is particularly appropriate for new employees who need a great deal of monitoring and training.

Selling

At this stage, supervisors engage in more two way conversation, where they are willing to provide additional information and answer questions. They encourage and provide more support for the employee. The employee is at a stage where he or she has learned the basics of the position, but still can use more coaching of the finer points of the work.

Participating

Now an employee has the skills to do a task, but may need more confidence. This is the time for the supervisor to act as a mentor, providing support and encouragement but not actively supervising or instructing.

Delegating

Once an employee is at this stage, a supervisor can leave the employee to work on their own, with only the occasional word of praise or recognition. Of course, should the employee embark on a new task, the leadership cycle would, at least briefly, return to the telling style.



Applying the Situational Leadership Model (Exercise)

This model is not as neat and tidy in the workplace as it might appear on paper. Not all people who are new on a job need the same amount of direction. Similarly, if you have employees who are generally skilled, experienced, and confident, you are probably using the delegating style for most tasks they undertake. However, none of us do all things equally well, so there may be tasks where you need to exercise a more directive style. Think of the crackerjack salesperson who just doesn’t get their expenses submitted in a timely fashion. Which style do you think you should use with this employee?



Session Eight: Problem Employees

The types of employees you will be supervising will have different personalities, values, and abilities. The energy and time it takes to deal with problem employees may overrun your daily activities. As a competent and professional supervisor, you can learn methods to cope with these challenges. In this session, you will use the information that you have learned so far in the course to determine how you should effectively “lead your team.”

Particular Problem Employees Case Studies

Imagine yourself in a new position – a supervisor of a 12 person team. On that team you have four problem employees. As a new leader, how do you suggest dealing with each employee? With these case studies, we suggest that you thoroughly read the descriptions of difficult employees in order to complete the exercise questions.



Case Study 1: Lazy Larry

He's lazy. When he does his work, he'll do it well. It's just that he doesn't exert himself more than he has to, doesn't perform extra work, and certainly won't volunteer for more responsibility. His performance isn't poor enough to get him disciplined or fired, but it annoys you. You would like more out of him, and you know he's capable of giving it. What leadership strategies could be implemented to help Larry become more productive and interested in the goals of your organisation?



Case Study 2: Claire the Chronic Complainer

She complains about everything: holiday policy, someone else's promotion, fringe benefits, the work assignments you give others (too light), the work assignments you give her (too heavy), the position of her desk, the location of her office, or the work methods of others. She is more than a nuisance; she is a demoralising influence on those who have to work with her. She can also be disruptive, running around with all her complaints. However, her work is good enough that you can't justify firing her. Besides, some of her complaints may have some justification – no one can be totally wrong. How do you live with the chronic complainer and cut down on some of her unreasonable and argumentative qualities?



Case Study 3: Hostile Hannah

She is surly and she resists socialising. People just accept the fact that she isn't very friendly and not a pleasant person to work with. She does good work but she tends to resist being managed. You ask her to accept a different job or to change hours, and she refuses. It never seems to take much action on anyone's part to make her hostile. What can you do, as a supervisor to help Hannah become a more valuable team member?



Case Study 4: Over-Dependent Oliver

You have an employee who takes a lot of your time in comparison to the other employees who report to you. He doesn't make decisions without clearing them with you, even when you have indicated it is within his power to make them. He consults with you on every problem, even minor ones. He asks directions on what to do about what you believe to be routine work. You would, of course, prefer that he act more on his own, that he exercise more initiative, and that he assumes more responsibility so you can do your own work. What should you do to lessen Oliver’s dependency? Refer to the situational leadership model to explain your answer.



Our Case Study Answers

We have provided some points of consideration for each troublesome employee.

Case Study 1: Lazy Larry

Set specific goals and standards. Let him know what he is expected to do, and how. That way he can never accuse you of being vague. Spell it out verbally, and then in writing. Your orders and directions must be very clear.

Monitor to make sure standards and goals are observed. If there are significant lapses, make sure he hears about them immediately. If the goals aren't met, find out why. If you are satisfied he has no valid reason for not reaching them, don't overlook the failure. If you do, your credibility is gone.

Never pile on work suddenly. You may feel that suddenly loading him with responsibility will force him to change his ways. Instead, you will probably be disappointed and frustrated. Also, the difference between his previous workload and his present workload will be hard to justify.

Create peer pressure, if you can. If you've created a team concept, let him know how much he is letting his teammates down, forcing them to work harder because he isn't pulling his load. He may respond better to peer pressure than to your influence.

Let him know how disappointing he is to you. If he has talent and pride, you may be able to use these. Let him know he has lost your esteem by his lackluster performance.

Look for more challenging work for him. He may be bored. It’s worth a try to find him some more interesting and challenging work to experiment with.

Let him know that if he falls below standards, he may get fired. Watch his performance accordingly. That way he knows he has to perform at a minimally acceptable level. That may be all you will ever get from him.

Case Study 2: Claire The Chronic Complainer

Be sure you give her recognition. That may really be what she is asking for. Consider the possibility that she isn't looking for a solution to every problem she brings to your attention. Listen, and then try a statement like this, “I understand your concern. One thing I admire, you keep doing a fine job, whatever the obstacles.”

Reassure her about her abilities. Even proven performers may feel insecure about their abilities, especially when confronted with an assignment or task that has new features. The complaining may be a way of justifying in advance the failure they feel. They may want the reassurance you aren't trying to catch them making a mistake.

Avoid giving advice or suggestions that can be construed as criticism of the way they are doing things. Instead, ask questions about what can be done to solve problems.

Accept her feelings. Sometimes it’s important to remember the complainer's feelings may be more important than the complaint itself. If you fail to deal with these feelings, the person may keep turning up the same grievance, perhaps under different guises.



When you see she is upset or angry about a problem, acknowledge the feelings using a statement like, “I can understand your being upset because Elaine made that mistake.” She may not be looking for anything more from you than recognition that she is unhappy (and not unreasonably so) about the problem.

Check to see if her grievance is more widely held. At times, others in the department may share her feelings. You may become so accustomed to her complaints you believe they are an isolated case. Do a little spot-checking from time to time to make sure you aren't overlooking a general problem.

Case Study 3: Hostile Hannah

Try not to take the hostility personally, especially if she displays it to others as well. Chances are that although the harsh words are said to you, they aren't aimed at you, personally. However, you don't have to take abuse. You might respond with a statement like, “I'm sorry you said that. You have nothing to gain by offending me. Why don't you think it over?”

Don't respond in kind. She's been at it longer than you and therefore is probably better at it. Besides, hostility just breeds more of the same, and she will probably welcome the chance to justify his bad temper. In fact, you probably don't have to respond much at all. Limit your contacts.

Apply negative selling. If you want her to do something, or give her an order, and she resists, tell her directly what the consequences will be. You can't afford to let her think she is privileged.

Use praise when it's deserved. When she does a good job it should be recognised. Understandably, you may wish to keep contact and compliments to a minimum, considering what an irritant she is, but she deserves equal treatment.



Case Study 4: Over-Dependent Oliver

Assess your own contribution to the problem. What might you have been doing to cause this employee to feel she has to check everything with you? Ask yourself the following questions:

o Could I be looking over his shoulder too closely out of worry about what is happening or is about to happen? If you ask too many questions about what is going on, employees may feel they don't have your confidence.

o Am I sharing information often enough? People who are in the dark about budget constraints, specific goals for the future, or day-to-day concerns may feel they don't know enough to act on their own.

o Do I ever bypass this individual when I share information or pass out assignments?

o Could I have been too critical about past mistakes? Stinging remarks about errors may have discouraged the employee from taking further risks.

Don't help automatically. The next time the employee comes to you with a question about a problem, don't provide an automatic solution. If you reply, "What do you think we should do?" you've begun to get the idea across that you don't see yourself as the ultimate source of all knowledge. The employee's first response to your unexpected question may be tentative and incomplete but it’s a start.

Use questions instead of recommendations. If the employee comes to you with a plan or an idea that has several flaws, don't point them out immediately. Instead, ask questions that can lead him to spot them and decide on his own how to deal with them. For example, questions like, “Are you absolutely sure you've done enough research?” or, “Do you think this deadline is realistic?” or, “What are some things that might go wrong?” may help the employee critique his own ideas/projects. If he is afraid to take risks, your questions can help him learn how to handle risks, by planning, preparation, and anticipation of problems.

You can build on the employee's self-esteem by discussing some of your own problems and asking for suggestions. This may encourage further initiatives without you having to ask for them. Following through on the best of his suggestions will show him you have confidence in his judgment and bolster his self-confidence.



Session Nine: Synergy

Leadership is not about doing everything yourself. It’s about getting others to help you so you can accomplish a task together. Synergy is when the whole is more than the sum of the parts. In other, words it is usually possible to accomplish far more together than any one of us can accomplish alone. In this session, we discuss an important part of becoming a good leader; involving others in the planning and development phases of a project. Unit, group, committee, or task force; no matter the name, they all require a commitment to teamwork.

What Is a team?

Here are two different ideas about teams.

“A team is a collection of people who must rely on group collaboration and cooperation if each member is to experience success and if the team is to reach its goal.”

“A team is a group of people with a high degree of interdependence geared toward the

achievement of a goal or the completion of a task.” So, members of a team agree on a goal and agree that the only way to achieve that goal is to work together. Some groups have a common goal but they don’t work together to achieve it. For example, many teams are really groups because they can work independently to achieve the goal. Some groups work together but they don’t have a common goal.



Working in Teams

In the early eighties, organisations fell in love with the idea of working in teams as a way to get more work done in a flatter organisation. Today, most organisations in North America would be quick to say they work in teams and they support the notion of teamwork.

Team Work Advantages Team Work Disadvantages

Get more varied ideas

Get more creative solutions to problems

Get more done

More fun

Take more risks

Can be dominated by one strong person

Can take more time

Can waste time talking/trying to be democratic

Hard on egos of members

Requires more skilled leadership

Making Team Decisions

How decisions are made is a major factor in the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with work. Individuals are much less likely to be dissatisfied with decisions that they were involved in making. The "strange ideas" that others bring into decision-making discussions are one of the very reasons you would want input from others. If everyone thought the same way as the team leader, there would be no point in discussing the matter.



Misunderstandings and Biases

Although discussions can bring misunderstandings, they provide an opportunity for the team leader to provide clarification and avoid potential problems when it comes time to implement decisions. The biases that team members bring can be helpful. Biases are based on previous experience, on what has worked or not worked in the past, or on assumptions. It is useful to understand the resistance against a course of action in case something has been overlooked. Besides, if someone is resisting an action, it is better to hear them out and deal with their resistance than have them sabotage your later efforts to implement the decision.

Self-Interests

Self-interests are often based on the desire to have decisions result in what is best for them. If this is consistent with what is also best for the organisation, these can be valuable viewpoints to hear. Team decision-making provides learning and personal growth experiences. Decision making challenges you to think; to try to understand facts, alternatives, and how different jobs affect one another; to see the bigger picture. Participation in decision making makes people better decision makers. Teams increase employee autonomy. Employees require less management time when they accept responsibility for their own work and for making their own decisions.

Trust Management

Teams also increase receptivity and trust of management decisions. When teams get involved in decision making, they develop an appreciation for the fact that solutions are not as simple as they might appear and that it is not so easy to choose among options. As a result, they become more accepting of decisions made by others. Also, being listened to and having your opinion considered increases your willingness to respect the opinion and judgment of others. Teams make better quality decisions. Team decision-making brings out the knowledge and experience of all members and allows the sum to become greater than the parts. Team decision-making improves teamwork. Most decisions will need the cooperation of more than one person to implement. The longer you wait to involve others affected by the decision, the harder it will be to gain their teamwork in the implementation of the decision.



Making Connections

A Team Player

Provide an example of a time in your career when you were part of a team. In your response, answer the following questions.

What project were you trying to accomplish?

How would you describe the experience?

Did you feel that your team was able to create synergy as you worked together, or were you unsuccessful in your efforts?

What lessons can you take from this experience that might help you in your new role as a supervisor?



Session Ten: Trust

One of the most important qualities of a professional supervisor is their ability to promote trust amongst their team members. Developing professional relationships based on trust is essential for organisational growth and success. As a supervisor, you need to demonstrate to your staff that you can be trusted, and they need to demonstrate they can be trusted as well. In this session, we uncover the value of trust in your professional relationships. There are many business and organisational benefits that occur as you establish trust with others in your team. Developing this essential quality within yourself will lead others to do the same.

A Bond of Trust

Trust is one of those mainstay virtues. It is the bond that allows any kind of significant relationship to exist between people. Once broken, it is not easily, if ever, recovered. Trust is produced in a climate that includes four elements:

Honesty: Integrity, no lies, no exaggerations.

Openness: Willingness to share and receptivity to information, perceptions, ideas.

Consistency: Predictable behaviour and responses.

Respect: Treating people with dignity and fairness. The problem is that trust is so fragile. If any one of the elements listed above is breached even once a relationship is apt to be severely compromised, or even lost. With trust gone between individuals, teams have little hope of functioning well and realising their true potential.



Building Trust and Teamwork

Four themes emerge to help explain why a climate of trust fosters teamwork. These themes are:

Trust allows team members to stay problem-focused.

Trust improves the quality of collaborative outcomes.

Trust leads to compensating.

Trust promotes more efficient communication and coordination.

Trust allows team members to stay problem-focused.

The absence of trust diverts the mental concentration and energy of a team away from its performance objective and onto other issues. The team becomes politicised. Communication becomes guarded and distorted. Alliances and personal agendas begin to take precedence over the team goal. The resulting loss of focus on the common goal is a critical factor. It wounds the team and often renders it ineffective. Conversely, when trust is present, a collaborative climate is more readily fostered--allowing team members to stay focused on their common problem or goal. There is no suspicion or conflict to divert their attention. The clearer the goal, and the more freedom team members have to concentrate on it, the greater the likelihood they will succeed. Clearly, team problem-solving relies on the unhampered exchange of information and communication that is born of trust.

Trust improves the quality of collaborative outcomes.

This theme contains an important key to understanding what a collaborative climate is and what it accomplishes. It involves understanding how two very subtle and potentially antagonistic norms can be maintained simultaneously in an effective functioning team. The First Norm The first norm involves mutual trust and sharing information openly, especially when that information is negative. If a team member is having problems figuring something out or making a decision, this is the kind of information that must be shared. Hiding negative information and not being willing to listen to negative information are norms that can ruin team outcomes.



The Second Norm The second norm that must be promoted is for team members to take risks and be permitted to fail. It is relatively easy to make a mistake about what a good team player looks like. For example, some people might question whether individuals are team players if they persist in laying out negative information, talking about problems they need help with, warning the team about a violation of its own standards, or pushing for clarity on an issue that most members of the team seem to understand. Yet the facts might reveal that these people are committing their mental and emotional energy to the success of the team effort. Trust improves the quality of collaborative efforts because with it decisions are more in tune with what is in fact happening. Problems are raised and dealt with instead of being hidden until they become disastrous. People are willing to try something because there's a chance that it might work rather than remaining inactive because of their fear of failure. And if something internal to the team itself is interfering with the team's success, then that problem is more likely to be confronted and resolved.

Trust leads to compensating.

One reason why teams sometimes succeed, even beyond reasonable expectations for success, is that compensating arises. Compensating happens when one team member picks up the slack that occurs when another member falters. If a lot of compensating occurs then a whole team is capable of pulling itself, collectively, to new levels of performance. Compensating builds confidence. There is, in fact, a strong association between what you think you are capable of and your actual performance level. When a team is clear about its goal and unified in its effort, and at the same time no one fears being left behind, being criticised for failing, or being left on his own without support, then that team is capable of reaching new heights and arriving at the goal as an intact unit.



Trust promotes more efficient communication and coordination.

Trust not only allows people to stay problem-focused, it promotes a more efficient use of the time and energy devoted to the problem. Communicating candidly, confronting issues, and using each other's resourcefulness are factors that affect climate and increase the likelihood of teams attaining missions, goals, and objectives. These are the same factors, incidentally, that impact a team's ability to improve its own performance. Trust is associated with efficiency of communication and coordination, especially in activities directed toward improving the team's understanding of its own performance. Thus, trust not only characterises a team that functions effectively in pursuit of its goal, it also characterises a team that is self-correcting, better at examining and improving its own processes.



Session Eleven: Team Development

Becoming a professional supervisor will require you to lead a group of individuals who are responsible for completing a project, or an assignment. As you begin the planning and development stages of your work, you may not feel totally confident that your team will be able to work together. However, team development happens in stages, and as a leader you will need to show patience and provide encouragement to your employees. In this session, we review the stages of team development, which you may recognise from past experiences working within a team. As well, we discuss important qualities that team members should demonstrate as they work together toward a goal. You will have an opportunity to use skills to solve problems related to team development.

The Four Stages of Teams

There has been a great deal of study on teams and on group dynamics, and one recurring observation is that teams and groups go through four stages of development, although they do not necessarily go through those stages together or at the same time. Those stages are:

1. Forming

2. Storming

3. Norming

4. Performing

Forming

This is sometimes referred to as a team’s childhood. This is the first stage of development. This stage is not unlike how you felt when you learned you were coming to this course: perhaps you would have been a bit excited; maybe even anxious; or maybe you were concerned that you didn’t have the level of experience and understanding as you need. At this stage, team members may have no clear idea of what to expect or what they will accomplish. The team leader will be influential and will likely make many of the decisions. Your leadership style here is usually that of telling. As team leader, you will make sure your team members know one another and know about one another so they can begin feeling comfortable together. You help them decide on their team goals and objective, and you share your expectations with them. You are the role model so you



must demonstrate that you value each member of the team, and have high expectations that they will perform well.

Storming

This stage is often referred to as team adolescence. As members of the group work together, they become more comfortable voicing their own opinion and they may not agree with either the team leader or the other members of the team. There is often disagreement and conflict, with little cliques forming and alternate goals being suggested. Members of the team notice how different other members are and a pecking order may be established. In this stage of team development you will usually find the selling style most useful. This can be a difficult time, particularly if turf wars develop. You are an even more important role model now, communicating with all team members, reminding them of how valuable each of their roles is, and helping them settle their disagreements in a civilised fashion: not ignoring them, but dealing with them openly and honestly. All the while, you are helping them get to know one another better and coaching them so they become more skilled at their job. Any group training at this point is often on team building.

Norming

This stage is often referred to as young adulthood for a team. Eventually, if you continue to encourage, support and communicate with your team they will work out their differences and begin to see that they are quite a bit alike after all. Now they begin to enjoy being together and they start having more fun—so much fun that occasionally they may forget about the work they are to get done. You will find that the participating style serves you well when a group is in this stage of development. Eventually your hard work and your support will pay off and your team gradually begins to trust one another and become a more cohesive group. Now they start enjoying work and the company of other team members. They begin to notice what you have been telling them all along: they really do have a lot in common. They start to socialise together and may even get so involved in social activities that they forget about what they are trying to accomplish. This is a good time to move away from being quite so hands-on and begin to delegate tasks. Cross-training can be useful.



Performing

Now the team is beginning to mature. They have skills, know their own strengths and limitations, and have a good deal of problem solving abilities. By now they have figured out—perhaps with your help—who does what to make the team effective and they work well together. The challenge for you now is to keep them from becoming bored. You will use your skills as a delegating style leader. Finally they’ve arrived! You have a team who really are capable of working on their own. Hopefully you have been celebrating team successes ever since you started working together. However, don’t stop now. They still need to feel appreciated. Encourage them to do some self-evaluation and some work evaluation to see if there are things they can do even better. Continuous suggestions for improvement should come from this group. A word of warning: Group dynamics are never static, so don’t ever be fooled into thinking your battle is won. If a new member joins the team, or their roles change, you may find your group right back in the storming stage again.



Exercise: How Can I Help?

For each team development stage, consider the types of things you can do as a leader to help your team through the possible problems they may experience. Provide detailed answers using examples from your experiences. Forming

Storming



Norming

Performing



Our Suggestions for Your Responses

As you review your responses, think about these points:

Forming a team: There is a tendency to want to surround ourselves with people who are just like us. If you get to choose a team, rather than organise a pre-formed team, then it’s important to have a team of people with a variety of strengths. For a team that is already in place, organising may be more subtle, as in calling all the workgroup together to discuss what you want to accomplish (goals) and how everybody can help.

Setting goals: You will find that imposing goals on people doesn’t work nearly as well as having them tell you what goals they will strive for. But setting SMART goals is hard work. Too often they end up too unrealistic, too vague, impossible to measure, or stretching into eternity with no deadline.

Team environment: How do you think you can create a positive team environment? What environment do you like to work in? Your staff is no different.

Creating trust: Trust doesn’t happen overnight. It grows slowly. Some of the things you can do include: doing what you say you will do, treating everyone fairly, being consistent, and going to bat for an employee.

Becoming a team: Develop cohesion through learning more about your employees and their likes and dislikes; encouraging, modeling, and valuing diversity; doing social things together; and creating a “we” atmosphere.

Reflecting and evaluating: Make sure participants recognise the importance of allowing or suggesting the group take time for reflection and evaluation.

o Was that last project as successful as it might have been? o What could have been done differently? o What are the consequences of not taking time to evaluate?

Leadership Style: During the Forming stage of teams, they are very comfortable with a leader who uses the Telling style. When a team is Storming, the Selling style of leadership is appropriate. Leaders use the Participating style when teams are in the Norming stage, and the Delegating style for Performing teams.



Key Factors in Team Development

Here we have compiled a list of the key factors of team development. Read each characteristic carefully. Commitment Team members see themselves as belonging to a team rather than as individuals who operate autonomously. They are committed to group goals above and beyond their personal goals. Trust Team members have faith in each other to honour their commitments, maintain confidences, support each other, and generally behave in a consistent, predictable, and acceptable fashion. Purpose The team understands how it fits into the overall business of the organisation. Team members know their roles, feel a sense of ownership, and can see how they make a difference. Communication Refers to the style and extent of interactions among members, between members, and those outside the team. It also refers to the way that members handle conflict, decision making, and day-to-day interactions. Involvement Everyone has a role in the team. Despite differences, team members must feel a sense of partnership with each other. Contributions are respected and solicited, and a real consensus is established before committing the team to action. Process Orientation Once a team has a clear purpose (why it's together and where it's going), it must have a process or means to get there. The process should include problem-solving tools, planning techniques, regular meetings, meeting agendas and minutes, and accepted ways of dealing with problems.



Making Connections

Team Problem-Solving

Use the space below to describe a concern, a difficult employee, or a difficult situation you are experiencing right now in your current job position. Provide some supervisory strategies you can implement to resolve the issue. My situation:

Things I can do to resolve it:



Team Leadership

A team leader may volunteer, be appointed, or be elected by team members. The team leader will:

Stimulate enthusiasm.

See that conflicts are resolved.

Encourage communication and participation.

Keep meetings in control.

Ensure the team is making progress. In order to develop openness and trust among team members and promote open communication, it should be understood that:

There are no stupid questions.

Team members must feel free to express all ideas.

Team confidentiality is required.

Team members' feelings are as important as the facts.

It takes practice to develop tactful candor.



Characteristics of Vital Team Players

Here we describe some recommendations for the members of your team. Make every effort to be effective communicators. Most conflicts start because people misunderstand one another. Then we jump to conclusions and guess incorrectly. Every member of a team must be on the same track if the team is to accomplish its goals. Replace defensiveness with openness. People get defensive when they feel threatened. Let others know you respect their opinions, even if you don't agree with them. Give every idea a fair hearing. Be assertive rather than aggressive. You needn't club others over the head to make a point. You can satisfy your own needs without dominating others if you use openness, honesty, and peaceful negotiation to help everyone win a little bit. Avoid argument for the sake of argument. It's a waste of time. If an argument is going nowhere, resolve it or table it. Don't dwell on it. Personal ego gratification should take a backseat to team goals. Don't rain on another's parade. We all are proud of our own achievements and possessions. Belittling someone else's achievements just makes for tension and hurt feelings. Support your co-workers and they will support you. Avoid prophesying doom and gloom. If you are a pessimist by nature, keep it under wraps at work. Pessimism drags down energy, productivity, and morale. Refuse to play games. Some people thrive on chaos and discord, but it takes two to play. If you refuse, malicious behaviours can be halted before they start.



Case Study: Bill Newman

In this case study, read through the background and summary of Bill’s week and then answer the discussion questions.

Background

Bill Newman, General Foreman, feels that communication at XYZ Controls Company stinks. He's ready to look for a new job. His feeling was that you can't do a job if:

You don't know what's expected of you.

Your supervisors are afraid to take initiative without having you dot every i and cross every t.

Changes are made without your knowing why.

You're bogged down with a lot of unnecessary paperwork.

The pressure is always on to get higher quality, more production, and lower costs. Bill thought to himself, “If the old man wants results, he's got to cooperate and keep me informed. I haven't got a crystal ball. And my supervisors, if they want me to go to bat for them, have got to keep me posted and give me a little co-operation. I can't do it all alone. Take last week for instance…this is typical…”

Monday

On Monday, Bill was checking over the production reports. He found that a job which should have been finished the day before was still in process. On checking with Jim Andrews, he was told that Jim had been given orders by the old man to rush a job for Crandon Electronics ahead of what was scheduled. He told Jim, “You take orders from me and no one else! I can't have every Tom, Dick, and Harry coming in here and lousing up our schedules.” He went in to register a complaint with the boss in a nice way and got what amounted to a polite brush off: “Bill, the job had to get out and you weren't around. I can't say any more than that.” Bill wonders, “How in heaven's name can you run a department with co-operation like that?” One Tuesday, Bill got a couple of complaints about the way the second shift had left the place in a mess. He left a note saying, “Get this place cleaned up before you leave. I don't want any more complaints!”



Andy Colson, second-shift supervisor, had the whole crew spend the last two hours cleaning house and there were no complaints the next morning. But Bill couldn't figure why there was big drop in production Tuesday night.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, when he called Andy to find out what happened he blew his stack. Andy assumed that top brass had lowered the boom and figured Bill wanted a top-to-bottom house cleaning. Bill ended the conversation with: “Who gives you the right to assume anything? Can't you follow a simple instruction?” and hung up on Andy. On Thursday, Stan Nelson, one of the supervisors, went to the superintendent and asked for a transfer to another section on the floor; a better opening created by a retirement. Bill was asked by the boss what he thought of granting Stan's request. Bill said he couldn't let Stan go and suggested Alex Devoe for the job, but it burned him up that Stan would go over his head without discussing it with him first. When Bill asked Stan why he didn't come to him first, Stan said, “I thought I had a better chance with the old man. I wasn't sure how I stood with you.” “You know now,” said Bill. “You'll wait a long time before you get another chance!”

Friday

At Friday noon, Bill was informed that a job scheduled to be finished on Monday would have to be out of the plant on Friday. “OK,” he thought, “We've got to work about 2½ hours overtime, but we can do it.” From 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. all he got was griping when he told three sections of the plant that they needed to work until 6:00 p.m. Shopping, dinners, parties, bowling, basketball games, school plays; why didn't he go to bat for them? Why did he have to wait until an hour before quitting time? Bill finally told them to quit the griping and get the stuff out. How unreasonable could they get? Can't they see that you have to accommodate a customer now and then to keep their good will? To top it off, no one alerted shipping and the stuff didn't get out anyhow—how fouled up can you get?




How do you think Bill saw his communication responsibility?

List all the mistakes you think Bill made as a supervisor.

If you were giving Bill some advice, what would you tell him?



Case Study Suggested Responses

Please review our suggestions we have included about the case study.

Bill Newman believed that others (his boss, his employees, people from other departments) needed to communicate with him. However, he failed to realise how important it was that he keep lines of communication open with them.

He speaks disparagingly of his boss (“old man”) and senior management in the organisation, yet he seems to make no effort to improve matters.

He apparently has no one he can ask to take over when he is not there and that probably says he doesn’t trust his employees.

He seems never to give them feedback as Stan didn’t know where he stood with Bill and didn’t trust Bill enough to ask him about the possibility of a new position. As well, Bill behaved very immaturely by punishing that employee rather than see this as an indication of his own failure.

He communicated poorly on several occasions, one being when he told his crew to clean up, and then giving them a hard time because they cleaned up too well.

He didn’t take his team into consideration. He told them about working overtime on a Friday two and a half hours after he found out about it, and then wondered why his crew complained.

We suggest that the company give Bill training and then coaching, and that he needs a mentor and a role model.



Session Twelve: Communication

Throughout you career, you have probably heard the expression, “communication is key.” We agree with this statement, and believe that anyone in a professional, supervisory role should receive training to enhance their communication skills.

In this session, we describe the foundational elements of good communication; listening and asking questions. Probing your employees for information depends on these two basic activities. As a leader in your organisation, you need to consider communication as the key to unlocking the door to successful team development.

Making Connections

Defining Communication

What is communication?

How do we communicate with others?



What are the barriers to good communication that you have noticed?

What is your definition of a skilled communicator?



Defining Effective Communication

Communication is the ability to send messages and have the other person understand those messages. Maybe they don’t respond, but they understand. We communicate with others through writing, speaking, and body language. The most powerful vehicle is body language. Barriers to good communication that you may notice in your work environment include:

Noise

Language

Culture differences

Emotions

Vocabulary

Lack of time A skilled communicator is someone who expresses themself well, who is a good listener, and who is sensitive to the needs of others.

Active Listening

Active listening is actually a 3-stage process: 1. Non-verbal: These are the messages our body sends to others that tell them we are

listening, like leaning forward, making eye contact, nodding our head, attending to what they say.

2. Cues: Those short phrases that keep us connected and tell the other person we are still listening. Examples:

o OK o Go on o All right o You’re kidding!

3. Using paraphrasing, clarifying, and summarising questions. You ask questions to make sure you understand what is said.



Active Listening Tips

Here are some active listening tips:

As people talk to you, mentally say to yourself: “Which means that…”

Be clear in your own mind what you hope to achieve.

Take the lead in conversations wherever possible. This gives you the psychological advantage, and you are in the stronger position to direct the conversation along lines that are favourable to you.

Check your understanding with your six helpers: why, what, where, when, who, how?

Talk less than you listen.

Try silence.

(Source: Active Listening by Carl R. Rogers and Richard E. Farson)

Asking Questions

There are two kinds of questions: open and closed.

Closed Questions

Closed questions are those that can be answered by either “yes” or “no” or with a specific bit of data, such as your name, date of birth, occupation, etc. These questions restrict our responses and give us little opportunity to develop our thoughts. As a result, they require little effort and can even close down a conversation. This type of question tends to get over-used, partially because they require very little effort on the questioner’s part as well. They are easy to phrase and we get quick answers. Unfortunately such questions also can lead us to assume, and assumptions can be big barriers to good communication.



Open Questions

Open questions, on the other hand, encourage people to talk. These questions are phrased so they cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” Open questions often begin with a variation of the five W’s (who, what, when, where, why), or can ask “how.” Questions are used to:

Get information

Focus conversations

Solicit opinions

Gain consensus

Open vs. Closed Questions

Closed questions begin the closing process. The unintentional use of a closed question can often be overcome by the simple expedient of following it with a simple open question. For example:

"Do you feel that was the right thing to do?"

"Yes, I do."

"Can you help me understand why you feel that way?" These questions are all clarifying questions. Clarifying questions have four purposes:

To help you interpret the other person’s meaning.

To find out why a person responded as they did.

To keeping on track or on topic.

To help people hear what they are saying.



Making Connections

A Skilled Communicator

Most of us have times when we are skilled communicators and other times when we are at our worst. Think of a time when you are at your best. What do you do? How do you act?

Now think of a time when you are at your worst as a communicator. What do you do? How do you act?



Session Thirteen: The Communication Process

Leadership skills such as listening and asking questions are part of the communication process. Using the process that we review in this session can be helpful if you are experiencing difficulties with a team member who is distraught about a situation, or expressing an alternative point of view than the other group members. In this session, we describe the steps you can take to settle a disagreement or disruption within your team.

Steps to Effective Communication

The image below shows the Communication Process. Effectively using this process requires you to be committed to the foundational aspects of good communication; demonstrating your ability to listen to their opinion, while asking questions to clarify the information you are receiving. It is an excellent tool to use with employees who are agitated in some way (for example, excited, frustrated, or angry).



The first step is to acknowledge the employee’s side.

Acknowledge what they are feeling

Encourage them to talk about their feelings

Acknowledge their ideas for ways to deal with these feelings or to ease the situation. Employees will see you as a wise and effective supervisor if you can remember to do this.

The middle item is the bridge between you listening and you talking. You ask open questions to find out opinions, ideas, and feelings. Only after employees have had their say do you go to the bottom three items in the funnel and:

Inform people

Direct them or give them instructions

Criticise what they are doing



Making Connections

Sending Signals

What are other non-verbal messages we send as supervisors?

On the other hand, what sort of non-verbal messages should we be on the lookout for?



Communication Tips and Alerts

Here are some other tips for good communication:

Focus on the goal what you want to achieve

Pick a time and place that is conducive to having this conversation

Tailor the message to the other person’s language, posture, background, etc.

The outcome cannot be just what you want to happen; you must maintain the other person’s self-esteem, build trust, and establish good rapport for the future.

Non-verbal messages we should be on the lookout for are:

Confusion

Frustration

Anger

Boredom

Hostility

Embarrassment



Session Fourteen: Motivation

How do you combine the charisma of a leader, and the firmness of a supervisor, so that your team members will be motivated? It is sometimes difficult to achieve a balance between your responsibilities as a supervisor to ensure productivity, and your need to effectively motivate your employees. In this session, we discuss a simple way to imagine the differences in motivational theory. The Carrot, the whip, and the plant are explained to you as representations of motivational techniques.

Making Connections

Identifying Motivators

Describe what type of motivation each object represents, when that type of motivation is required, and give examples of that type of motivation for your employees. Do your best to be creative in your analysis of the item, there is no wrong answer to this question!

Item Represents When Required Examples

Carrot



Item Represents When Required Examples

Whip

Plant



The Carrot

This represents incentives and rewards. This could be time off, pay bonuses, or promotional gifts like jackets. Tell them the story of the construction company that found the best motivator for their crews was to give them Friday afternoon off if all their work was done and done well, and all their milestones/objectives had been met.

The Whip

This represents threats and consequences. Although such techniques are often perceived negatively, they do have their place in the workplace, for short-term motivation. Employees should be aware of the consequences of poor performance or behaviour. Consequences may include suspension and termination, of course, but these are big clubs and sometimes we just need a little stick. These might include no recognition, no plum assignments, or disciplinary interviews. However, we must remember to recognise people when they do something good. If we continue to ignore them after their good work, our consequences have just backfired on us.

The Plant

This represents a positive environment. It includes all of the items a supervisor should strive for: employees knowing their work is important, an open atmosphere, fair dealings with all, training, good lines of communication, a feeling of support by the supervisor, and a feeling of self-esteem.



Session Fifteen: Orientation

As a supervisor, it is your responsibility to introduce new employees to their new co-workers, their new tasks, and their new responsibilities. This initial period of orientation demands that you have a plan to ensure your new employee is successful in their efforts to become part of the team. In this session, you will be given instructions for developing an effective employee orientation plan. Part of this plan includes following-up with the employee’s progress to recognise any problems they may be experiencing. You will be asked a series of questions which serve as an evaluation of your own orientation experiences; to enable you to consider any changes you should make in your orientation programme.

The First 48 Hours

The most important 48 hours in an employee’s work life in your organisation will be their first two days there. The impressions you make on employees and the work ethics they pick up during those two days will stay with them. If a supervisor or organisation has a good orientation programme in place, at least part of your job as a supervisor is done. However, don’t neglect or try to pass off to someone else the responsibility you have to that new employee to tell them your expectations, and at the same time find out what they expect of you. Remember that while those first two days are extremely important, new employees have a learning curve and you, the supervisor, must be ready to support their learning. You are the person who will most influence the new person. Make sure they understand your expectations, has someone they can go to if you aren’t there, and check in with them in a week’s time to see how they are doing.



Orientation Follow-Up

Successful orientation programmes include built-in follow-up procedures. Follow-up is needed because new employees are often reluctant to admit that they do not recall everything they were told in the initial orientation. Without follow-up, their questions go unanswered. The routine follow-up is an informal contact with the employees (usually on-the-job) to determine how well he or she is getting along, to become aware of problems, and to help the employee improve in a way that both the employee and the business will profit from. Each follow-up should accomplish three objectives:

Get information

Give needed information

Build understanding and job satisfaction

Follow-up and Follow Through

Plan each follow-up even if it is routine:

Be pleasant

Have a specific objective

Have employee show as well as tell

Be conscious of the individual’s background and job situation

Follow cues in the conversation:

Be a listener and observer

Encourage employee to ask about things he or she may not understand

Commend or correct where appropriate

Follow through:

End on an encouraging note

Make appropriate notes (usually in private)

Watch for and commend improvement

Give additional help as needed

Plan for the next routine follow-up



Exercise: Rate Your Orientation

Think back to your first day on the job with your current company. Below are 20 orientation statements. Read each statement and choose T (True) or F (False) as it relates to the orientation you received.

1. I was made to feel welcome. T F

2. I was introduced to other members of my workgroup. T F

3. My boss paid attention to me and made me feel welcome. T F

4. My orientation seemed well planned. T F

5. Company benefits were well-explained on the first day. T F

6. My office or workspace was set up and waiting for me. T F

7. I received a tour of the organisation by a qualified person. T F

8. All the necessary paperwork and forms were available and I received assistance to complete them properly.

T F

9. I received a copy of relevant information such as the Employee’s Handbook, Operations Manual, etc.

T F

10. I learned about the company’s history and future plans. T F

11. My supervisor reviewed my job description with me and outlined their expectations of me.

T F

12. I was invited to lunch that first day with my boss or some other key person designated.

T F

13. I met people from other departments. T F

14. I was able to observe colleagues at work before starting a task. T F

15. I was given a specific job assignment, along with instruction or training. T F

16. Office hours, dress code, sick leave, and other policies were explained to me. T F

17. I was shown the telephone and computer system. T F



18. I had opportunities to ask questions. T F

19. Payroll policies and withholdings were explained to me the first day. T F

20. At the end of the orientation I felt like a member of the team. T F

How did your orientation rate?

Number of True Responses

Number of False Responses

Scoring Indications

18-20 True Your orientation was outstanding

15-17 True Your orientation was above average.

11-14 True Your orientation was the traditional, average orientation.

10 or less True You have an opportunity to help your organisation improve its orientation process.



The Good and the Not-So-Good

Think back to that orientation you received at your present job. List the good and the not so good things you remembered.

Good Not So Good

Improving the Experience

For each “Not-So-Good” item from your orientation, describe how you could improve that experience for the new employees so they do have a good experience in that area.

Making Connections



Orientation for Your Job

Imagine that you are creating an orientation programme for your job. Answer the following questions to help you create the orientation programme.

Your Job

What things would a new employee need to know?



Impressions and Procedures

What impressions or perceptions do I want this new employee to make on this first day?

What key procedures or policies must they know on the first day in order to make the second day better for them?



Overwhelmed and Accomplished

What can I do so the person does not feel overwhelmed?

What can I have the person do on the first day so they can feel a sense of accomplishment?



Positive Experiences

What positive experience can I provide on this first day that they can repeat to their family and friends?

How can I be available to the person on the first day so they feel important and a vital part of the team?



Session Sixteen: Training

The topic of training in this course is important for both your own personal development in your new role as a professional supervisor, and also for the employees whom you will be training. Much of the discussion in this course has focused on developing effective communication skills, team development, as well as motivation techniques. All of these aspects should be involved in your training experience with others. In this session, we outline some tips for providing quality training as a supervisor, as well as some recommendations for improving your own orientation in your new position. We encourage you to answer the “what if” questions at the end of the session, to begin imagining how you would deal with a particular training issue.

On-the-Job Training

Often training takes place on-the-job. Yes, some training will be planned, but much of it is spontaneous and ad hoc. Try to find out how much trainees already know about the subject before you move into the instruction phase. Past learning or knowledge can interfere with your training. If participants knew how to tie a tie a different way, they may very well have gone off and done their own thing, moved ahead of the instructor, or been frustrated because they wanted to tie the tie a different way. In order to learn new information, we must absorb the information and then incorporate that new information into our memories (past learned experiences). Because we have different past experiences and different learning styles, we don’t always respond in the same way to instruction. Some people take longer to learn a topic, while other take less time to learn.



Effective Training

What can you do to improve the training process? As the trainer:

Make sure trainees understand why they need this skill. Sell it. Tell them what is in it for them.

Stand where you can be seen and speak up so you can be heard.

Give trainees ample opportunity to practice.

Make time to provide feedback to the trainees.

Do one-on-one follow-up training if necessary.

Monitor their efforts to correct improper techniques.

Praise their efforts when appropriate so they don’t get too discouraged.

Give them a mentor/tutor who can help them when you aren’t available.

Provide written follow-up notes. As the trainee:

Position yourself so you can see and hear.

Keep an open mind.

Ask questions when you are unclear.

Ask for help when you need it.

Stay focused on what you are learning.

Make time to practice.



Making Connections

What if…?

Answer the following questions dealing with training problems that may arise as you enter into your new position as a supervisor, or as you begin to train others. Use the information that we have presented to you about communication, team building, and motivation to answer the questions with as much detail as possible.

Daydreaming

What if your new employee seems to be daydreaming as you are explaining an important step in your production process?

Hearing Clearly

What if your new employee has a hearing aid and you are not sure if they are hearing your instructions?



Misunderstanding

What if your new employee is showing non-verbal signs that they do not understand the instructions you are providing them?

Slowing Down

What if you recognise through your orientation follow-up that your new employee has befriended Lazy Larry, and they are showing signs of slowing down, taking short-cuts, or slacking off?



Taking Over

What if your new employee has taken the reigns over your team, without considering their actions to be intrusive on the team’s established process?

Explaining Your Role

What if your trainer or supervisor does not seem to know how to explain your new role sufficiently?



Disconnected

What if you feel that no one has bothered to check on your progress, and you feel disconnected from your co-workers?

Wrong Actions

What if you notice several of your team members doing exactly what they were instructed not to do, but your manager doesn’t recognise their actions?



Session Seventeen: Providing Feedback

Feedback can be imagined as the culmination of listening, asking questions, and then providing your response to your employees. In doing so you are completing the cycle of communication; where from further positive communication will arise. The development and growth of your team depends on your ability to provide feedback about their progress. In this session, we review various ways you can provide feedback to your employees. There are different types of feedback that you may want to use, depending on the particularities of the situation. As a professional supervisor, providing feedback is an important part of the training and trust development process.

Types of Feedback

Giving feedback is one of the most important management tasks, yet many people find it a tricky area. It is, however, an essential element for everyone in an organisation. It’s like breathing; people need it to survive. Think of feedback this way. It serves those who need to perform and reach goals at work much like a compass helps a hiker moving through difficult or uncharted terrain. It’s useful for indicating when things are going in the right direction, and a useful tool for redirecting problem performance. Withholding that feedback is like sending people out without that compass.

Missed Opportunities

We sometimes miss opportunities to give supportive feedback because we think people know when they are doing well. However, people often don’t know if they are on the right track unless you tell them. Supportive feedback reinforces that the decisions or choices they made are right and are noticed by you. We also miss opportunities to give corrective feedback because we are afraid that giving unpleasant feedback could result in a difficult to handle response or harm a relationship. In reality, delaying that feedback can do more harm in the long run.



Exercise: Positive Feedback

If you are giving an employee positive feedback, what should you keep in mind?

Our Answers:

Make the feedback specific, so they know what they are doing well.

Be timely. Don’t wait until a performance review three months from now to tell them they did something well.

Feedback should be sincere.

Give them positive feedback in public if you feel they will not be too embarrassed. Often even the shy person likes a bit of public praise. You know your employee; you decide.



Exercise: Constructive Feedback

If you are giving an employee constructive feedback, what should you keep in mind?

Our Answers:

Make sure the employee knows right up front that your intent is to help them.

State the constructive purpose of the feedback and what you hope to accomplish. This provides the focus you need for your communication to be effective. If you are initiating the conversation, it means the other person doesn’t have to guess where you are headed.

Describe the behaviours that you have specifically observed.

Describe your reaction.

Give the other person an opportunity to respond.

Offer specific suggestions for ways to change behaviours, if they have no suggestions to offer.

Summarise and express your support.

Performance Feedback

The performance feedback you provide your people may be on a group level in terms of how well they are meeting targets compared to other groups. Or, it may be about individual performance toward attainable goals. Just as feedback is necessary to keep a rocket on target and interest in a sport alive, so too it is an important way of keeping employees interested in their work.



Some Criteria for Useful Feedback

We have provided a list of useful criteria for giving feedback. As you read through this list, think about a situation where you have received or given feedback. Ask yourself, “Is there anything I would have changed about that feedback?”

Feedback should be positive first. One technique is to say what you like first, before you mention what your concerns are. Being positive gets the person in a better frame of mind to hear the other side.

Feedback should be asked for or agreed upon ahead of time, rather than imposed. This will help the received interpret the feedback as “input” rather than as a criticism.

Effective feedback is well-timed. In general, feedback is most useful at the earliest opportunity after the given behaviour.

Feedback should be specific rather than general. To be told that one is dominating would not be as useful as to be told that, “Just now when we were deciding the issue, you didn’t listen to what others said, and I felt forced to accept your arguments or face attack from you.”

Feedback should be descriptive rather than evaluative or judgmental. Describing one’s own reaction leaves the other person free to use that information or not, as they see fit.

Feedback should be directed toward behaviour the receiver can do something about. If the receiver cannot make a change, they cannot make an improvement.

Feedback should take into account the needs of both the giver and receiver of feedback. Feedback is destructive when it serves only the giver’s needs and fails to consider the needs of the other person.

Check that your feedback is clear to the receiver. One way of doing this is to have the receiver give back the feedback in their own words.

Send a consistent message to all involved. When feedback is given in a group, both giver and receiver have the opportunity to check with others in the group on the accuracy of the feedback. Is this one person’s impression or an impression shared by others?



Session Eighteen: Delegation

In your supervisory role, you are expected to be responsible for the activities of your team, as well as be accountable for the work that is produced. This challenging, yet satisfying situation requires you to demonstrate excellent delegation skills. In this session, you will be discovering some advantages and disadvantages of delegating work to others. We discuss reasons why you should delegate in some instances, while avoiding certain types of delegation. You will also have the opportunity to perform an evaluation of your abilities.

Exercise: Delegation Definitions

If the essence of supervision and management is getting work done through the efforts of others, therefore the supervisor or manager can decide and must decide what they are responsible for directly, those things they cannot delegate and empower others to do, and what others can do. When delegating, you still maintain the authority, but you have passed the responsibility to someone else. You have given them the power or empowered them to do those things, and they are still accountable. How would you define delegation?

Finish the sentence. “Delegation is not…”



Delegation is Not

What delegation is not:

It is not giving someone else the dirty work.

It is not giving somebody a job for a short period to time when you are busy and then reclaiming it again the minute you have spare time again.

It is not taking the job back if the delegatee messes up. Delegation is the art of giving someone else a task or responsibility that has until now been a part of your role. This task or responsibility is suited to the employee’s skills and abilities and gives them opportunities for growth and development.

Making Connections

Dutiful Delegation

What are the advantages and rewards of delegation?

What are the disadvantages or drawbacks of delegation?



Why do managers and supervisors not delegate more often?

Why are employees unhappy with the delegation process?



Dutiful Delegation Answers

We have included our answers as a guide for improving your delegation skills. What are the advantages and rewards of delegation?

Someone to take over (succession planning)

Opportunities for growth and development for employees

Frees supervisor up for progress tasks

Keeps morale high What are the disadvantages or drawbacks of delegation?

Takes time supervisors don’t always feel they have

May not be done the way they want the task done

May cause friction among employees Why do managers and supervisors not delegate more often?

Belief that they can handle the task better than a subordinate

Poor skill in delegation

Poor control systems

Concern about the time delegation consumes

Worry about being shown up by a competent subordinate Why are employees unhappy with the delegation process?

Supervisor delegating just trivial tasks

Supervisor expecting others to do the job as well as supervisor can

Supervisor delegating haphazardly

Supervisor being an autocratic delegator

Supervisor checking constantly to see how things are going

Supervisor taking credit for results achieved by subordinates

Supervisor overloading subordinates

Supervisor hasn’t given them the information or training to do the task



Exercise: When Not to Delegate

As great as delegation may sound, there are things that should not be delegated. What are they?

Our answers:

Planning activities

Assigning work

Motivational problems

Counselling employees

Resolving conflict situations

Tasks specifically assigned to the supervisor



Do’s and Don’ts of Delegation

Here some important considerations for making delegation decisions.

DO DON'T

Specify the results expected.

Explain why you are delegating.

Give the necessary authority to carry out the tasks.

Let others know of the delegation.

Have confidence in staff.

Delegate only trivial tasks.

Expect others to do the job the same as you.

Delegate haphazardly.

Be an autocratic delegator.

Check constantly to see how things are going.

Take credit for results achieved by staff.

Overload staff.



Making Connections

Delegating Key Points

What do you think, from your experience, are the key things to remember when you are delegating to others?

Our answers:

Take time to tell the employee why they have been chosen to do the job

Make sure the employee has been trained to do this type of job, or be willing to take the time to train them

Give clear directions

Follow up in a timely fashion

Don’t take credit for their work



Degrees of Delegation

Sometimes supervisors believe that they must delegate complete authority for a task before they can delegate at all. In actual fact, there are degrees of delegation that can make it easier for supervisors to test their own ability to delegate effectively, or for them to monitor the degree to which they are comfortable delegating to new or previously untested employees. As a supervisor, you decide which degree is appropriate by considering the nature of the task, the ability of the person doing the work, and the amount of time available to complete the task. Investigate and report back. The employee investigates and brings you the facts. You make the appropriate decision and take action. Investigate and recommend action. In this scenario the employee investigates or researches, identifies options available, and recommends a course of action to be taken. You evaluate the recommendation, make the decision, and take action. Investigate and advise on action planned. The employee researches, identifies options, and decides on a course of action, complete with justification. You evaluate the decision made, and approve or veto the action to be taken. Investigate and take action; advise you on the action taken. The employee researches, identifies options, decides which option is best, takes action, then advises you immediately, so you have a firm handle on what’s going on. Investigate and take action. The employee is turned loose. This is full delegation and displays your complete faith in the individual's ability. You will be kept informed through regular reporting procedures.



Session Nineteen: Dealing with Conflict

Part of your responsibilities as a supervisor will be to manage conflict between employees. Using conflict resolution strategies to compliment your other skills as a supervisor will help you manage the challenges of dealing with difficult people. In this session, we provide you with information regarding the process of conflict resolution. By using the communication skills we discussed previously will allow you to successfully manage conflict in your business organisation.

When to Get Involved and How to Resolve Conflict

Sometimes the question for you as a supervisor is when to get involved in a conflict between members of your work team. There are generally four times when you should get involved:

When the conflict disrupts the work group

When the conflict slows down productivity

When the conflict has been dragging on and they ask for your help

When the conflict makes you as the supervisor look bad



Steps to Resolving Conflict

There are six steps to resolving a conflict.

1. Acknowledge that conflict exists. Don’t bury your head in the sand or ignore it. It rarely goes away on its own and usually just gets worse.

2. Pinpoint the cause of the conflict. Talk about the behaviours that cause conflict, not the attitudes. If people begin talking about attitudes, force them to define the attitude in terms of observable behaviours.

3. Hear all points of view. You may want to investigate, and you may wish to hear each person’s side individually, but ultimately you want those involved in the conflict to be in the same room with you to explore the issues.

4. Ideally solutions come not from you but from the people involved. Usually the parties involved can find some common ground or points of agreement, even if it is no more than the fact they want to keep their job. That is a start. Given that they want to go on working for the organisation, what things can they do to resolve the conflict?

5. Choose the solution that all parties can agree on. This may not seem the best solution but ultimately they all must agree, so you have to start from there.

6. Follow up. Without follow-up, almost any agreement can come unraveled.



The Problem Solving Process

Problem solving skills come in handy when dealing with conflict. Following this problem solving process will help you solve problems effectively and efficiently. Identify and define the problem. Learn to recognise the real issues and don't get sidetracked on symptoms. For example, let’s say there is a disagreement between employees over work schedules. Is this a personality clash between employees or a failure to clearly spell out work duties? Gather information. Every reasonable effort should be made to collect as much data as possible. Review the records, find out about rules and customs, and talk with the individual(s) concerned. Analyse problem and generate alternatives to reach desired outcome. When appropriate, consult with colleagues and staff. Gather the suggestions of anyone who may be involved in the decision. Take time to collect as many options as possible. Evaluate alternatives and select the best solution. Weigh the factors involved. Assess time, cost, and resources required. Consider the impact on others. This is when you must rely on your own background, experience, intuition, and judgment to make what you feel is the best decision – the best solution to the problem. Avoid the temptation to make a quick decision. Gather all available facts, even if it takes time. Ask yourself: What has been done in the past? Why isn't it working today? What is the real source of the problem? Put the solution into action. Once a decision has been made, make sure you tell the people it will affect. Eliminate any misunderstandings. Whenever possible, explain your reasons for the decision or solution selected. Employees who understand the rationale behind your choice will accept a decision more readily. Check results. You must monitor the implementation of this solution. Decide how soon and how often you will check, and what will be your criteria for improved performance. Watch for changes in attitude, production, etc.



Making Connections

Conflicting Experiences

Have you ever experienced a situation in your professional career when you were directly involved in a conflict? Explain the situation.

What role did you play in the conflict?

Given the information we have presented in this session, how would you deal with the situation differently?

What lessons can you take from this experience that will improve your conflict resolution skills?



Session Twenty: Discipline

Unfortunately, as a supervisor there may be issues that you do not want to deal with. Disciplining your team members is one of those uncomfortable responsibilities. For the sake of your team, however, you must discipline employees who are in the wrong. In this session, we review techniques to ease the disciplinary process for both you and your employee. Although practicing disciplinary measures is a negative aspect of your supervisory role, it is a critical responsibility of yours for setting behavioural standards in your organisation.

What Is Discipline?

It is perhaps the most volatile, explosive, and sensitive area in employee relations. It is estimated that over 60% of grievances filed in unionised firms stem from discipline problems. Yet discipline is part of running an efficient organisation. The word "discipline" comes from the word "disciple," which means "to mold or teach." Discipline did not start out as a dirty word, but now the word has come to mean punishment. Discipline can and should be viewed as a positive part of a supervisor’s responsibilities. Training and motivating are equally important parts of positive discipline.

Giving Constructive Feedback

If you are like most supervisors, you find giving corrective feedback (which is still a form of positive discipline) a distasteful task. Still, it is essential that you do so. You can make it less traumatic on both of you if you follow these suggestions.

Be positive.

Be prepared.

Be realistic.

Make feedback a two-way session. The disciplinary session will have been a success if the employee leaves feeling the issues are important, is appreciative of your input, and is committed to correcting the problem. Correcting minor problems as they happen can go a long way toward preventing major problems down the road.

The Disciplinary Meeting



Discipline is usually a last resort step where an employee has been trained, coached, and reprimanded, and performance remains unacceptable. The process begins with a meeting between the employee, the supervisor, the human resource officer, and sometimes a more senior manager in the company. It may also include the shop steward in a unionised company. The meeting clearly outlines the problem behaviour and the attempts to find some resolution. The employee is clear about why they are having this meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the employee is suspended for one to three days with pay. The employee’s job for that period of time is to think over their options. If they wish to remain with the company, they will come back with a plan for improving performance. If they decide to leave the company, then they have had these few days to make that decision as well.

A Plan of Action

When the employee returns to work, the same group of people meets again. If the employee’s decision is to stay, the group agrees to the employee’s plan of action or they hammer out one of their own to which the employee will agree. Should this not work, the employee is terminated. This was their last chance. However, if things work out well, the employee remains and performance is improved. Unions usually have no difficulty with this as the employee has been treated fairly and has made the decision on their own.



A Discipline Checklist for a Supervisor

Proof rule was posted prior to incident Proof employee was aware of rule prior to incident Proof rule was consistently enforced Proof rule(s) given to union, if applicable Item(s) involved retained for evidence (if applicable) Signed and dated witness statements retained for file (if applicable) Documents, policies and reports retained for file (if applicable) Police and medical reports retained for file (if applicable) Legal statutes reviewed and complied with (if applicable) Proof alternatives were offered to employee (if applicable) Proof employee’s explanation or request was given reasonable consideration and

recorded (if applicable) Proof of time, date, and location of incident are accurately recorded Proof of company average of attendance or late arrivals (if applicable) Proof all events, observations, and actual statements are accurately recorded Proof employee given instruction or training (if applicable) Proof employee and/or union received all relevant correspondence Proof proper investigation was finalised, satisfying the 5 Ws Principle (Who, what, when,

where, why) Proof all personnel file requirements have been met Proof of previous discipline record and previous discussions with employee have been

finalised and recorded (if applicable) Proof collective agreement clauses relating to union representation and timelines have

been met Proof second management opinion obtained (if applicable) Proof all evidence double-checked for accuracy Proof decision finalised as quickly as possible



Making Connections

Disciplinary Action

Have you ever had to take disciplinary action with an employee? What happened? Perhaps you have been involved in receiving disciplinary instructions from someone else. Referring to the checklist we have provided, indicate what measures, if any, were taken in the experience you have described.



Session Twenty-One: A Personal Action Plan

Now that you have completed this course on professional supervision, how will you use the things you have learned in the future? In this session, we will revisit the Pre-Assignment for the course. You will then be asked questions to help you plan your short-term and long-term goals. By reflecting on where you currently are and where you want to be, you can solidify, in your mind, what you want your future to hold.

Post-Assignment (Pre-Assignment Revisited)

In the Pre-Assignment you were asked to rate your supervisory skills. Now you have completed the information intensive portion of the courses we would like you to re-rate those skills.

Rating Chart 1 = Fair 2 = Needs Work 3 = Good 4 = Very Good 5 = Excellent

Item Rating Skill

Role As A Member of The Management Team:

1 Understand your role as a supervisor

2 Maintain good working relationships with colleagues and senior management

3 Foster quality consciousness in the work group

4 Have effective ways to eliminate stress

5 Be able to see the overall picture

TOTAL



Item Rating Skill

Your Organisational Skills:

6 Define work objectives so they are clear to employees

7 Prioritise work to be done

8 Handle details effectively so things don’t slip through the cracks

9 Use a planner to schedule work

10 Manage multiple priorities, projects, and assignments

TOTAL

Your Leadership Skills:

11 Help others build self -esteem

12 Manage a diverse workforce

13 Use the technical, organisational, and human support available to improve job performance

14 Establish and maintain high performance goals for the unit

15 Be a role model for your employees

TOTAL

Your Communication Skills:

16 Provide clear directions or instructions

17 Use questioning techniques to collect information

18 Encourage feedback from peers, work group, and supervisors

19 Provide timely feedback on performances

20 Really listen to what others are saying

TOTAL



Item Rating Skill

Your Interaction/Team Skills:

21 Develop work teams to prepare them for future responsibilities

22 Understand and accept the potential of team work

23 Build a climate for effective team functioning

24 Work with people of diverse aptitudes and attitudes

25 Recognise individuals for the contribution they make

TOTAL

Problem/Conflict Resolution Skills:

26 Handle and resolve conflicts as they arise

27 Be proactive in identifying potential problems

28 Be creative when solving problems

29 Recognise conflict as a positive element in a work group

30 Follow up to see if solutions are really working

TOTAL



Post-Course Score

Add together your points for each category of your post-course assignment and enter them here.

Man

agem

en

t

Team

Org

anis

atio

nal

Sk

ills

Lead

ersh

ip S

kills

Co

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un

icat

ion

Skill

s

Inte

ract

ion

/ Te

am

Skill

s

Pro

ble

m/

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nfl

ict

Skill

s

TOTAL

Pre-Course Score

Look back at your pre-assignment scores and write them in the boxes below.

Man

age

me

nt

Te

am

Org

anis

atio

nal

Sk

ills

Lead

ers

hip

Ski

lls

Co

mm

un

icat

ion

Sk

ills

Inte

ract

ion

/ Te

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Skill

s

Pro

ble

m/

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ict

Skill

s

TOTAL

Compare your Pre- and Post-Course Scores and then use that information to help you answer the following Personal Action Plan questions.



Starting Point

I know where I’m starting from. I know I am already good at these things, and I can do them more often:

I can learn this, I am learning this, and I am doing what I can at this stage as well. I have already learned:



Short-Term Goals and Rewards

I will start with small steps, especially in areas that are difficult for me. My short-term goals for improvement are:

I promise to congratulate and reward myself every time I do something, no matter how small, to maintain and improve my skills. My rewards will be:

Long-Term Goals

I’m setting myself up for success by choosing long-range goals to work for gradually. My long-term goals for success are as follows:



Summary

Congratulations! You have completed course “The Professional Supervisor.” We hope that you have enjoyed your participation in the discussions and investigations we have presented to you. We encourage you to seriously consider the leadership role we have designed in this course. In this course, we began with a discussion of the challenges you can expect in adjusting to your new role. We described some fundamental responsibilities you should consider as a new supervisor. As well, we spent significant time describing the importance of planning, setting goals, as well as prioritising your tasks. Throughout the course you were given the opportunity to reflect on your own experiences, to reformulate the information we have introduced to you. We ended the course with a personal action plan to encourage you to practically apply these skills in your workplace.



Recommended Reading List

If you are looking for further information on this subject, a recommended reading list is included below.

Bellman, Geoffrey. Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge. Berrett-Koehler

Publishers, 2001. Bendaly, Leslie. Strength in Numbers. McGraw-Hill, 1997. Bittel, Lester. What Every Supervisor Should Know. McGraw-Hill College, 1994. Blanchard, Ken, and Sheldon Bowles. High Five! The Magic of Working Together. William

Morrow, 2000. Blanchard, Ken, and Spencer Johnson. The One-Minute Manager. HarperCollins Business, 2000. Blanchard, Kenneth, Jim Ballard, Thad Lacinak, and Chuck Tompkins. Whale Done! Free Press,

2002. Boothman, Nicholas. How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less. Workman Publishing

Company, 2000. Bothwell, Lin. The Art of Leadership. Prentice Hall, 1983. Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends and Influence People. Pocket Books, 1998 (Reprint). Caroselli, Marlene. Leadership Skills for Managers. McGraw-Hill, 2000. Chandler, Steve, and Scott Richardson. 100 Ways to Motivate Others. Career Press, 2008. Covey, Stephen. First Things First. Free Press, 1996. —. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press, 2004. Dorff, Pat. File, Don't Pile. St. Martin's Press, 1994. Douglass, Donna N., and Merrill E. Douglass. Manage Your Time, Your Work, Yourself. AMACOM,

1993. Finch, Lloyd C., and Robert B. Maddux. Delegation Skills for Leaders: An Action Plan for Success

as a Manager. Crisp Learning, 2005. Fuller, George. First Time Supervisor's Survival Guide. Prentice Hall Press, 1994. Gleeson, Kerry. The Personal Efficiency Program. Wiley, 2003. Glesson, Kerry. The High-Tech Personal Efficiency Program. Wiley, 2001. Hamilton, Cheryl, and Cordell Parker. Communicating for Results. Wadsworth Publishing, 2007. Heller, Robert. How to Delegate. DK Publishing, 1997. Hersey, Paul. The Situational Leader. Pfeiffer and Company, 2000. Hill, Napoleon. Think and Grow Rich. www.bnpublishing.com, 2007. Ivancevich, John M., Robert Konopaske, and Michael T. Matteson. Organisational Behaviour and

Management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007. Josefowitz, Natasha. You're the Boss. Grand Central Publishing, 1985. Kemp, Sid. Perfect Solutions for Difficult Employee Situations. McGraw-Hill, 2004. Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge, 3rd Edition. Jossey-Bass, 2003. Manz, Charles, and Henry Sims. The New SuperLeadership. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001. Mayer, Jeffery. Time Management for Dummies. Hungry Minds, 1995. Murphy, Kevin J. Effective Listening. Bantam Publishers, 1988. Murphy, Shane. Achievement Zone. Putnam Adult, 1996. Portnoy, Robert. Leadership: 4 Competencies for Success. Prentice Hall, 1998. Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline. Currency, 2006.

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