New managers need a deft hand

By Barbara Bowes

If you are a new supervisor or new manager, you need to know this is one of the most demanding jobs in the workplace. That’s because you not only have to manage technical operations but you also have to manage people. And people bring into the workplace a variety of
characteristics, skills, abilities, personal issues, personal work styles and motivators. All of these elements impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational functions. And it’s the supervisor and manager’s job to keep these elements working in unison so that employees display high productivity and the company meets optimum levels of production and profitability targets.

In fact, managing people is much harder and more complex than managing the technical and mechanistic aspects of leadership. Whereas machine deficiencies can be more easily identified and fixed, people issues are not so clear cut. People problems are often difficult to assess and identify and even more difficult to deal with. It’s not simply a matter of “fixing” but rather a matter of influencing people and managing performance. And in order to do that, supervisors and managers must be especially sensitive and supportive to the employees as they strive to reach organizational standards.

The following 12 quick tips will help you become a better supervisor.

1. Ensure professional objectivity – the most important aspect of being a supervisor or manager is maintaining professional objectivity. Objectivity enables you to make consistent observations and decisions that are appropriate to the situation. It allows you to differentiate between behaviour and personality and to accurately assess performance problems.

2. Develop observation skills – accurate observation and documentation requires you to detail your findings in concrete measureable terms wherever possible. Look for examples that clearly demonstrate the issues of concern. Avoid being judgemental and using labels or negative inferences that can cloud your evaluation.

3. Understand behavioural indicators – it is important to be sensitive to employee behaviour and to identify any changes that might cause concern. Look for patterns and multiple indicators. Watch for problem behaviours such as absenteeism, changes in work patterns, significant fluctuations in job efficiency, difficulty in concentration, declining interpersonal relationships in the workplace, or changes in personal demeanour and personal interest in their job.

4. Recognize potential stress areas – many employees today are feeling extreme stress. They are worried about job security and rapid organizational change. They feel powerless and out of control. Assess the changes your organization has faced and the demands it places on each employee. Identify the dissatisfiers and look for solutions to address these issues. Talk to your employees about stress. Perhaps
provide stress counseling or workshops.

5. Set realistic goals and objectives – Be sure the goals and targets that you set for employees are realistic and attainable. Be sure to give
clear direction and to provide resources to do the job well. Use the SMART goal setting strategy. (specific, measureable, acceptable,
realistic and a timeframe)

6. Hone your problem solving skills – it’s important you adopt and consistently use an effective problem solving process so that you don’t
solve the wrong problem or jump to conclusions. Verify your understanding of the problem, break it into its smallest parts, prioritize
the problem areas, understand your role in the problem, look for causes, identify a set of potential solutions, select an approach and solve the problem.

7. Develop effective delegation skills – moving from doing the work yourself to being a supervisor is a difficult transition. You can now no longer do the work, but to be effective, you must learn to delegate. Yet delegation doesn’t mean giving up power or control. When you delegate, be sure to select the right person, clarify the responsibilities and give clear directions.

8. Become an open communicator – effective, frequent and open communication is critical to organizational success. As a new leader, you must take the initiative to ensure good communication. Hold frequent team meetings as well as face to face meetings with individual employees. If you see a problem, talk to the employee rather than sending off a curt email. At the same time, it is important that you keep
yourself open for employee feedback.

9. Focus on employee feedback – providing employee feedback either formally or informally is difficult to learn. It requires practice and strategy. Begin by carefully identifying the overall message starting with the positive. Take care to focus on the behaviour rather than the individual. Clearly identify and confirm your expectations. And don’t wait until the formal performance review time…..give feedback frequently.

10. Apply good meeting management – you probably remember the feelings of pain and exasperation as you sat in meetings that dragged on too long, discussed unimportant issues and in other words, were a great waste of time. Now it’s your turn. Develop a crisp agenda, invite the appropriate people, establish ground rules, and start and end on time.

11. Nurture team work and self development – teamwork is here to stay and employees need help learning the skills needed for this type of workplace. Coach and mentor your team, nurture and motivate them to become continuous learners. Provide learning opportunities for them to broaden their skillsets.

12. Manage yourself – keep in mind that you are now a highly visible role model. Your employees will watch you closely as you manage your own learning curve and your own stress. Find yourself a personal coach and mentor and speak only to this individual about any issues of concern. Demonstrate a positive attitude and a smile on your face at all times. Employees are particularly sensitive to body language and you can’t afford to have them misinterpret your feelings or intentions. Becoming a new supervisor will change your life. And the biggest role change will be managing people Yes; it will take adjustment, new learning, adaptation and personal risk taking. But remember, leaders are not born - they are made. So, pat yourself on the back; set up your development plan and reach for the stars.

Source: Manager’s Reference Guide: Employee Assistance Programs International, Basic Guide to Leadership and Supervision, Carter McNamara.