Six Strategies for Active Supervision Carol Edwards, LCSW Big Bend Community Based Care

Session Objectives  During this webinar you will receive training on six strategies to be a more effective supervisor. A skilled supervisor is an effective communicator, problem-solver and employee motivator. Drawing out the potential of workers requires insights into their strengths and weaknesses. The six strategies you will learn about are:  1. Communicate effectively  2. Schedule regular meeting with employees  3. Give credit where credit is due  4. Focus on employee strengths  5. Help address employee needs  6. Be a problem solver

Communication Pointers  Effective communication is the foundation of positive working relationships.  Successful communication requires you to think about your message, delivery, timing, and audience.  Good communication is interactive—you speak and you listen.  Improving your communication skills will make you a better leader.

Communicate effectively  Listening well enables supervisors to communicate with employees who are experiencing workplace problems. Supervisors who listen give employees a sense of appreciation for leadership. Employees who believe they are valued contributors are likely to have greater confidence and trust in company leadership, which underlies positive supervisor-employee relationships. Consequently, employees who believe they are valued team members are better able to discuss problems that impact their performance and to participate in dispute resolution.

8 Steps of Effective Communication  Step 1: Focus on positive actions and interaction.  Step 2: Redirect the employee when she makes a mistake.  Step 3: Observe the employee's behavior. As soon as you see progress being made, provide specific and meaningful praise.  Step 4: Begin each meeting or morning with a "cheerleading" tour by highlighting everything employees are doing correctly.  Step 5: Follow-up by asking if there are any problems the individual or staff is facing with which you can assist. Ask if there are situations in which you can make improvements.  Step 6: Provide positive, specific feedback. If you do not have immediate solutions, be honest. Let your employees know that you will look into it and when you will have a solution.  Step 7: Say something positive when everything is going well.  Step 8: Coach people to recognize themselves performing well.

Meeting with Employees  89% of people want to meet with their manager on at least a monthly basis, with 44% of the people polled wanting to meet at least once per week.  One-on-ones are an important way that leaders demonstrate that they care about employees.  Spending time is a clear indication that an employee’s work is important and that he or she is a valued member of the team. It’s also a way for managers to make themselves available to help direct reports as needed.  On six of seven specific issues related to performance management—Goal Setting, Goal Review, Performance Feedback, Problem Solving, Soliciting Support, and Problems with Colleagues—at least 63% of respondents say that they want to discuss these issues on an Often or All the Time basis, but only 47% to 50% of them get that chance. Employees want more meetings with their boss! Key Findings from a survey conducted by Training magazine and The Ken Blanchard Companies®.

Employee Recognition  Prioritize employee recognition and you can ensure a positive, productive, innovative organizational climate. Provide employee recognition to say thank you and to encourage more of the actions and thinking that you believe will make your organization successful.employee recognition to say thank you  People who feel appreciated are more positive about themselves and their ability to contribute. People with positive self-esteem are potentially your best employees.

Guidelines for Employee Recognition  Decide what you want to achieve through your employee recognition efforts. employee recognition  Create goals and action plans for employee recognition. Fairness, clarity, and consistency are important in employee recognition.

Guidelines for Employee Recognition  For day-to-day employee recognition, you’ll want to set guidelines so leaders acknowledge equivalent and similar contributions.  It is important to recognize all people who contributed to a success equally.  Employee recognition approaches and content must also be consistently fair and not build on expectations or entitlements.  Be as specific as you can in telling the individual exactly why he is receiving the recognition.  Offer employee recognition as close to the event you are recognizing as possible.

How Full is Your Bucket? By Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton  This short book has a message that is as valuable as it is simple: Look for the good in people and praise it. The authors cite numerous studies that have shown that people are far more motivated and productive when their self-esteem is high due to praise and positive feedback. On the other hand, when people go around emptying the "emotional buckets" of others, they invariably poison the chemistry in the workplace and destroy everyone's morale (including their own) in the process.

Strengths and Needs  Focus more on the employee’s strengths than their needs.  Eliminate the word weaknesses from your supervisor vocabulary! Replace it with needs.  Employees can be challenging as they come with different styles of communication, motivational levels, attitudes and desires.  Employees want to succeed in their work and you as their manager can guide them to that level.  The balance between initiative in achieving organizational goals and team building is critical.  Once you know the strengths of your team members, see if there are any gaps in what you need and what you have in your employees.  It is important to ponder whether you can help them elevate their strength a little more without hindering the current level of proficiency.

Be a Problem Solver  1. Encourage professional development High-potential employees are not satisfied with the status quo. If given the proper guidance in their development, they will become the future leaders of your organization.  2. Create a development plan Help your employees establish goals that are aligned with their strengths, interest and experience, as well as with the overall business strategy. Establish goals and expectations to help them set their sights on career opportunities.  3. Pair employees with mentors Find someone who is in a similar role to the employee. Mentoring relationships can foster positive and productive working relationships, helping employees learn and gain encouragement and support in their careers. When coached with encouragement, your employees can help your business adapt to changes and reach the next level of success.  4. Help them build their networks Recommend opportunities within the organization, as well as networking or professional groups that will help them build strong connections.  5. Challenge employees with assignments Get your employees to leave their comfort zones. Employees can’t move forward if they don’t grow, and they can’t grow if they never leave their comfort zones.  6. Show employees you trust them If you want to help employees develop, trust them to do their jobs by getting out of the way. Let them know what your expectations are by modeling the behavior you expect—show them you trust them. This not only lets employees know what they need to succeed and gives them greater ownership, but it also shows them that credibility and trust are important in your organization.

 Importance of Communication Skills for Supervisor s by Ruth Mayhew, Demand Media  How to Demonstrate Communication Skills for Supervisors and Employees by Miki Markovich, Demand Media employees html Employee Passion Vol 6 © 2013 The Ken Blanchard Companies.  6 Tips to Help Employees Grow and Develop Posted by David Grossman on Tue,Jul 29, 2014David Grossman Develop Resources