1. Effective Supervisor Skills: Transition From Peer to Leader
Track: Personal Development
Effective Supervisor Skills: Transition From Peer to Leader

2. Effective Supervisor Skills: Transition From Peer to Leader
Vicki Pero, SPHR
Principal
Marlyn Group LLC

3. Vicki Pero, SPHR
Well-balanced in operational leadership and support, Vicki zeros in on employee training, recruitment, and organizational development programs to improve outcomes putting people first. 19 years of experience in the parking industry have cross-trained Vicki to manage challenges from the inside out. During her career she has managed a regional territory comprised of 80 locations, has led a company’s field audit function, and has designed training solutions for all levels of employees.

4. Make Your Bed Video clip – 3:12 – 6:15
Admiral William H McRaven – UT Commencement

5. Today’s Agenda Transition from Peer to Leader Support New Leaders
Establish Credibility
Feedback and Communication
Making Changes
Support New Leaders
Before the Promotion
Adjust Your Style
Avoid Politics and Act as Mentor
Leadership Best Practices
Boss vs. Leader
Onboarding Best Practices
Performance Management

6. Tips and Guidelines for New Supervisors

7. Crab Mentality
When crabs attempt to climb out of a bucket, other crabs grab ahold and pull them back in.
Your former peers may be tempted to do the same thing which will be in the form of testing / challenging you in your new role

8. Establishing Credibility
Create appropriate distance between yourself and former peers in terms of personal relationships
Treat everyone fairly and avoid cliques and favoritism
Don’t gossip or share confidential information
In casual conversation with staff in your department, be careful not to promise what you can’t deliver
Balance the above while avoiding being too harsh
Value disappointed competitors and provide support
Ask for help
Disappointed competitors – meet with one on one, get to source of issue, agree on commitments going forward

9. Establishing CredibilityDo
Don’t
Maintain casual interactions with employees
Encourage dialogue about how things can improve
Be proactive
Participate in off color jokes
Join in on venting sessions about the department or organization
Bury your head in the sand

10. Practice Good D New supervisors sometimes avoid delegating
Want perfection and think only they can achieve
Maintain sense of comfort – continue to do former job work
Uneasy about assigning work to others
When you choose to delegate
Provides others with additional opportunities to develop
Conveys your trust in their abilities
Allows you to focus on your new responsibilities

11. Practice Good D
A score between 42 and 50 suggests you are on target. A score between 30and 41 indicates you are getting by, but could improve. Scores below 30 suggest that this area might be weak.

12. Practice Good D
Only delegate the job if you know there is someone on your staff who is able to do the job.
Select someone who will be willing to take on a new challenge and has time to do the task.
Make sure the person has enough training, support and supplies.
Give clear directions. Check back to see if there are questions.
Monitor the work in a way that is appropriate to the employees.
Be supportive of the person’s efforts.
Don’t blame the person; say instead, “what can we do to get back on the track/schedule?”
Don’t take the job back.
Give recognition.

13. Have You Gone to the Dark Side?

14. Communication & Feedback
Be honest
Practice empathy
Don’t take things personally
Feedback should be a two way street
Seek honest feedback from former peers and current leader
Provide positive and constructive feedback to team members
SAR Model

15. Feedback Using SAR Model

16. Making Changes

17. Making Changes Tread lightly initially
Allow time to learn and understand complete situation
Start with something small
Remember Admiral McRaven?

18. Goals & Objectives How Many? 1–3 1–2
The 4 Disciplines of Execution, Sean Covey
The 4 Disciplines of Execution, Stephen Covey

19. Inclusion & Collaboration

20. Supporting New Supervisors

21. Don’t Fall Prey to Peter Principle
Promoted to level of incompetence
Management / leadership skills can be developed – commonly believed these are inherent traits

22. Before the Promotion Start the learning process before the promotion
Stretch assignments
Committee leadership experience
Training

23. Adjust Your Style
Adjust management support level to Task Relevant Maturity (TRM)
TRM of New Manager
Your Management Style
Low
Structured, task oriented. Tell what, when, how
Medium
Individual oriented. Emphasis on two way communication, support, collaboration and coaching
High
Your involvement is minimal. Establishing objectives and monitoring progress
Sometimes managers provide less support when promote someone – want to offer more autonomy, believe the person is ”ready”
Hold one on ones – set agenda together – weekly is a good frequency. Can lower as manager progresses if this makes sense.

24. Avoid Creating Politics
Answering questions from past direct reports
Getting more involved than necessary
Undermining new supervisor

25. Be a Mentor Provide insight and guidance based on own experience
Offer feedback
Structured; Not Casual
One indicates a focus on the business
The other has the potential to focus on making the manager “feel good”
Debrief Following New Experiences
What worked
What didn’t
What to do different next time

26. Case Study
Trish was promoted to Enforcement Operations Supervisor two months ago, and prior to this had been a member of the Enforcement team. The supervisor role had been vacant for almost 6 months and the group had become very accustomed to reporting to the Parking and Transportation Manager, Kyle. Team members continue to come to Kyle with questions on a regular basis, and he has been answering them, because he figures this is faster than passing them along to Trish and will take a little pressure off of her. Meanwhile, Trish is hearing whispers within the group that Kyle isn’t happy with her performance.

27. Case Study
How might Kyle have contributed to the dynamic that is leading Patrollers to think he doesn’t trust Trish?
What alternative options does he have when Patrollers come to him with questions?
If you’re a new leader, share with your group what would best support you if you found yourself in a situation like this.

28. Leadership Skills Best Practices

29. Are You a Boss or a Leader?
“No common sense within the leadership team.”
“If you want to be sad every day, work here.”
“The SVP needs to be taken to the wood shed.”
“Please train me, instead of threatening to fire me.”

30. Are You a Boss or a Leader?
“I would highly recommend any professional who wants career satisfaction to work here.”
“I give the CEO two thumbs up.”
“Great company. Lots of training and opportunity.”
“Amazing leadership – keep up the good work!”

31. The Hidden Reason Why Employees Leave – Leigh Branham
Top Three Reasons
Loss of respect for the job.
Loss of respect for the manager.
Loss of respect for the company.
More money.

32. Are You a Boss or a Leader?
Push workers
Manage solely with policies and procedures
Think of discipline in terms of punishment
Hoard power
Move others with vision
Inform and motivate
Think of discipline in terms of coaching performance
Delegate and share authority

33. Employee Onboarding Reach out to the new hire before start date
Make a memorable first day
Tightly structured scheduled
Cross-departmental involvement
Spread out the paperwork
Same set of expectations early and often throughout
Role description consistency

34. Performance Management
Goal Setting
Recognize Achievements
Communicate
Share company / region / department news
Connect work to bigger picture
Feedback

36. Effective Supervisor Skills: Transition From Peer to Leader
Vicki Pero, SPHR
Principal
Marlyn Group LLC