May 2007: od180 eNews #16
From Awkward to Straightforward: On Supervision
Supervision of Bacchus can sometimes be a special challenge. |
Dear Friends:
Few of us in the world of small to midsize nonprofit organizations have had much training in personnel supervision. We may be trained healers, or educators, or advocates, or clergy, but not managers. Consequently, many of us tend to feel awkward about fulfilling supervisory obligations. If it's going well with a staff member, we may be inclined "to leave well enough alone" and if's not going so well, we may either avoid or confront in ways that are not terribly helpful. This month, I take a look at personnel supervision, offering a working definition of what it is, a key point about each element of it, and a sample set of "do's and don'ts." (Supervising volunteers is a very different subject for another time.) As always, I welcome your feedback. Reply to me anytime at davidnorgard@od180.com
Peace,
David
What Is Supervision? - A Definition
Here is how I would define effective staff supervision:
To supervise well is to set work priorities and performance objectives and to provide the necessary support to staff so that they may make their optimal contributions toward the organization's efforts of achieving its mission and toward their own professional development.
This support is both tangible and intangible. It involves providing all of the following: positive reinforcement on work well done; constructive feedback on work not so well done; and needed resources, such as tools, equipment, supplies, and information. Ideally, supervising achieves the optimal balance between putting forth challenges that spur achievement and new capability and assigning tasks that produce stress and burnout.
Key Points
# 1 - on Hiring
The right person for the job is one who can do the job competently and fit into the organization in terms of its culture, especially its values.
# 2 - on Designing a Job
Success in any job begins with the job itself being designed in such a way that success is possible. A well-designed job is one in which what is to be achieved is clear, the methods are flexible, and sufficient support is available.
# 3 - on Establishing Priorities / Setting Expectations
Establishing priorities and setting expectations involves two-way communication between supervisor and staff member that provides both context and clarity.
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Returning to the provocative topic of communication...
The process of effective communication in the supervisory context involves listening as much as telling and to do either well requires time, timeliness, and focused attention. The content of effective communication includes all that might reasonably have an impact on how, what, when, where, with whom, and why work is done.
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# 4 - on Providing What Is Needed
Supervision is not just about getting what you need from the staff. It's also about giving them what they need from you. That leads to what I consider the central theme of all these points: Maintaining clarity on priorities through two-way communication and providing the support needed for success are at the heart of supervision day-to-day.
# 5 - on Evaluating Performance
Good evaluation is ongoing evaluation, emphasizing positive reinforcement and offering truly constructive feedback in a timely manner.
# 6 - on Developing People
The short-sighted supervisor thinks only about "getting the work done through people." The supervisor with the long-range view in mind thinks also about "getting the people done through work." (Credit for this apt phrasing goes to Marcus Buckingham in a presentation at the 2006 Global Institute for Leadership Development.)
Do's and Don'ts
Do:
1. Know what a job entails before you hire for it or supervise someone in it.
2. Give affirmations generously.
3. Reward extraordinary effort.
4.Communicate decisions and priorities clearly and in a timely fashion.
5. Make space in the day for questions and input.
6. Meet regularly one-on-one and hold regular group meetings that allow for input from all participants.
7. Provide context when assigning work so that staff members understand how their efforts fit into the "big picture."
8. Listen for insights from staff members on how to do work better.
9. Make sure that staff members have all the information necessary to do what is requested of them.
10. Take into consideration how much time a project will require.
Don't:
1. Start a new employee without orientation to the organization.
2. Be ignorant about what a job requires.
3. Avoid providing timely, constructive feedback when performance falls short of expectation.
4. Announce publicly a decision that affects someone's job without informing the individual privately first.
5. Assume that the staff member will prioritize the same you do (without talking about it).
6. Mix personal requests with job expectations.
7. Yell... or otherwise relieve your stress by laying it on your staff.
8. Triangulate messages to direct reports, i.e. communicate to them via third parties.
9. Miss an opportunity to give thanks.
10. Ignore requests for training or education.
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