9/3/2019 Supervising Vs. Leading a Team | Chron.

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Supervising Vs. Leading a Team

by Tia Benjamin

Just because someone is a great supervisor doesn't mean he

necessarily has the qualities needed for effective leadership,
and vice versa. While larger companies may have the luxury of
separate and distinct supervisory and leadership functions,
supervisors in a small business are often called upon to serve
double duty. Consequently, supervisors should expand their
focus from purely supervisory functions and concentrate on
best practices for leading a team.

Control

Supervisors are used to managing a task and having an extensive amount of control over those processes. True leaders
realize delegation is essential. You cannot take control over every task -- instead, leaders need to motivate and
encourage staff to perform. Leadership of the team means setting goals for the team and its processes but not
micromanaging each task. Instead, the leader must provide the tools, resources and support for the team to succeed.

Conflict Resolution

Supervising a team doesn't necessarily mean you have to be the bad guy. Supervisors can refer conflicts up the chain
and don't necessarily deal with the interpersonal issues between team members. Team leadership means learning how
to manage conflict among the ranks to strengthen the cohesiveness of the team. Leaders must make the difficult
decisions and take on the ultimate responsibility for settling conflicts -- which inevitably means being unpopular at
times. Although people can be supervised effectively as individuals, leaders use their people skills to build a team.

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Mission and Vision

An effective team leader should help staff see the overall mission and vision of the company. A leader is more focused on
the big picture, whereas supervisors concentrate more on the specific details of the task. Leaders help team members to
understand how the team's performance fits with the mission of the entire organization, whereas supervisors are critical
to ensuring successful performance by effective completion of the day-to-day tasks. Supervisors monitor individual
performance and coach each individual to achieve the best results and performance possible.

Authority

Although a supervisor has formal authority simply by virtue of his appointment to the position, an individual does not
need to be in a formal leadership position to be considered a leader. Supervisors must realize that others in the group
may demonstrate team leadership through their own charisma, expertise or drive -- even if those individuals don't
necessarily have the skills to promote to a supervisory position. Instead of being threatened, the small-business
supervisor should encourage peer leadership and use each team member's strengths to get the best overall performance
from the team.

The Combined Approach

Although most people have a personal preference for either the task-oriented approach necessary for supervision or the
people-oriented motivational style required for leadership, the ideal leader is a combination of both, using whichever style
is most appropriate for the situation. This is a particularly critical ability in a small business, where the supervisor is
required to function in a leadership role and vice versa. In some cases, you will use both approaches simultaneously --
micromanaging the overall budget, for example, while delegating responsibility for day-to-day tasks to staff members.
Develop the skills that don't come naturally to you -- both through training and on-the-job experience -- so that you can
switch interchangeably between the two styles as the situation dictates.

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References (5)
U.S. Office of Personnel Management: The Changing Role of Supervisors
Harford Community College: Principles of Supervision
Columbia University: Creating Leaders Through Supervision
California State University Bakersfield: Sales Management Leadership and Supervision
East Tennessee State University: The Supervisor as Leader
About the Author

For more than a decade, Tia Benjamin has been writing organizational policies, procedures and management training
programs. A C-level executive, she has more than 15 years experience in human resources and management. Benjamin
obtained a Bachelor of Science in social psychology from the University of Kent, England, as well as a Master of Business
Administration from San Diego State University.

Photo Credits
Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

Cite this Article

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