SESSION 2

NEW
SUPERVISOR

TIPS FOR THE NEW

SUPERVISOR
NEW

SUPERVISOR???
- TO THE
POSITION
- TO A
DEPARTMENT

YOUR FIRST STEP AS A

SUPERVISOR
When you move into your first
management or supervisory role,
you will want to keep your eyes open
and as quickly as possible, get the
lay of the land. Every position of
leadership responsibility entails
certain unwritten agreements or
ground rules of operation

Are you about to encounter some sensitive

human relations situations you need to know
about in advance?
Will you be inheriting a problem employee?
Do any special legal or safety precautions
require your attention?
Does your leadership style differ significantly
from that of your predecessor?
Should you be apprised of some informal
reports or unusual protocol?
Do you know how to handle an incident of
employee theft or a problem of sexual
harassment?

MANAGING YOURSELF
The experience of a first-time
supervisor is often the most trying in
your work career. And formal training
can never prepare you! Most times its
because you have seniority, and
technical expertise.
So before you start managing/
supervising others .. YOU NEED TO
MANAGE YOURSELF

GUIDELINES TO MANAGE
YOURSELF

Monitor Your work Hours

Recognise your own Signs of Stress
Get a Mentor/ Coach someone who been
there done that.
Learn to Delegate
Communicate as Much as you Can confide,
hold regular meetings
Recognize whats Important from whats
Urgent Fix Systems not Problems
Recognise Accomplishments

NEW SUPERVISOR
THINK WHEN YOU BECAME A
SUPERVISOR or IF YOU WERE TOLD
THAT YOU RECEIVED A PROMOTION AND
WILL BE MADE A SUPERVISOR

Weigh what you GAIN vs what you have

LOST/GIVEN UP

NEW SUPERVISOR _ WHAT

DO YOU GAIN?

Is leader instead of follower

Has more responsibility and authority
Manage works, manages people
Is primary conduit of information among front line and
management
Makes a difference in more lives
Is satisfying for those who feel personally rewarded by
developing and empowering others
Can interact with more and different people
Has a career path to greater advancement
Has a broader sphere of influence
Embraces authority to help the unit function well

NEW SUPERVISOR _ GAVE

UP /LOSS
Need to give up job duties from previous role that
gave you satisfaction and a feeling of competence
Must separate self from work group and align
with a new peer groupgiving up old peer
relationships
Difficulties in letting go of old role may lead to
micromanagement and being overwhelmed

HOW TO SURVIVE
YOUR FIRST FEW
WEEKS AS A
SUPERVISOR

1.

Use Your New Power in a Sensitive Manner

Sudden authority has a strange way of inflating

your feelings of self-importance without your
being aware that it is happening. Keep reminding
yourself that you are basically the same person you
were before you became a supervisor. You must
now succeed through the efforts of others, but you
do not want to abuse your new authority and create
hostility in those who must now look to you for
leadership

2. Be Patient with Yourself

You need to take the time to learn the job,

understand people. You may not always
deal with staff or situations in the right or
best way but you will get it right!
3. Decide to Be a Professional
This sometimes may be a conscious
decision, but you have to do it.

4. Stay in Close Contact with All

Employees

Despite all your pressing new responsibilities, it is

important that you take time to make personal, positive
contacts with each employee in the department during
your first few weeks as their supervisor, regardless of
whether you are promoted from within the department or
were brought in from outside. These contacts can be
accomplished through brief stand-up conversations, by
coffee-break talks, or by invitations to talk things over,
depending on the number of employees, the time
available, and other circumstances. The purpose of each

5. Make Changes Gradually

Unless management demands immediate

changes, it is best to get used to the way
the department operates before
introducing major innovations. When you
are ready to make changes, explain them
to the people who will be affected by them.
And remember, people are more motivated
to make changes when they have been
involved in the planning of the change.

6. Watch the Up Side Protect the Down

Side

Dont pass on to your people the

sudden pressures you feel from
above. You must act as a buffer
and keep your frustrations and
disappointments to yourself if you
are to keep a smoothly operating,
productive department. Your job is
to make the work of those in your

7. Save Some Planning Time

Evaluate yourself and your

performance on a day-to-day basis.
If you cannot find any time for
planning while you are on the job,
do it at home.

8. Redefine Your Workplace Friendships

Your first responsibility as a

supervisor is to keep all relationships
with your people fair and equal. If
you violate this principle at the
beginning, you may jeopardize the
respect and confidence you receive
from others.

9.

Let Your Team Help You

Ask their advice and accept it. Involve

them in as many decisions as possible,
especially those decisions that will affect
them personally.

Adopt a Learning Attitude

Once you are a supervisor, your learning
should accelerate, not decline. To be an
effective supervisor, one must be an
effective human being. Lifelong learning is
necessary in our modern world. Take the
opportunity to learn new skills when you

EXERCISE

THE SKILLS
REQUIRED BY A
SUPERVISOR

Decision Making Skills

The ability to take/ make quick
and correct decisions. To be able
to implement his decision wisely.
The success or failure of a
Supervisor depends upon the
correctness of his decisions.

FUNCTIONS IN THE
SUPERVISORY PROCESS

PLANNING IS
IMPORTANT!

The first thing a new supervisor

needs to learn is how to plan.
This includes planning for
personal tasks, employee
workloads, coaching and
developing staff and for
implementing corporate goals.

LEVELS OF PLANNING
FOR THE SUPERVISOR
There are two basic levels of planning
that supervisors are responsible for
Long term strategic goals - or
strategic planning focuses on the big
picture, providing a framework from
which the team operates.
short term tactile planning. or tactile
planning focuses on the daily operations
of the team in meeting the long-term
goals of the organization.

WHAT IS THE PLANNING

FUNCTION
This is the function of setting goals and
objectives and converting their specific
plans.
Planning involves translating organizational
goals into departmental goals into unit
goals. Supervisors define tangible outcomes
that they count on their staff to achieve, and
they create action plans that outline how
they and their staff are going to proceed.

In most organisations whether large or small

long term planning is handled mainly by
those at the higher levels of management.
In most instances supervisors are responsible
to custom fit the master plan to their
respective units.
Supervisors, not managers make the day-today assignments and adjustments to ensure
that the master plan is effective.
A supervisor is responsible for short term
(TACTICAL) plans and higher executives for
long term (STRATEGIC) plans.

PLANNING PROCESS

CASE 1
Your Department has down time for a
period of one month. You are the
supervisor and thinking ahead of what
you will do during that period. You
have decided that you will do some
spring cleaning of the office.
Use the Planning Process to guide the
plan.

CASE 2
You are a supervisor in the Plant of a
Steel Factory. Once a year all tools and
machinery must be checked, cleaned
and serviced.
Use the Planning Process to guide the
plan.

CASE 3
You are a supervisor in a huge Appliance
Store.
You are responsible for the Sales Clerks
and Cashiers .The busiest time of the
Year is the week leading up to Christmas.
Use the Planning Process to guide the
planning of that period.

CASE 4
You are a Supervisor at a Government
Ministry. You were given two weeks
notice of a visit by the Minister and a
Foreign Team to view your Department.
You are responsible to plan the visit.

GOAL SETTING
A supervisors Goals shape the targets
towards which all of his or her plans
and actions should be directed.
Goals are the End.
Therefore you first decide where you
want to go and what do you want to
accomplish.
ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR GOALS THE
PLANNING PROCESS BEGINS

SMART GOALS
S - Specific
M Measurable
A Acceptable
R Realistic
T Time Frame
E Extending
R Rewarding

PLANNING PROCESS

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Develop a Master Plan

Have Supporting Plans
Put Numbers and dates on Everything
Pin down the Different Assignments
Explain the Plan to all Concerned
Review your Plans Regularly
Ensure there is Flexibility in Your Plan

THE END