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Supercharged Supervision:
Professional Development for
the Front-line Supervisor
David R. Selden, LICSW
Enterprise Health Solutions [email protected]
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Welcome
If you are reading this, you are either planning to become a Front-line Supervisor or are
already a Front-line Supervisor. If you are already a Front-line Supervisor let me officially
welcome you to the long roster of the unprepared. This training will provide some measure of
remedy to this dilemma. If you are not yet a Front-line Supervisor and this training is an
effort to prepare you for this role, congratulations. You are one of the new breed: the
prepared Front-line Supervisor.
Best/Worst
Whichever role you find yourself in, you have received supervision of some type yourself.
Through these experiences, you probably have some rough idea of what good supervision and
bad supervision looks like.
Take a few minutes and think back to a supervision experience you remember as less than adequate or actually bad. List what made this a bad experience for you.
Then, if your anxiety level has not climbed too high from the bad memories, think about a good supervision experience you have had. (You have had a good experience, haven't you?) List what made this a good experience for you.
Once you have completed this exercise, review both lists. You probably will realize, if you
have not already, that you already have a pretty good idea what makes good supervision. The
rest of this workshop will provide a few more tools for you to become a Supercharged
Supervisor.
The Pledge:
Review the lists you have made about your experiences with supervision. From this information, make a list of the ideals you want to pursue each day as a supervisor. At this point, make this list as long as you can, be thorough and don’t worry about editing right now.
When your list is complete, take 5 minutes to compose the list into 6-8 concise statements that will guide your work. End the list with an energizer statement (like Laserquest) that will have you charging into work each day (OK so maybe not every day) ready to do your all. (It is also helpful on those days when you need a reminder as to why you are a Supervisor)
> Share your pledge with a colleague or supervisor for editorial revisions
> Post this pledge over your desk where you can see it every day. Or, if you don’t have a
desk, print it out onto a 3x5 card and carry it with you where you can easily see it every day.
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Time Management From: Time Management Basics, www.time-management-basics.com
"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst"
William Penn
Out of all the resources needed to do our jobs as managers, time is probably the most valuable but utilized most inefficiently.
Pareto Principle or the 80:20 Rule
Typically, 80% of unfocussed effort generates only 20% of results. The remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort. Utilizing time management skills and tools can ensure that you minimize the unfocussed efforts and spend the majority of your time on focused, results producing efforts.
Action Priority Matrix
Time management tasks can be split into urgent and important. The ability to tell the difference between the two is vital to the performance of a manager. The best tool to use for this is the Action Priority Matrix.
Urgent: deadline based, not related to importance
Important: how much time you want to spend on the task; how related is the task to your goals
Ranking tasks according to urgency and importance allows you to place the tasks in a matrix to guide your efforts. A consideration in this ranking is whether or not the particular task is connected to your goals or not.
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Important Not Important Urgent
1
2
Non-urgent
3
4
Key:
Box 1: Urgent and important. Do these tasks now. Critical activities that support your
goals
Box 2: Urgent but not important. Tend to be not related to your goals but generated by
others. You may want to try to delegate these.
Box 3: Not Urgent but important. Deadlines are in the future. Important to do but plan
well
Box 4: Neither urgent or important. Trivial tasks, they can become urgent if you let them
sit for too long.
Action Priority Matrix
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Activity Log
Developing a baseline of current activity and use of time will help you evaluate how much more efficient you may be through use of time management tools. An Activity Log can help you answer these questions:
> How do you really spend your time?
> When in the day do you perform certain tasks?
> How does your energy level fluctuate?
Chart your activities and times for 2-3 days
Note:
> Activity
> Time begin
> Feelings/energy level
> Review results
Using the Results
Eliminate:
> jobs that your employer shouldn't be paying you to do.
> tasks that someone else in the organization should be doing
> personal activities
Schedule your most challenging tasks for the times of day when your energy is highest.
Minimize the number of times a day you switch between types of task.
For example, read and reply to e-mails in blocks once in the morning and once in the afternoon only.
Reduce the amount of time spent on legitimate personal activities such as making coffee
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Effective Scheduling
Effective scheduling links the time available to you with your goals and helps you plan how to use this time to achieve your goals.
1. Identify the time you have available
2. Block in the essential tasks you must carry out to succeed in your job
3. Schedule in high priority urgent tasks and vital “house-keeping” activities
4. Block in appropriate contingency time to handle unpredictable interruptions
5. In the time that remains, schedule activities that address your priorities and personal goals.
If you end up with little or no discretionary time when you reach step 5, revisit the assumptions you made in steps 1-4, including how you prioritized tasks.
Remember: Everything takes twice as long as you think it will
Structuring
Structuring is a series of actions you can take to utilize external and environmental factors to manage your time. These may include:
Close your door
Silence your phone(s)
Begin work 30 minutes early
Require bullet point memos or agendas from supervisees for meetings
Organize your files
o Computer
o Paper
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I try to schedule an entire morning, once each quarter to reorganize my desk and files. I find that taking this time actually improves the efficiency of my work for the next few months until things get backed up again. Also, once a year I go through all my files and remove anything that I had forgotten about or had not used for the previous 12 months. Some of these I send to recycling, some I send to storage if there is any need for their use in the future.
Communication
By using each encounter with his or her workers as an opportunity to model open, honest and decisive dialogue, the manager sets the tone for the entire organization.
Decisive dialogue encourages incisiveness and creativity…
Paraphrased by D. Selden from Charan, R. Conquering a Culture of Indecision, HBR, April
2001, pp75-82
How many times have you presented what you thought was clear information to someone, only
to discover later that they did not hear you correctly or misunderstood what you were trying to
tell them? The commercials for a telecommunications product from a few years ago are a great
example. A married couple returns home after an evening out to discover their two young
children covered in white powder. Upon discussion with the babysitter they learn that over the
supposedly bad cell phone connection she heard “Flour the children” when the mother asked
“How’re the children?”. This is a humorous illustration of how a seemingly simple question or
comment may be totally misunderstood.
Communication is absolutely vital to your effectiveness as a manager.
Giving Direction
As a Manager, your responsibilities include ensuring that certain tasks are
accomplished to achieve the mission of your organization. Sometimes, staff will perform
these tasks with little or no direction. Other times, and when new tasks are required, you
must provide guidance in order for this work to be accomplished. When giving direction,
have you experienced difficulty in finding the right words in order to get the job done and
at the same time maintain the optimum relationship with your employees? Different staff
will respond differently to directions and different situations require different types of
direction.
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There are several types of direction that can be placed on a scale from indirect to direct.
Each type has differing results.
Type Situation Results
Suggestion No time or outcome pressure You are open to alternatives.
May convey sense that it is
unimportant.
Request You are confident in the
person’s ability to accomplish
the task.
Must include time and
deliverable parameters or risk
lack of follow-through. Provides
a feeling of freedom and
respect to staff member.
Instruct and Require Specific deliverable and time
requirements, sometimes
under pressure
May sometimes build
resentment. Conveys a feeling
of being closely supervised.
Order or Command Should be used in
emergencies only
May cause resentment and
resistance when used in the
wrong place.
Examples:
Suggestion: Do you think it would be a good idea to have all the clinicians add more
evening appointment times?
Request: Would everyone please let me know what extra evening appointment times
they have? How much time do you need to get this information to me? Please set it up
in a weekly calendar format so I can see days and times.
Instruct and Require: I need everyone’s extra evening appointment times by the end of
the week this Friday. It must be in a weekly calendar format so I can see days and
times.
Order and Command: Make a list right now of your extra evening appointment times
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Exercise: Think of a task that you need your staff, or a single staff member to accomplish. Review the
types of Directions and choose one, based on the need of this particular task. Use it to communicate and
then monitor the performance of the tasks. Was it accomplished correctly, on time?
Adapted from: Mill, C.R. (1972) Activities for Trainers: 50 Useful Designs, University Associates
p 188
Supercharging Your Staff - Feedback
Direct service staff rely on their front-line supervisors for feedback on their performance. Direct
service workers may come from a wide variety of training programs, ideologies, backgrounds
and experience. The person responsible for ensuring that all of these players operate in a
coherent fashion, in line with the objectives of the overall organization is the front-line
supervisor. The finest automobile in the world still needs to be steered to stay on the road.
Direct service staff need to know when they have done something right, so that they may repeat
this activity and when they have done something wrong so that they may eliminate this activity.
A front-line supervisor wants a staff member to succeed, to be a big help to the organization and
to enjoy the work. This can only happen with feedback.
The formats below offer simple methods to provide both positive and negative feedback.
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The following information on Praising and “Correction” (Blanchard calls it a
“reprimand”) is adapted from: The One Minute Manager, K. Blanchard, S.
Johnson, Berkley, New York, 1981.
The One Minute Praising
“Help people reach their full potential-
Catch them doing something right.”
Implementation:
1. Tell people up front you will be providing feedback on specific actions. (Usually an announcement in a staff meeting, a memo or statement in individual supervision to prepare your staff to participate in the process will be helpful)
2. When beginning a praising for a specific staff member make contact: state the person’s name
3. Look the person in the eye 4. Tell the person precisely what they did right 5. Tell them how their actions support the overall goals of the organization
Potential Effects:
1. Immediate (can reinforce the behavior) 2. Demonstrates a connection and knowledge-the worker knows you know what they are doing 3. Demonstrates consistency-even if other things are not going well, the good performance is
praised and reinforced
When someone outside of work asks us how the job is going, how often do we reply: “I guess
I’m doing OK. No one had said anything either way”? Think of how supported you feel when
someone tells you are doing a good job. As a front-line supervisor, you need to seek out and
take advantage of these opportunities with your staff.
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The One Minute Correction
Implementation:
1. Tell people beforehand that you are going to let them know how they are doing (see Praising, above)
2. Correct people immediately 3. Tell people what they did wrong-be specific 4. Tell people how what they did does not match with the overall goals of the organization. 5. Stop for a few seconds to let your feedback sink in. 6. Remind them how much you value them 7. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance in this situation 8. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it’s over.
Potential Effects:
1. Immediate (can help eliminate the behavior) 2. Demonstrates a connection and knowledge-the worker knows you know what they are doing 3. Demonstrates consistency-keeps staff focused on the organizational goals
Feedback Tips
“Crystal clear feedback” is the goal
Keep it brief and concise.
“Comment on the behavior, not the worth of the person”
Help people laugh at themselves when they make a mistake (you need to do this too)
“Never adjust anyone in public”: always provide feedback about a mistake behind closed doors or in private. It will always be heard better this way.
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Exercise Make a log that you can carry with you (a 3x5 card for example) and over the next week seek out and
use opportunities to provide direct feedback to your staff. At the end of the week, individually and in a
group (weekly staff meeting) ask for their feedback: “How was that for all of you?”
Guidelines for Giving Feedback
1. Readiness of the Receiver Give the feedback only when there are clear indications the receiver is ready to be aware of it. If
not ready, the receiver will be apt not to hear it or misinterpret it. (“I need to give you some
feedback; is this a good time?”)
2. Descriptive not Interpretive Giving feedback should be like acting as a “candid camera”. It is a clear report of the facts, not
your ideas about why things happened or what was meant by them. It is up to the receiver to
consider the whys or the meanings or to invite the feedback giver to do this considering with
him.
Example” I don’t understand why you were so rude to that person at the front desk” will not be
received as well as “when I saw you speaking to a person at the front desk a few minutes ago I
noticed you were not making eye contact, didn’t greet them and were rather abrupt in speaking
to them. We want to make people feel welcome when they come in here and that will not make
someone feel welcome”.
3. Recent Happenings The closer the feedback is given to the time the event took place the better. When feedback is
given immediately, the receiver is most apt to be clear on exactly what is meant. The feelings
associated with the event still exist so that this too can be part of understanding what the
feedback means.
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4. Appropriate Times Feedback should be given when there is a good chance it can be used helpfully. It may not be
helpful if the receiver feels there is currently other work that demands more attention. Or, critical
feedback in front of others may be seen as damaging rather than helpful. (“Lou’s Rule”: Never
adjust anyone in public”)
5. New Things There is a tendency in giving feedback to say only the obvious. Consider whether the thing you
are reacting to really may be new information for the receiver. Many times, what may be helpful
new information is not simply a report of what you saw the receiver doing, but rather the way it
caused you to feel or the situation you felt it put you in. In the example in #2 above, you could
ask: “Do you see how this would not make someone feel welcome?”
6. Changeable Things Feedback can lead to improvements only when it is about things which can be changed. Avoid
the tendency to “share our feelings”. If you always make sure your feedback is connected to the
goals of the agency you will be on solid ground and improve the likelihood that the feedback will
be received, considered and acted upon in a positive manner.
7. Not Demand a Change The concept of feedback should not be confused with the concept of requesting a person to
change. It is up to the receiver to consider whether he wishes to attempt a change on the basis
of new information. What is not helpful is when feedback is presented with an implicit (or
sometimes explicit) expectation to change. The idea is that when the staff member realizes they
are behaving in a manner that does not support the overall mission of the organization, they will
decide to make the necessary change themselves.
8. Not an Overload
Avoid over doing it. Do not store up numerous items for feedback and then attempt to give them
out all at once. People have a limited capacity to take in new information, especially if it is
perceived as negative. Prioritize if necessary. Keep it brief!
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9. Given to be Helpful You should always consider your own reasons for giving feedback. Are you trying to be helpful
to the receiver? Or, are you really just getting rid of some of your own feelings? If it is the latter,
you need to discuss this in your own supervision to develop a better perspective on how to
handle this challenge. We are all human and sometimes react more subjectively than
objectively.
10. Giver Shares Something
Giving feedback can sometimes take on the feeling of a “one-upsmanship” situation. The
receiver goes away feeling as though he is not as good as the giver. The exchange can be kept
in better balance by the giver including some of his own experiences that are similar to the
receiver’s.
Team Building and Leadership Much of the following material, is from by Ellen Alcorn, Monster Contributing Writer. Revisions and editions are
by Dave Selden
Teamwork\'tém-werk\ n : Work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole.
Their energies are directed toward problem solving, task effectiveness, and maximizing the use of all members' resources to achieve the team's purpose.
The 2004 Boston Red Sox were a strong team and had the best short stop in baseball. But mid-way through the year they were struggling, and management traded the all-star short-stop for some players of lesser ability. Everyone thought Theo Epstein, the young team General Manager, had made a very bad decision. But then something interesting happened. What had been a strong but under-achieving team became a dominant team, winning 22 of its last 25 games. The Red Sox went on the win the World Series, for the first time since 1918. It is generally acknowledged that the trade changed the atmosphere in the locker room and produced a better team, rather than a group of individuals playing on the same field.
Is your program functioning as a team or a group of individuals?
Exercise
Complete the Team Effectiveness Assessment in this document and use the results to guide your work through this unit. You may also want to consider having all of the members of your team complete the assessment as well to gather additional information.
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Developing the High Functioning Team
Create opportunities for people to get together to tackle an issue.
Mine the learning from these group experiences
Give the process time
"In a shared model, everyone on the team initiates things, rather than waiting to be told what to do by the leader," "They have a part in creating the values and the vision of the organization."
Communication decreases duplication.
Characteristics of Good Team Building
High level of interdependence among team members
Team leader has good people skills and is committed to team approach
Each team member is willing to contribute
Team develops a relaxed climate for communication
Team members develop a mutual trust
Team and individuals are prepared to take risks
Team is clear about goals and establishes targets
Team member roles are defined
Team members know how to examine team and individual errors without personal attacks
Team has capacity to create new ideas
Each team member knows he can influence the team agenda
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Leading the Team
Lead yourself before you try to lead others
o Role model
Take care of yourself: emotional and physical
Respect
Honesty
Attitude and enthusiasm
Taking risks
Give team members a sense of ownership in the process
o Leader: define the mission
o Staff: develop the methods to reach the goal
Build an atmosphere of trust
o Empathy
o Constructive criticism
o Honest feedback
Help your staff build capacity
o Empower others
o Make yourself dispensable (delegate when possible)
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Foster inclusion
o Diversity
attitudes
values
ways of thinking
Obstacles to an Effective Team
Leader is the weak link
Solution: Step up and fulfill the mission (or replace the leader)
Personal conflicts are taking over
Solution: Address the issues: communicate
Only a few carry the team's load
Solution: Everyone has a role: insure that roles are clearly defined
Self-interest is the name of the game
Solution: “There is no I in team”: clarify the goals
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Time Management Self-Assessment
Answer the following questions as honestly as possible, rating your answer from 1 to 5 (1 -
lowest to 5 - highest).
I am good at starting work 1 2 3 4 5
I always get my work in on time 1 2 3 4 5
I always file my notes away 1 2 3 4 5
I am good at planning ahead 1 2 3 4 5
I never waste time 1 2 3 4 5
I always break tasks down 1 2 3 4 5
I set myself targets and deadlines 1 2 3 4 5
I always prioritize my work 1 2 3 4 5
I always make time to relax 1 2 3 4 5
I always allow time for unforeseen events 1 2 3 4 5
I always make lists of things to do 1 2 3 4 5
I complete most tasks before they
become urgent 1 2 3 4 5
Score: __________
Score:
40 - 60: You are already well-organized
30 - 40: You have good organizational skills but could still improve
10 - 30: You may be more effective if you improve your organizational skills
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Team Effectiveness Survey
Instructions:
For each question, circle the answer that most applies. When you have completed the 15 questions,
transfer your scores to the score calculations boxes in each of the team effectiveness sections below.
Note that some of the questions are scored from 1-5 (low to high) and others from 5-1 (high to low).
Please score based on the column headings, not the numbers.
Question Not at
All
Rarely Sometimes A Lot Very
Much
1. My team is knowledgeable about the
stages of development teams can be
expected to go through
1
2
3
4
5
2. Team members are provided with a
great deal of feedback regarding their
performance
1
2
3
4
5
3. Team members are encouraged to work
for the common good of the
organization
1
2
3
4
5
4. There are many complaints, and morale
is low on my team
5
4
3
2
1
5. Team members don’t understand the
decisions that are made, or don’t agree
with them
5
4
3
2
1
6. People are encouraged to be good team
members, and build good relationships
1
2
3
4
5
20
7
.
Team members are provided with
development opportunities
1
2
3
4
5
8. Meetings are inefficient and there is a
lot of role overlap
5
4
3
2
1
9. Team members are encouraged to
commit to the team vision, and leaders
help them understand how their role fits
into the big picture
1
2
3
4
5
10. Team members are often given a chance
to work on interesting tasks and stretch
their knowledge and capabilities
1
2
2
4
5
11. The team understands what it needs to
accomplish and has the resources
needed to be successful
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My team overall score is:
Out of 75
12. Conflict and hostility between members
is a pervasive issue that doesn’t seem to
get better
5
4
3
2
1
13. People feel that good work is not
rewarded and they are not sure what is
expected of them
5
4
3
2
1
14. Team members balance their individual
needs for autonomy with the benefits of
mutual interdependence
1
2
3
4
5
15. Working relationships across units or
functions is poor, and there is a lack of
coordination
5
4
3
2
1
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Score Comment
46-75 You’re a solid team member working well as part of an effective team. Lower
scores in this range show that there is room for improvement, though. Read the
following summaries of key teamwork functions and determine which of the
tools will help you become a better team player and build a stronger team.
31-45 Your effectiveness as a team player and your team’s effectiveness are patchy.
You’re good at some things, but there’s room for improvement elsewhere. Focus
on the serious issues below, and you’ll most likely find you and your team are
soon achieving more.
15-30 This is worrying. The good news is that you’ve got a good opportunity to improve
your effectiveness as a team member, and the effectiveness of your team. Start
below.
Team Development (Question 1, 11)
Score
Question 1
Question 11
Total
Out of 10
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Feedback (Questions 2, 13)
Score
Question 2
Question 13
Total
Out of 10
Participation and Articulating Vision (Questions 3, 9, 10)
Score
Question 3
Question 9
Question 10
Total
Out of 15
24
Managing Conflict (Questions 2, 12, 14)
Score
Question 2
Question 12
Question 14
Total
Out of 15
25
Group Roles and Structure (Questions 6, 8, 14, 15)
Score
Question 6
Question 8
Question 14
Question 15
Total
Out of 20
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Team Member Development (Questions 7, 12)
Score
Question 7
Question 12
Total
Out of 10
Understanding and Collaboration (Questions 5, 14)
Score
Question 5
Question 14
Total
Out of 10
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Exercise
Reviewing the information above and the information in the previous Units, what one activity can
you employ within the next two weeks to build your team?
For example, would it be helpful to engage your team in mapping a particular process that might
need improvement? How about a brain-storming exercise? Or do you need to focus more, with
a very hard-working and stressed out team on self care? I once contracted with a professional
masseuse to come to the office and give free chair massages to a team that had been under
tremendous stress for a number of months. The cost was minimal (I got approval from my boss
first) and the effect was powerfully positive.
Complete a brief plan, including due date and save it as a contract for yourself. Consider
sharing it with your supervisor as a way to hold yourself accountable.