You shouldn't speak to employees like they're children, or shy away from delegating work that they can obviously handle. The first ensures that you understand why that person was hired, that they have the capability to do their job and they're not 'just an employee'. Sutton in his book ‘Good Boss, Bad Boss’ are ‘do not treat others as if they are idiots’ and ‘do not hesitate to say “I don’t know”. This is how you can begin training your mind to think like a good boss.Īnd be a person back to them. Your work can't tell you that you're a good boss, which means you have to invest just as much time in your employees as your tasks as a supervisor. Ask them what their goals are, give them more responsibility if you think they can handle it, then give them recognition when they pull it off. Make an effort to really understand your employees. So, if you have ever taken credit for work where you know it was someone else's hard doing, or you don't trust anyone else to do work in case they mess it up or you care more about getting the work done than the personal well-being of your team, then these might be signs that you don't have the above qualities. Well, sometimes easier to identify what a good supervisor is not. But how do you tell if you have these traits? You're effectively creating a 'boss persona'. If you don't have them, you should begin tweaking your mannerisms in order to act with these four traits in mind.

We'd be lying if we said that everyone is inherently born with these characteristics. Inc.com explains that the best personality traits in a good boss are empathy, trust, loyalty and discernment. If you take these tips and supervisor skills and apply them to your company and management technique, then you’ll have engaged employees who value their work in your team in no time (and you may even get your hands on one of those all-important mugs). You may find the next 5 steps to be baseline advice, but they are the building blocks of all the best bosses out there. Some people manage people naturally better than others, but if you want to become a leader that employees are happy to follow it’s best if you have some tricks up your sleeve to begin with. It’s often either a learn by looking and taking it day-by-day, or it’s self-directed study. The (weird) thing is, supervisor training isn’t widely given. This is called situational leadership, where a leader alters the way they lead to fit the company culture and conditions. In the world of overseeing employees, it’s best to consider your style of leadership, the organisation as a whole and the type of industry that’s being carried out, so you can lead effectively. There’s no one size fits all when it comes to supervising. Establishing yourself as the new boss might take a bit of convincing, mainly because you’re now the one calling the shots, delegating and disciplining.Īre there different ways to be a good supervisor? One of the hardest changes to master is the transition from team member to manager of the team, especially if you’re friends with your teammates. Our following steps will be valid whether you’ve got 'supervisor' or 'manager' in your job title. A thesaurus lumps these terms in together as synonyms, however, some offices consider a supervisor and manager to have different job descriptions, depending on their particular hierarchy and type of work.īriefly, a supervisor oversees a team of people doing the same role, whereas a manager plays a more active role in handling employee and company goals.ĭespite this, the two roles are very similar in that they centre on leadership in some form. Is there a difference between a supervisor and manager? It’s a supervisor's responsibility to delegate tasks to team members, direct workflow, manage any targets set out by the company and provide feedback to the team, both of the company and the individual.Ī supervisor also handles training, holidays and shifts as well as suspensions and terminations. Whether you’re managing two or 10 people, being a supervisor is quite a big job. But relatable does not always a good supervisor make.īefore we dive into the steps, let's look at what it means to be a supervisor to lay the groundwork for the first-time workers out there. They'll make mistakes and won't saddle any their team made with problems. Basically, they're normal people who, like you started at the bottom and worked their way up.

Most people will consider the best bosses to be understanding, down-to-earth, encouraging and fairly stern. When thinking about what makes a good supervisor, you’re likely to have some pre-conceived or memory-based qualities in mind. Switching your status from follower to leader is daunting, but there are some tips that can not only make the transition a smooth one, but will have that 'World's Best Boss' mug on your desk in no time.

First time manager advice