NASPA-SUPERVISION

Editor's Notes

• #2: This image could imply to some that entry-level supervisees are unprofessional or unpolished. I was tempted to crop out the left half but didn’t want to do it without asking you.
• #3: Study on supervision in student affairs
• #5: Audience Participation (small group/pairs): Provide an example of a challenge you’ve faced in supervision of entry-level staff related to skills or responsibilities of mid/upper level leadership (maintain anonymity and professionalism) – could be a lot of things, but for ex. understanding of departmental or leadership decision-making
• #6: When supervising professionals, sometimes feel like a fraud. Supervision often feels like having to do all things for all people—control management, directing others, evaluating staff performance in order to ensure that quality service is being performed How many of you received training on supervisory skills? Where’d you learn them?
• #7: Supervision helps pros learn and master their own roles and provide quality service to STUDENTS Human resources management includes: flexibility, trust, empowering, developmental, rewarding, team building
• #8: From the “Organizational & Human Resources” competency area
• #9: Study on supervision in student affairs
• #10: Study on supervision in student affairs
• #11: Study on supervision in student affairs
• #13: What supervisor skills do you possess that your supervisees value? How have you gained this knowledge? If you don’t know, how can you find out? Importance of studying supervisory habits in place now – you don’t forget your first supervisors – you’re setting the mold for them. Maybe you’re trying to break the mold they have about what it’s like to be a supervisor or to be mid-level. What dye are you casting? Clear Goals & Intentional Staff Development: Review the goals regularly to assess and implement changes. Accountability: No one is perfect. The job is a learning process. Hold your members accountable and review their progress so they can set and meet goals for improvement. Consistency: As a peer supervisor, it is difficult to confront job performance at the risk of damaging the rapport and relationship established, but consistency will gain the respect of your staff. Take an interest in each member. Be supportive and sensitive to the whole picture and what is going on in that member’s life. Encourage Experimentation & Assessment: Support your members in their learning curve, but do not do it all for them! Delegate and communicate —this provides ownership for your members of the tasks at hand.
• #14: Create a shared vision with your supervisee for your work together. What motivates your supervisee? Push tools (goals, deadlines, procedures, planning processes) or pull tools (shared vision, teamwork, change & growth) Structuring the relationship: formal & informal both important IMPACT OF IDENTITY Create outcome-oriented goals: Without this, staff will be evaluated on the basis of amount of things completed rather than on the basis of value being provided. communicate before, during, and after process (from a business perspective—who are your stakeholders?)
• #15: At each level, individuals should be creating a supervisor action plan for their own role as a supervisor (if applicable).
• #16: What to share with your supervisees--Clearly communicate your leadership and supervision style.
• #26: Common error: not documenting, not providing supervisees with clear expectations and holding them accountable to them How much weight do you give to each? – this will reflect assumptions you hold about what you can & can’t change in the people who work for you (those you rank highly will likely be something you think you can’t influence—you might be right, but this should be done consciously) Technical competence Exercise good judgment for the greater good, esp. under pressure Right kind of energy Capable of setting priorities and sticking to them Get along with others on the team and support collective decision making, or difficult to work with Trust to keep word and follow through on commitments Receiving feedback as a supervisor: Assume you’re wrong (Shandee)
• #28: Helping your entry level people think about the skills sets they have at entry level and how they may or may not transition to mid-level Ex. At entry-level, it’s easy to make every decision through a student lens, but there are other lenses too (HR, process, budget, etc.) Institutional/Office politics: When do you shield your supervisees from bad news and when do you allow them into that thought process? What do you share, when, and why? Are you selling out a colleague for the sake of being transparent? Giving deference to one supervisee and not another? How do you decide when to share information? “I have this info coming down in a week---what do I share with my supervisees and when? What are the implications of sharing or not sharing?” Ex. Budget (Shandee – training committee) When initiatives fail: What are the implications? How does this differ for entry-level vs. mid vs. senior level staff? How can you help your supervisees to understand this? Need to have an idea of your supervisee’s current decision-making abilities in order to best be able to challenge them. Engage them in discussions about current initiatives, strategies, how we could improve the way the team works together, what your priorities should be, etc. Get their perspective. Where do they place the responsibility? On themselves or others? What topics elicit a strong emotional response? In what ways do they anticipate problems or make predictions? What data do they use? Strategic planning: Ask people for their opinion before you decide, not after. When do you use “consult and decide” vs. “building concensus” to make decisions? Shouldn’t be a function of time because won’t necessarily reach the outcome faster with the first – think about divisiveness of the decisions, energy required for implementation, and experience of team (less experienced team may need consult and decide—may get frustration and make decision anyway which undercuts teamwork). Involve your direct reports by explaining to them what method you’re using and why – just make sure their views are heard and taken seriously and you give them plausible rationale for why you made the call you did – CLOSE THE FEEDBACK LOOP
• #29: Article: 8 THINGS YOUR BOSS WISHES YOU KNEW
• #30: Help your supervisee to understand your role. Help them understand their role in “the department.” Ex. Shandee “Our job to help them be successful”
• #31: Think back to the situation you recalled at the beginning. (pair and share)