How to be a More Effective Supervisor

In many respects, being a supervisor can be a thankless job. You are under pressure from the management team to get the maximum production from your staff to meet company goals, and your staff can often feel that those goals are unattainable. When the department falls short of its goals, the supervisor feels the pressure from management. When the department exceeds company expectations, the supervisor hears complaints from the staff about harsh working conditions.

The supervisory position is a necessary step towards company management, and that is why people take on the responsibility of being a supervisor. When you have a solid plan in place, then being a supervisor is not nearly as bad as it sounds. If you take the time to put together a method that works, then being a supervisor can be a rewarding step towards your future moves up the corporate ladder.

* Be Upfront

The worst thing a supervisor can do is try to soften the blow of high company production goals or hide information from employees because it may not be very popular information. When you meet with your staff, you need to give them all of the goals the company expects the staff to meet and your plan for meeting those goals. It may not make the goals or your plan any more popular, but at least your staff will know what is coming and it will diffuse some of the potential angst that surprises often bring.

* Stay Diligent

If you and your staff experience issues that are affecting your ability to meet production goals, then you need to stay diligent and get those issues resolved. For example, if your department absolutely needs a new piece of equipment to reach production goals, then it is your job to put together a proposal that will sway management into getting you some kind of positive resolution. You need to stay diligent and make sure that any issues that prevent your department from doing its job are brought to the attention of management.

* Keep it Light

If you allow the feelings of anger and frustration to build in your department, then the ultimate result will be disgruntled employees. A creative supervisor will find ways to lighten the mood in the department from time to time and even help to make the employees laugh a little. This will not only help to break that tension that can sometimes develop, but it will also help your employees to feel like you are on their side when it comes to getting the job done as efficiently as possible.

* Be Understanding

It is inevitable that employees are going to come to you with personal issues that are affecting their work. The worst thing a supervisor can do is ignore employee issues or feel like employees must deal with their own problems. You need to have a good understanding of what kinds of resources are available to help employees in need and get your staff members all of the assistance you can. When you act in an understanding manner towards employee issues, it helps employees to feel like they can trust you and it also inspires employees to work harder for you as well.