Effective Supervisor Training

I remember attending a 2 day 'workshop" on supervisor skills several years ago. I had been a frontline leader for a short period of time. Our company spent just under $500 per person for this workshop, and the information was great. When we returned to work after being gone for 2 days, we all had so many issues and things to get caught up on, that we completely forgot all about the information we learned over the past 2 days.

A few months later, our manager called the group of supervisors together, and expressed some concerns that the company had spent a great deal of money on this training, but there was no visable sign of improvement from any of us. That was the day that I learned that sharing 'information' is much different than actually 'training' someone.

When we approach our training, we need to use the 'small bite' approach. Much like an infant starts slowly on solid food so they don't choke, new supervisors also need small amounts of information so they can digest each piece before taking another bite. This approach also allows the new supervisor to remain current in their day to day functions, thus decreasing the stress of learning.

Let's say we wish to teach our new supervisor how to delegate more effectively. We would begin by sharing the benefits of delegation, thus creating a stronger desire to learn. The following week we would share the 'Levels of Authority' we may use while delegating, to ensure that we effectively match the amount of authority and follow-up with the person's experience level. And our final week we may share how to coach the team member when they fail to complete the delegated task. This entire process did take 3 weeks. but now your supervisor not only has the information, but they now know how to Effectively Apply this new information as well.

This training approach may seem to slow to you. It may seem too slow to your supervisor as well. But it is effective, and at the end of six months you have a supervisor that clearly understand the basics of how to be an effective leader. Typically we suggest you focus on 4 main areas during the first 6 months, Delegation, Motivation, Communication, and Leadership. Any more and it becomes difficult to ensure each area is understood.

So I would challenge you to evaluate how you are trainng your new supervisors today. Are you 'dumping' too much information on them? Are you expecting them to not only remember all the information from a workshop, but also assuming they know how to Apply this information as well? A missing piece to this process is creating a Mentoring Program, which is our next topic below.

Mentoring is a great way to develop leadership skills in new supervisors. If done correctly, mentoring provides the second key element to a successful leadership development program. Mentoring Programs for new leaders provides a 'safe' and supportive resource for new supervisors to grow as a leader. But we need to make sure these 'Mentors' have a few important characteristics.

One of the main reasons why 'Mentoring' is so effective is that it provides the new supervisor with resource that he or she can turn to when they have questions and concerns, without feeling intimidated. The key is this mentor must provide a 'safe' place for this new supervisor to conduct open and honest conversations without fear that the content will get back to his manager and peers. This is the reason why a person outside the organization will be more effective than an internal one. If you decide to designate a mentor from the inside, make sure you select someone distant enough from the department your new supervisor works in.

New Supevisors will want to hide their 'challenges' from their manager, so rarely will they 'show their hand' and openly share when they really need help (what they don't know). This causes a long term issue because the new supervisor never gains the experience they need, and the manager never gets a clear picture of how he or she can help. This is where the mentor comes in.

Your new supervisor can turn to their mentor each time they have a concern or question. They discuss the specific issue, and then TOGETHER, come up with a plan of action. Their performance improves, they learn new skills, and the team performs better. Take this option away, and you can see why so many new supervisors end up 'over their heads' after 6 months on the job.

Let's take a look at some guidelines for Effective Mentoring:

• Mentor should have experience in the area (leadership).
• Mentor should 'guide' rather than tell
• Regular meeting times must be established
• Clear goals and objectives need to be created up front
• Mentor needs to motive and inspire
• Mentor/Mentee conversations must be confidential

So consider if your company would benefit from establishing a Leadership Mentoring Program for new supervisor. Combine the 'small bites' training with and effective mentor and you have a powerful leadership development program.