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Supercharged Supervision:

Professional Development for

the Front-line Supervisor

David R. Selden, LICSW

Enterprise Health Solutions EHealthS@comcast.net

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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

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Managing Conflict (Questions 2, 12, 14)

Score

Question 2

Question 12

Question 14

Total

Out of 15

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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.