This article is a compilation of everything you need to know to become a successful supervisor. This knowledge is applicable to all types of supervisors- business, educational, guidance, social, etc. It gives you a breakdown of the responsibilities of a supervisor, qualities of a supervisor, necessary skills needed by a supervisor, and how to become a good supervisor.
First of all, who is a supervisor?
A supervisor is a person with the official task of overseeing the work of a person or group, or of other operations and activities; a person who monitors someone to make sure they comply with rules or other requirements set for them.
If you have been made a supervisor, you have an enormous task ahead of you to ensure that the people or group you were asked to supervise complies with the rules and regulations set before them, and they accomplish the work given to them. By reading this article, you would receive the knowledge that would make you ready to accomplish such great task.
The roles and responsibilities of a supervisor
- Educator- supervisors are educators. They have the responsibility to educate the people they supervise on the things they are expected to do, the rules they are expected to keep, and the activities they would carry out.
- Coach- supervisors also serve as a coach to the people they supervise. As a coach, they tutor their people to ensure they know and do all that is required of them.
- Counselor- they also serve as a counselor to the people they supervise. They counsel them on issues bothering them that relates to the work they have to do; some supervisors go as far as counseling their people even on other personal matters that don’t relate to work.
- Director- supervisors are also the directors of their assigned groups. They do this by assigning tasks and duties to their people and directing their affairs and the work process.
- Goal setter- they have the duty to set goals for the group and ensure that the members take part in achieving the set goals to attain their aim.
- Organizer- supervisors also organize the group and makes sure everyone is in line and everything is done orderly.
- Monitor- he or she also monitors the people to avoid and resolve conflicts, and to ensure that members accomplish the tasks and duties assigned to them.
- Training- they also have the responsibility of training their people to get the necessary skills and qualities needed to be successful in their line of duty.
- Evaluating- supervisors have the sole responsibility of evaluating the performance of their members and reporting the results to the general head of the organization.
Qualities of a good supervisor
- Effective communication- they should be able to communicate their ideas, desires, and intentions with their people effectively.
- Problem solving- supervisors should be good at solving problems that arises within their groups.
- Compassion- they should possess compassion for the people they supervise, and treat them well based on this.
- Empathy- in addition to being compassionate, supervisors should practice empathy by assuming the place of those they supervise, so they would know how best to relate with them.
- Ability to delegate duties- they should have the ability to delegate duties by assigning tasks to each members of the group, so that everyone can be fully involved in the work to be done.
- Time conscious- supervisors should be timely in all they do, as this is the only way they can teach their people to be time conscious.
- Confidence- supervisors are always confident and this allows them to effectively educate, train, monitor, organize, and fulfill their other responsibilities.
- Ability to prioritize- they should be able to prioritize their activities based on importance and urgency.
- Ability to resolve conflicts- they should be able to resolve any conflicts that arises within the group and establish peace.
Necessary skills needed by a supervisor
- Critical thinking- supervisors needs to be critical thinkers because the outcome of the group work mainly relies on them, hence the need to be great and critical thinkers.
- Diversity- they should have diverse knowledge on subjects, concepts, and skills acquisition. This places them in the proper position to oversee the work assigned to them.
- Strong leadership- supervisors needs to be strong in their leadership because they are overseeing different types of people who may not be willing to follow them if they sense weak leadership.
- Management- supervisors ought to be effective managers and establish a good administration for their groups.
How to become a good supervisor?
- Get to know the people you are supervising- this would help you work with them better and would make them become free around you and accept your help.
- Value them- let them know you value them and their work and presence is meaningful to you and the organization. This would give them a sense of belonging and would encourage them to do better.
- Believe in yourself- believing in yourself and your ability to lead and supervise would help you be better at supervision. You need to be confident in yourself first, before others can be confident about you and your leadership.
- Listen to them- don’t always act bossy because you are supervising the work others are doing. Don’t be the one to always speak and issue instructions. It would help if you listen to what your people have to say and suggestions they have to make concerning the group.
- Always give feedbacks- if you want to do well and what the people around you to do same, always give them feedbacks about your observations and questions they ask.
- Respect yourself- always act respectfully around the group members so that you would be respected and they would listen and obey your instructions.
- Never be partial- always be fair in all you do and never be partial when dealing with members of your group.
- Have an advisor- your sole responsibility as a supervisor is to overrun the affairs of your group members, but you can receive help in form of advice while carrying out this responsibility.
- Help the people you supervise to develop important skills- one of the things that would mark you as a good and successful supervisor is when you are able to meaningfully influence the people you are supervising and help them develop important skills that would be useful to them.
By following and applying this guide in your duty as a supervisor, you would be able to carry out your duties effectively.
