Apply these supervisory skills so that you can become a great and effective supervisor.
Supervisors do interact directly with their subordinates. Hence, it is important for them to have particular skills to ensure that the interaction is productive. What are the crucial supervisory skills should any supervisor uphold? Here is a list of a few skills that are needed for effective supervision:
Planning
One of the roles that one must take when they are appointed as supervisors is planning. There are various aspects of planning. Therefore, a supervisor should have skills in the following areas to ensure effective planning. They include:
- Scheduling- Timekeeping is the mandate of any leader. A supervisor should be able to drive the subordinates to work within sustainable timelines
- Budgeting- Often, organizations work within fixed budgets. Hence, sound planning is needed to make sure finances are located appropriately
- Tasking- It is the duty of the supervisor to plan tasks and match them to appropriate individuals
- Creating goals and objectives
- Policymaking
- Predicting the future
Leading
The key role of a supervisor is to lead others but not without specific skills. Here are a few of the leading skills:
- Decision making- While it is important to consult others, the supervisor need to be the sole decision maker
- Communicating- They must be able to communicate well with their subordinates
- Motivating- Besides, the supervisor should be in a position to persuade the employees towards goal achievement
- Developing individuals- It is the duty of the supervisor to see to the growth of the subordinates
- Appointing people- Supervisors are also responsible for selecting people whom they think are suited for various tasks
- Conflict resolution- Leaders act as mediators in conflicts that arise among the employees
Organizing
Supervisors also need organization skills such as;
- Defining tasks- It is the responsibility of a supervisor to explain work to the employees
- Grouping assignments- Supervisors are also mandated to group related tasks for effective implementation
- Assigning tasks- They are also responsible for delegating duties to the subordinates based on the skill level of the individuals
- Integrating work
Controlling
Lastly, a supervisor needs to have control over his/her subjects. They require skills in:
- Creating standards- For effective evaluation, developing standards is inherent
- Assessing performance- Supervisors should measure the performance of their subordinates
- Evaluation of performance- The supervisors should evaluate the performance results critically to point out areas of improvement
- Correcting performance- Where an employee performs averagely or poorly in their tasks, the supervisor should encourage and support them to improve their performance.