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I think my most important supervisory skill is that I say what I mean, and mean what I say. I am very careful about what I promise because if I promise something I WILL do it.
So many managers are ready to promise you the sun, moon, stars and shirt off their back, but they never deliver. After awhile I find myself not believing a word they tell me, they are just saying something to pacify me for the moment.
Again these are good skills, and we need to make sure that we don't allow these skills to cause us to run over people in our pursuit of these goals.
Ryan
Organization is a great supervisory skill especially when it's balanced with great people skills.
Ryan
Your reply is so true. I worked over 20 years in my career and was promoted to the Director position. I struggled at first with the fact that doing a good job in your position does not always make you a good Manager. I have been watching and learning from other Managers, taking courses, webinars, etc. and reading books to learn and improve on my managerial skills. I also ask for feedback from my team members.
All of these are truly vital skills for any leader. I think it really goes back to the leader's emotional intelligence as you mention here.
Ryan
There are so many skills, qualities, and competencies that are important to supervising others. One that I think is really important is knowing your employees. Once you know your employees you can adjust your leadership style in order to better supervise each employee. By knowing each employee you can get a better idea of what extrinsic and intrinsic rewards work best for motivating them. In addition to knowing your employees I think it’s also very important to understand and know yourself. Having high emotional intelligence allows you to be proactive and can better help you to manage certain situations if you think about how you would typically react to something and then think about what a better way to react would be.
Another skill that is important is the ability to motivate employees. Getting everyone on the same page and motivating them to share the vision of the team as well as motivating them to work towards a vision and goals.
Finally I think an important quality is being approachable, the skill that comes from this is creating a safe environment. When an employee feels that they can talk to you he/she will be more open to discussing potential areas of weakness or fears he/she may have and together you will have an opportunity to work through these types of issues.
As a manager/supervisor for many years I believe you really need to listen to your team. Often they are hesitant to vocalize but actions are much louder than words, you need to be able to read your team. I also feel a good team leader must lead by example.
Trust, honesty & integrity are so very important for a manager/leader. In fact, if they are not present it would be very difficult to utilize the democratic style & have your people engaged as they won't trust you to listen.
Ryan
Supervisory skills are imperative in order to have a strong and confident team. Motivation and recognition of employees helps to create a cohesive, positive and effective team. Management qualities such as organization, knowledge and management skills are always beneficial. Some personal traits a manager needs to be successful are trust, honesty, compassion and integrity. My personal management skills are that of a Democratic nature. I believe including employees in decisions and getting input not only makes them work harder but also creates a stronger team unit. Utilizing employees ideas and creating responsibility makes for a more productive and successful organization.
Great points Clifford. One thing I try to do when I encounter behavior from my team that frustrates me is ask: why would this person, who is a rational, intelligent person do this? I've found that helps remind me that they do have these qualities & so I need to dig deeper to find out why they have acted in this manner.
Ryan
The most important skill is the ablity to be slow to anger. Rash decisions can be dangerous or foolish, both of which are not quailities of good management. Considering ramifications and capabilities of team with expectations of results having been thought through are vital for best action.
Yes anytime you can create a shared vision that the whole team contributed to that is ideal. The next best thing is to gather a great deal of input & reflect that input in your vision statement. Then carefully take that vision statement to the team & ensure that they are all on board with it.
Ryan
Having a vision that people buy into provides the ideal setting for achieving long range goals. Better yet would be a vision that is not only shared by the team but also developed by the team.
To me the most important skills that a manager should have are good communication and organizational skills. Also, a manager needs to know how to inspire and motivate the employees to be able to accomplish the company’s goals.
There are many skills needed to be able to supervise others. The most important ones to me would be Written and verbal Communication, Interpersonal and Motivational skills and at the same time be supportive, a good listener and make recommendations.
Great comment Marc. Too often, when we are supervisors, we fall into the trap that I have to have all of the answers. Instead, as you observe, we need to spend much more time listening.
Ryan
That is a great question.
I feel the most important trait a manager/supervisor can have is to be a great listener. If you are able to listen to the problems or solutions of the people around you they will be easier to coach and to motivate to complete the task at hand.