Supervisory Skills

Whether you’ve been a supervisor for several years or are just getting started, everyone should continually be growing their supervisory skills. Here are 3 tips to help strengthen the work you do when leading your team. Be sure to register for our upcoming Supervisory Academy course below.

1. Set High Expectations

Set the bar high and help your team reach their goals. At the end of the day having met a goal not only brings a sense of satisfaction but helps your team members know they’re working toward something. I also believe it’s important to let the team have input in shaping the course. In our department, that looks like me taking a first draft at the marketing plan and then asking, “What’s missing? Where do we need to focus for the next year? What creative ideas do you have to move the organization forward?”

2. Meet Regularly

Meetings can take many forms. Each team member and I meet individually for a visioning meeting to look at the past month and to vision for the month ahead. This helps the team members grow their talents and abilities by providing regular feedback. I have a poster in my office the team made for me titled Another Tool for Your Toolbelt, a supervisory skill I’m known for in the office. Since our work as a marketing team is interconnected, our team also has a weekly group huddle where we discuss upcoming projects for the week and provide each other encouragement. Each person brings their win for the week and has five minutes to share, to keep the meeting on a schedule.

3. Play to the Strengths of Your Team

One way we play to the strengths of our team is by using StrengthsFinder 2.0. It’s a must read for anyone looking to strengthen their supervisory skills and their team and is touted as Amazon’s bestselling nonfiction book of all time. I’m a big believer in data and this book is backed by Gallup research. It includes a short survey and the results reveal the top 5 strengths of the person, along with a detailed description of what it means to live out those strengths. Gallup research shows that individuals and organizations succeed when people play to their strengths and get to do what they do best. Teams that use the tool had 72% lower turnover and 29% increased profit—and higher employee engagement.

Want to strengthen your leadership abilities? Join us for the upcoming Supervisory Academy series. Call 405.377.3333 with questions or register below. To find out about more courses like this sign up for our monthly e-newsletter. View all of our upcoming courses in our digital catalog.

Dana Wallace is the Executive Director of Communications and Marketing at Meridian.