Looking at technical positions it would be very strange for someone to be appointed without the necessary training and qualifications to do the job. Yet with supervisors this seems to happen on a regular basis and all too often new appointees are sent into the workplace blissfully unaware of what is required from them. This can result frequently in new line managers losing confidence in themselves, starting to doubt their own ability and before long the supervisory aspect of their job begins to suffer. Anxiety and stress related issues will hamper the new supervisors performance even further which will only make an already bad situation worse.
The heads of some companies seem to believe in a strange fallacy that leadership skills are incumbent within people from birth, or in other words people chosen with sufficient potential will cope with overwhelming situations in the workplace relying solely on raw intrinsic talent. Another fallacy is the belief that if any employee excels technically, he or she will also be likely to succeed with supervisory duties. This theory stems from the belief that the technical aspects of a job are the most important, and it is simply assumed the individual concerned will also have the ability to handle the man management tasks which are regarded more as an ancillary function.
Technical ability and experience is clearly necessary to perform adequately, however, leading companies have realized that their growth and success is heavily dependent upon this lower level of management, the supervisor, and invest considerably in this area. Successful businesses have been known to call this body of knowledge and experience a supervisory toolbox. Many larger companies have training departments dedicated towards the development and ongoing coaching of supervisors. Smaller businesses can equally take advantage of the wealth of training consultant businesses that specialize in this area
A managers development course would ideally be divided into key areas of functional performance. Clearly the subject of leadership, both in theory and practice, would be prominent. This would include topics such as motivating, decision making, communicating, empowering staff as well as the selection and development of staff within the work unit.
The second main category for training development would likely cover the subject of planning. This would cover topics such as the importance of planning and why organizations plan, forecasting for the future, defining success and action planning. This would very likely include a section on industry specific workplace policies and procedures and in particular health, safety and protecting the environment.
Of vital importance is the subject of organization or put more simply the process of how to get things done through others. The all-important management tools, delegation, communication and of course developing and managing teams, and the relationships both within and between teams.
Having methods to effectively control and monitor the way work progresses is another necessary skill to be acquired. Measuring progress and comparing this to the original plan allows supervisors to take remedial action when things start to go wrong.
If supervisors are to be successful, and companies should sincerely wish that they are, then it is absolutely necessary to invest the time and resources to make this happen. Empower line mangers with a decent set of tools.
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