Supervising Supervisors

Supervising employees can be a difficult task. The job is even harder when you have to end up supervising those who also supervise employees. The level of trust you give your supervisors is much higher. You also tend to take them at their word no matter what the situation is. That can be dangerous if you give your trust in the wrong person. I will share some of my experiences as well as some tips I have on managing your supervisors.

First, I will go into the three basic types of supervisors you will come across. While experienced supervisors may not show these traits - those that are new will swing to one of these heavily. Sometimes you can pick this up during the interview process. If you aren't so lucky, you may see them appearing on the job. The three types are:

• The Micromanager - Basically this one will snoop into the tasks that each and every employee are doing, big or small, and interfere in some way. This is something I used to be. This can be deadly to the office. Staff will constantly be paranoid and feel that they won't have any freedom to do their jobs. Mistakes will rise and morale will fall. This one can be the deadliest of the three.
• The Non-Working Manager - This supervisor feels it is their job to oversee the operations of the office, but choose to not do any of the work. While they won't micromanage, they won't chip in either. This one isn't as deadly as the other two, it can hamper work if they aren't willing to get their hands dirty.
• The Working Manager - It's great to have a manager who is willing to do the job of their subordinates. However taking all of the tasks themselves can stunt the growth of your employees. This person has to be willing to give up some control from time to time.

I have only supervised six supervisors in my lifetime, and all of that supervising being within the last few years. As much as you want to trust your supervisors never to make mistakes, they will sometimes happen. A supervisor is also given a lot more responsibility, so those mistakes can become severe in nature. You hope that you hired the right person to do the job, especially if you won't see their progress on a consistent basis. After all, they have been hired so you can step away and perform other duties appropriate to your level. I want to offer a few of my experiences when supervising those who supervise.

At one point I was receiving complaints that one of my supervisors basically didn't know the job. This troubled me as she had been on long enough to know the basics of what was being complained about. I initially dismissed the complaints because I simply didn't believe it could be true. But they were becoming all too frequent, so I eventually looked into it and discovered the supervisor didn't know some of the basics of the job and was making mistakes. I had to check this persons work to the point I had to begin disciplinary action against the employee. In time the supervisor corrected themselves, but the damage had been done in the eyes of those the supervisor supervised.

I had one supervisor who had a lot more knowledge in her job than anyone else in our organization. Her knowledge was incredible. In our job we like to pass on that knowledge and type everything out in procedures we can follow. This supervisor won't be in that job forever. I hounded this person for some outlines on procedures on a consistent basis over a one year period. They were never provided. In the end at the supervisor's yearly evaluation I marked down the supervisor for that. The person was very upset and didn't speak to me for awhile. After some time, things returned to normal. I also started to receive those procedures I asked for. While you may never want to discipline your supervisors, sometimes it is necessary. They are still human afterall.

I personally interviewed one of the last supervisors that my office hired. At the time the person seemed upbeat and eager to work. I was thrilled to bring this person on and get them set up as a first time supervisor. However, shortly after the person started I realized we did not click. Eventually the person left. I took this as a personal blow, as I always try to build a good connection with those supervisors under me. In time I realized that we were just not a good fit, and it was good in the end the person went back to a previous job.

Below are some tips on how to supervisor your supervisors:

• Ensure you show them the ropes of the job. The only way to be an effective supervisor is if they know the job duties of those under them. Don't expect them to teach others or to enforce rules if they can't perform the same job duty on their own.
• Don't always take them at their word. They are still employees and employees have been known to lie or skirt the truth. Investigate any issues involving them fully. There are more legality issues involved when it comes to supervisor/employee relationships. You don't want your organization involved in an lawsuit. However...
• Give them a higher level of trust. If you trust them to oversee the work of other employees and more complex job tasks, you will have to trust them to get the job done. If they feel you don't trust them, then they may second guess any major decision that has to be made.
• State your goals. Give them clear and concise goals that they need to accomplish. What you expect from them and the their they are over. Then let them take the reigns in how to get that done. Don't give vague instructions though. If they don't receive some guidelines in how to accomplish their tasks, they could be done incorrectly or not at all. Not everyone wants to ask their supervisor to be clearer on their instructions, especially if you are someone who expects quick results.
• Share your experiences. The best way to learn is to tell them stories of when you were first in their shoes. Talk about the mistakes you made, the triumphs, the pitfalls. New supervisors will look to you on how to react to a situation. Be prepared to offer them that guidance.
• Cut the umbilical cord. Eventually you will have to let them find their own style in supervising. It may not be the same as your own. And that is fine! You want it to match their personality the most, so that they will be the best supervisor that they can be.
• Communicate! Your supervisors are the life-line between you and your line staff. Pass on information to them so they can pass it on. If you need to talk to them about a private matter, ensure that you state it is confidential. If you don't, they could assume it is appropriate to tell their staff.
• Promote from within. If you can, promote your experienced staff members. I know their is a risk of making it hard for them as they will have to supervise their former co-workers, but their experience on the job, knowing everyone's personalities, etc. will be a great benefit to you. Plus this will cut your training time down significantly.
• Ignore your phone. That's right, if they are calling you to help solve an issue, sometimes you should ignore that phone call. That will allow them to figure out how to solve the problem on their own. Afterwards you can review what they did and correct them if needed, or congratulate them if they did right. You can't always be expected to be available, so might as well show them that when it's in a more controlled situation.
• Let them vent! From your own experience you should know how hard it is to supervisor people. Have an open door policy for them to come in and vent their frustrations. They may not need to have anything done but just to talk about the trivial problems that happen in their office. If they feel they can't express it, then they will start to take it out on their staff.
• Ask their subordinates about the supervisors progress. The best way to receive open and honest feedback about your supervisors is to ask those below them on how they are doing. Do not avoid the employes who may be constantly in trouble. Even though they may exaggerate some points, they could bring up a legitimate problem that the others have overlooked.
• Give them complex tasks. You should immediately start grooming your supervisors to take over your job. You never know if you will be receiving a promotion and one of them will have to take over. You also want to prove that your supervisors can handle some of your job duties if you are ever out of the office sick or on vacation.
• Include them in decisions. Have an important decision that could affect the entire office? Bring your supervisors in to hear their thoughts on it. They may see something that you may have missed when making your decision.
• Sh*t rolls downhill. And this isn't just trouble - it's everything. So if you walk in the office in a bad mood, it will spread to them, and then spread to their staff. The same goes with walking in with a positive attitude - your supervisors will see the same and mimic that action.
• Reward them. Just like you would with your line staff, reward your supervisors as well. Obviously only do this if they deserve it. But your supervisors deserve recognition just as much as any of your other employees. They could do something that is a lot more critical as well.

Evaluations for those who are supervising should obviously focus more on their performance as a supervisor than just someone doing the job. If at all possible, solicit the input of those working under them. Obtain both good and bad points. This will help you see if you are moving in the right direction and if they need to improve in any areas. While some workplaces may not allow that kind of input, all supervisors should welcome any comments that come from their staff members.

The process of the evaluation should be the same as any other employee. You don't want to catch yourself in a bit of a mess by handling things too casually or inappropriately. They are still a working staff member, so you have to keep that in mind. Focus on their growth and especially their weaknesses as a supervisor. A supervisor always has a weakness that needs to be improved and focused on. While they may think they are the perfect supervisor - they aren't. I'm not. Supervisors have areas to improve on just like their own staff members.

There is no right or wrong way to supervisor your supervisors. It all depends on the workplace, workload, and the job that needs to be accomplished. Just like with your general staff members, your supervisors have their own unique personality. You need to learn that personality and adjust to that whenever you are interacting with that supervisor directly. The person is a member of your team, ensure you make them feel part of the team.