Edgar

“The call to leadership was an exciting achievement for me in my journey as a professional in my field of work. To hold the responsibility of supervising others and to reach program outcomes and organizational goals is exciting and fulfills my personal growth aspirations. I have been a supervisor going on two years and some of the tools that have been helpful to me in my journey have been professional development, attending varieties of workshops, and seminars. Another tool I use to build myself as a supervisor is supervision. Supervision is valuable to my development because I can express my experiences on the job and receive vital feedback on job performance and how to improve. Supervision is also valuable to me because it helps me model some of the qualities and strengths of my supervisor.

As a supervisor, your interpersonal skills are always in play and being tested. Skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, conflict resolution, communication, and teamwork. It is equally important to engage and work on intrapersonal skills as a supervisor. Understanding and having self-awareness and the ability to be composed in the understanding of your strengths and weaknesses are some of the components of intrapersonal skills. 

I find that working on myself has been a difference maker in my growth as a supervisor. Recently, my focus has been on embracing and accepting my unique experience as an immigrant to the United States and how my experiences have shaped me and not on the challenges faced such as assimilation or lack thereof. 

I feel encouraged by the results I am getting so far as a supervisor and an emerging leader. I strive to be consistent and resilient in my work and development.

One thing I can say to someone starting out as a supervisor is to enjoy the learning process. Sometimes the process can get daunting and feel overwhelming but in all of that chaos, you have to make some room to enjoy learning and acquiring the skills to become a competent and effective supervisor.”

-Edgar