Kirsten

Understanding Your Supervisor Style

Being a supervisor is deeply rewarding and comes with its challenges. I enjoy being able to go on a journey with my coworkers and see their growth over time. I would recommend that any new supervisor take the necessary time to understand how this responsibility will shift their own workflows and also how they want to show up as supervisors. Ask yourself questions like…

• What tone do I want to set in meetings, both one on one and in a group?

• • How does that inform the structure of the meeting?

• What are the values I want to practice as a supervisor?
• How do I like to communicate, and how do I like to receive communication?
• What types of decisions need my input and which ones don’t?
• How do I want to handle conflict and address challenges?
• How do I want to create moments of celebration and reward?

Being clear is being kind, both to yourself as a new supervisor and to your employees. Use these questions as a guide, knowing that you can adapt as you and your team grow or circumstances change.

Personal Retreat Days

A practice I recommend for each supervisor is to take one day every month as a “personal retreat” day. The model that I’ve used for a number of years has been to schedule my day toward the end of the month, typically the final Wednesday of each month. I do not schedule any meetings and generally structure my day with the following:

• Start the day with light exercise, usually outdoors — walk, run, bike ride.
• Read an article or book that I’ve saved, usually work-related but not always.
• Review my goals from the previous month, and celebrate what was completed. For unfinished goals, I carry over the priorities and remove/let go of the non-priorities as I set goals for the new month.
• Organize my calendar for the next month, seeing which weeks I have more availability than others. Block off time for projects or planning as necessary.
• Do something creative or social – make art, write, call or see a friend.

I do not check email — it can wait! By keeping myself organized and on top of my priorities, I am a better supervisor all around. This type of productive rest also helps remind me that I’m a human and not a machine. It reframes what work can look like, too. 

Boundaries

I would encourage any new supervisor to develop boundary practices. Whether you like it or not, your employees are watching you and will model behavior around taking paid time off, saying no to projects or tasks beyond mission or scope, etc. When you violate your own boundaries, it sends a signal that they will need to also in order to be successful. The more you can model healthy boundaries, the better. Boundary practice is also important for supervisors so they do not take on their employee’s reactions, emotions, or responsibilities as their own. 

-Kirsten