Leadership for Supervisors Effective Communication
Success Skills for Supervisors
The Supervision Series, Level 2
Presenter: Joseph Walk
jrw15@psu.edu
March 5, 2015
Welcome!
Two specific sections: leadership roles and
communication in the workplace.
Today’s session will help you to:
 Discuss differences between roles of leaders and
roles of supervisors.
 Analyze the importance of integrating leadership
competencies in basic supervisory skill sets.
 Define general duties of supervisors at Penn State.
Welcome!
 Determine various functions, means, and goals of
interpersonal communication in the workplace.
 Communicate effectively in your department based
on social style preferences.
 Create a list of barriers to effective communication.
 Know how to manage meetings.
Your Role
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Participate in activities.
Learn from everyone.
Apply information to personal situations.
Be challenged.
Have fun!
Leadership Roles
Leadership Roles
 The roles of leaders and supervisors are different.
 Supervisors can be leaders…and leaders may be
supervisors.
 Would your co-workers say you act like a leader or
like a supervisor?
Leader ___
Supervisor ___
Both ___ I really don’t know ___
Leadership Roles
 We all have “blind spots.”
 We see ourselves one way; our friends and family
another; our work colleagues yet another way.
 Your leadership philosophy will impact your career.
Leadership Video
 Watch this video about differences between
supervisors and leaders.
http://www.bigisthenewsmall.com/index.php?s=differences+between+manager+and+leader&x=27&y=8
 What are some take-aways from the video by Scott
Williams?
Discussion
 What are some differences between leaders and
supervisors?
 What do leaders do? What are their roles?
 What do supervisors do? What are supervisors’
roles?
 Leaders = strategic thinking.
 Supervisors = tactical thinking.
Leaders
Supervisors
Do the right thing
Do things right
Interested in effectiveness
Interested in efficiency
Innovate
Administer
Develop
Maintain
Focus on people
Focus on systems and
structure
Rely on trust
Rely on control
Align people with direction
Organize and staff
Leaders
Supervisors
Emphasize philosophy , core
values, shared goals
Emphasize tactics, structure,
systems
Have a long-term view
Have a short-term view
Ask “what” and “why”
Ask “how” and “when”
Challenge the status quo
Accept the status quo
Focus on the future
Focus on the present
Have eyes on the horizon
Have eyes on the bottom line
Develop visions and strategies
Develop detailed steps
Leaders
Supervisors
Seek change
Seek order and predictability
Take risks
Avoid risks
Inspire people to change
Motivate people to comply
with standards
Use person-to-person
influence
Use position to position
influence (superior to
subordinate)
Inspire others to follow
Require others to comply
Operate outside of
organizational rules,
regulations, policies,
procedures
Operate within organizational
rules, regulations, policies,
procedures
Take initiative to lead
Are given a position
Leadership Competencies
 Goal: develop and maintain high-quality work
relationships.
 Develop relationships where you are trusted,
respected, and known for your integrity.
 Look at leadership characteristics to create
relationships you want.
Leadership Competencies
 High-quality relationships are built as people
interact and work together in different situations.
 The better the understanding between people, the
easier it is to work together, resolve conflicts, reach
reasonable agreements, and influence each other.
 As a result, more likely their work relationship will
be positive and productive.
Leadership Competencies
Trust
Positive self-concept and selfesteem
Mutual respect
Empathy and sensitivity to
others
Acceptance
Good conflict resolution skills
Shared ground rules for
interacting
A history of authentic
communication
Open communications
Shared responsibility for the
relationship
Difficulties in Building Relationships
 Some of the difficulties maintaining relationships include:
 Lack of open, honest communications.
 Low value for the knowledge, experience and opinions of
others.
 Not giving credit for other people’s work.
 Not appreciating other people’s job responsibilities and work
conditions.
 Not dealing with a fellow worker whose behavior causes
problems.
 Gossip.
 Blaming the other person for the strained relationship.
 Cliques; excluding people who are different.
 Not accepting responsibility for one’s behavior.
Discussion
 What builds trust between people?
 What destroys trust?
 How can trust be rebuild after it has been
destroyed?
 For what reasons might an employee not trust a
supervisor?
Personal Trust
 How supervisors treat employees is the most critical
evidence that the supervisor and the organization
may be trusted.
Personal Trust
 Leadership behaviors that show a supervisor can be trusted:
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The supervisor sets a good example.
Treats other people with respect.
Pitches in and helps.
Follows through on commitments.
Provides opportunities for growth.
The supervisor spends time with employees.
Listens to ideas to solve problems.
High standards of performance and ethical behavior.
Know his or her employees as individuals.
Comfortable disclosing information about who he or she is and
allows employees to get to know him or her.
General Duties of Supervisors at Penn State
 Brainstorm - What are your duties as a supervisor at
PSU?
 A supervisor is a person who oversees and directs
the work of others.
 The NLRB: one who directs work of others and who
has the authority to affect the status of employees
who report to him or her.
 Make decisions and recommend actions that affect
hiring, discipline actions, transferring employees
between departments, and rewards.
Effective Communication
General Duties of Supervisors at Penn State
 Brainstorm - Why do we communicate? What is the
main purpose?
 How do we communicate? What are some of the
means?
 Why must we communicate with co-workers? What
are some goals of communication?
Why do we communicate?
 What is the main purpose?
 To be understood.
 To understand others.
How do we communicate?
 What are some of the means?
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Face-to-face.
Email.
Texting.
Faxs.
Memos.
Telephone.
Voicemail.
Through others.
Body language.
Paralanguage.
Why must we communicate with co-workers?
 What are some goals of communication?
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To get something accomplished.
To be respected.
To understand “why, what, when, where, how.”
To empathize; understand emotions behind thoughts.
To build relationships.
Case study in Miscommunication
 Small group activity.
 Setting: a local restaurant
 Occasion: celebration of a fellow employee’s work
anniversary
 What may be happening in this scenario that is
causing Mary such consternation?
Social Styles Refresher
Closed
Driver
Analytical
Less
assertive
More
assertive
Amiable
Expressive
Emotive
Communicating Based on Social Style
 Fill in this communication template for people you
work with in your department.
 List each position and your perception of each
person’s preferred means of communication.
 Example:
 Co-worker #1 is a peer; does a similar job as me.
 Prefers a direct approach. Only needs “data” or
“information.”
 Expects me to be short and to-the-point; emails quick
and organized; rather take a phone call than email.
Barriers to Effective Communication
 What are some common communication barriers —
things that keep people from accurately
understanding each others’ meanings?
 A supervisor has just given a job instruction to a
fairly new employee who isn’t sure he understands
what he is to do. What might prevent this employee
from asking the supervisor to “repeat” or “clarify”
the instruction?
Transactional Model of Communication
Transactional Model of Communication
 As people connect through communication, they
engage in a “transaction.”
 Each is a sender and receiver, not merely a sender
or receiver.
 People use messages (symbols) to generate
meanings (semantics).
Transactional Model of Communication
 Some work situations are more formal, like a
meeting with the Dean
 Some are less formal like an after-seminar mixer
with our colleagues.
 One way of talking would be appropriate in a formal
setting whereas the same words and behavior in a
less reserved setting would seem out of place.
Transactional Model of Communication
 The way we communicate in various situations may
differ.
 We must be aware of how others view us.
 We are perceived by our demeanor and speech.
 Be aware of your appearance, what you say, and
how you say it.
 How do you think others may view you if you
consistently “say the wrong thing at the wrong time
the wrong way?”
Purposes of Communication in the Workplace
 As supervisors we communicate for many reasons.
 Casual chit-chat is fine; usually the purpose is not
work-related.
 But many encounters are related to getting a
process worked out or a procedure finalized.
 Or you describe a situation or scenario that the
other person must visually comprehend.
Purposes of Communication in the Workplace
 Or we communicate simply to make a point.
 Or we answer valid work questions.
 Or training or simply providing feedback.
 What other purposes do your work communications
fulfill?
Effective Communicators
 People who are very effective communicating know
their objective.
 Understand to whom they are talking.
 Organize thoughts so the listener follows the logic.
 Good communications say what they mean and
mean what they say.
 This builds trust.
Effective Communicators
 Good communicators adapt their message to
feedback they receive from the listener.
 Read nonverbal behaviors.
 Aware of tone of voice, gestures, and body
language.
 If they need something accomplished, they
communicate so the listener knows exactly what
needs to be done.
 They use suitable language that is appropriate for
the listener’s age, experience, maturity, and
knowledge.
Managing Meetings
 Meetings are essential.
 Today we’ll focus on pragmatic things to make our
meetings better:
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Ground rules for meetings.
Improving meeting effectiveness.
Leader responsibilities.
Recorder responsibilities.
Participant responsibilities.
When to call a meeting.
Logistics.
Ground Rules for Meetings
 Meetings are essential.
 Each meeting should have a meeting sponsor.
 The sponsor calls the meeting and is responsible for
the outcome.
 The sponsor may or may not be the meeting leader.
 Leader enforces ground rules.
Ground Rules for Meetings
 Be prepared for the meeting. This means everyone.
 Start and end meetings on time.
 Set and adhere to an agenda.
 The agenda will either be created by the leader or the
meeting sponsor.
 Value the diversity of team members.
 Each participant brings a unique perspective to the
meeting.
Ground Rules for Meetings
 Make decisions by consensus.
 Consensus may be defined as a decision one can live
with.
 Participate fully in all meetings.
 When called upon for your opinion, give it.
 Keep records of your work.
 This is the responsibility of the recorder or scribe.
 Listen.
 Follow through.
Improving Meeting Effectiveness
 Define the purpose and objectives of the meeting.
 Should be done by the meeting sponsor or leader.
 Decide who should attend and for what reasons.
 Each participant should be invited for a reason.
 Notify attendees of any work that should be done
before the meeting.
 Is there any work that needs to be accomplished by
anyone before the meeting begins?
Improving Meeting Effectiveness
 Establish the location, time, and duration.
 This is normally done by the sponsor or leader.
 The location may be politically significant depending on
whose “turf” the meeting takes place.
 Prepare and distribute the agenda.
 email attachment.
 Identify a “note taker” or “recorder” or “scribe.”
 Records proceedings and sends the minutes.
 Action items as assigned.
Leader Responsibilities
 Leader provides structure and direction.
 Helps participants accomplish tasks.
 Introduces the meeting.
 Focuses participants on the agenda.
 Ensures everyone participates.
 May clarify agenda items.
 Summarizes the discussion.
 May have to re-focus the group occasionally.
Leader Responsibilities
 Leader also obtains commitments from appropriate
participants to act on items.
 Keeps the meeting on track, moves through issues,
and ends at the promised time.
Recorder Responsibilities
 Recorder creates a group memory of the meeting.
 He or she captures ideas and may summarize as
necessary.
 Prepares meeting minutes to send to attendees and
other appropriate people who may have an interest
in the meeting outcome.
Participant Responsibilities
 Complete any preparation required by the leader
before the meeting.
 Be on time for the meeting
 Listen and keep an open mind for solving problems.
 Be constructive.
 Don’t be a roadblock to progress.
 If assigned an action item, follow-up to ensure you
have the right information to complete the task.
When to Call a Meeting
 Meet when you want everyone to receive the same
information at the same time.
 Good reasons to meet:
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To present information.
To generate ideas.
To solve a problem.
To decide something.
To establish policy.
To train or instruct.
When not to Call a Meeting
 Just because you always have a meeting on this
day/time.
 When you have nothing special to discuss.
 When the results won’t be worthwhile.
 When you can decide the issue.
Logistics
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The room should be well-lit.
Pre-flight AV equipment.
Should be enough seating available.
Know how to adjust the room temperature and
work the lights and AV.
 Arrive early enough to acquaint yourself if you are the
meeting leader.
Logistics
 Decide the time of day which fits schedules.
 Decide how to deal with interruptions.
 For example, are cell phones to be turned off or not?
(There may be very good reasons to keep them on.)
 What if no one speaks or participates?
 Leader must draw people into the conversation.
 Ask direct questions.
 People must feel safe to speak in meetings.
Watch Out for…
 Rabbit trails.
 This is when the discussion gets off on other topics that
have nothing to do with the meeting per se.
 No humor.
 Inject some amusement when appropriate.
 May need some “fun” in meetings to reduce tension.
 Leaders who don’t maintain control, encourage
debate, or promote harmony during the meeting.
Wrapping up the Meeting
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Reach a conclusion.
Close the issue.
Get accurate minutes and communicate the results.
Follow-up.
Evaluate the meeting to make the next one better.
 This is rarely done!
Closing Thoughts…
 This has been a lot of information in a short time.
 Please review the appendix.
 Expectations.
 What employees need to know.
Closing Thoughts…
 Leadership skills can be learned skills.
 Build trust at work…it will pay dividends later.
 We communicate differently depending on social
styles.
 Managing good meetings takes some planning.
 What will you do differently at work because of
something you learned here today?
Reflections