The experience of both being a supervisor and supervisee has helped me tremendously as a student affairs professional. Being a supervisor and supervisee both serve as learning experiences that can help further your development as a professional. I have had experiences with great supervisors and having not so great supervisors. Although I have not so great supervisors, there has always been a sliver lining in those experiences. In my experiences with bad supervisors, they have all lacked some key elements that would have made them efficient in their roles.
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Some keys to an effective supervisor include:
Great communication and interpersonal skills. A supervisor that clearly articulates the expectations of a job is very important. I believe that great communication skills also involve being able to listen and take constructive criticism. An effective supervisor is one that is easy to talk to and is approachable. I believe that getting to know your supervisees serves as a great way to understand how they work and what type of supervisor they need you to be. When a supervisor gets to know their supervises, it fosters a welcoming environment.
Supervisors should understand that not every supervision style works for everyone. There is not one style that effectively works for everyone. I think being flexible and being able to adapt to different people is what effective supervisors do. Understanding that one person on your staff may need you to be a bit more hands off and another person on your staff may need you to be more hands off shows flexibility.
An effective supervisor allows supervises to make mistakes. Understanding that not everything will run smoothly and that there will be some mistakes made allows the supervisee to learn as well as help the supervisor practice patience, which is another key element to an effective supervisor.
In addition, an effective supervisor is willing to learn and does self-reflection. Supervisors should be doing self-reflections and understand that they are not perfect. Supervisors should be constantly learning and developing.
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I believe that supervision and leadership go hand and hand. Supervisors have to be capable of leading supervises. You cannot be an effective supervisor if you do not know how to lead and provide guidance. In my experience, the poor supervisors that I have had lacked leadership skills. If you do not possess leadership skills, how can you effectively be a supervisor and lead your team?
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My goal as a future supervisor is to be able to be the type of supervisor my team needs me to be. I will show support to my staff and assure them that I believe in them. I will be sure to have clear communication with my staff and give clear expectations of what I expect out of them. I will encourage constructive criticism, as I will provide it. My goal is to promote a work environment that mutual respect is given throughout the department or area I oversee. I want to encourage growth and development in all of my supervisees as well as for myself. My biggest goal is to never stop learning and developing as a professional.
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