Leadership Development for First-time Supervisors

First-time supervisors as well as supervisors who want to upgrade their skills in particular areas benefit greatly from leadership programs that offer practical guidance on how to carry out basic managerial functions and work effectively with people. For example:

• How to set goals,

• How to facilitate meetings,

• How to manage performance,

• How to give feedback,

• How to conduct a performance appraisal,

• How to communicate effectively,

• How to understand other people’s communication styles,

• How to build teams,

• How to resolve conflicts,

• How to manage projects.

People who are new to a supervisory role tend first to ask “what should I do?” so training in these behaviorally focused topics is helpful.

By the time leaders are at the director level, they tend to know the basics of what they need to do, and are ready to benefit more highly from discussions that focus on how they are “being”. The objective at this level is to deepen leaders’ social and emotional skills, as well as sharpen their access to their own inner wisdom so they can create organizational cultures that tap into people’s collective creativity. At the director level and above, people often want to know how they can build trusting, creative, high-performance environments in which everyone feels valued and synergistic, and contributes at a consistently high level. Though useful for all leaders, a focus on the inner dimension of leadership is essential at the director level and above. For more information about leadership development at higher levels, see Leadership Development Programming.