The Three R's of Good Supervisors (2024)

As early as high school, we should teach students how to be effective supervisors.No matter someone’s career path, profession or job, they will likely one day be responsible for supervising and although the experience is common, the skills are not.How many of us have worked for a bad boss?

Knowing how to supervise employees is not an innate talent, but rather requires attention, mentoring, humility and organizational support.Many bosses learned how to supervise by copying the approach of the bosses they have worked for over the years. But this is not reliable and can lead to perpetuating ineffective or worse, harmful supervisory styles.

The how-to course could share the fundamental concepts of effective supervision: Respect, Recognition and Reward. These concepts begin with the guiding principle of treating the employee as you would want to be treated.For instance, most supervisors want to be treated with respect, so as supervisors we should respect employees.

There can be an unrealistic expectation that the supervisor needs to be the smartest person in the room.Instead, the supervisor should ensure they are surrounded by the smartest people and then, listen.A cornerstone to effective supervision is humility, which is a sign of strength and openness.An effective supervisor knows when to lead, when to conceded and when to simply facilitate the energies of the team towards achieving the goals.Good supervisors encourage employees and foster a sense of ownership over the work.

Along with respect comes recognition.It is essential to recognize employees’ talents and their hard work and acknowledge accomplishment, as well as, effort.Woven into this is the hard fast rule that supervisors should never take credit for the work of others.Rather, the supervisor should highlight and reward their employees’ achievements, and in so doing, the supervisor also shines.

Respect, Recognition, and Reward - the three r’s — essential components of good supervision.These principles thrive in companies that emphasize teams.A healthy organizational structure, where each voice has value, will support and strengthen effective supervision.

A healthy organization starts with the understanding that most employees just want to do a good job and to be acknowledged for doing so.The organization provides support and guidance to supervisors to foster their skills as team builders, motivators, and leaders who are competent and confident in using the three r’s: Respect, Recognition and Reward.When this happens, the reward is shared by all.

by Sue Ryan, JD, February 2022