Search:

Custom Search

Readers' Comments

Total Comments: 12
Page 1 of 2

« Previous | Next »

What I Have Learned About Supervision (Mostly the Hard Way)

Leadership by Walking Around

Nonsupervisor
Fed agency
Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:45 AM

Post Reply

I really enjoyed these articles and wish I could find federal supervisors that lived/demonstrated these leadership principles! I agree that people don't leave their agencies; they leave their bad supervisors. I've had a supervisor who told me that I should be home having children because I was occupying a job that should go to a man trying to support his family. Of course, I promptly followed that advice and found myself a husband and got pregnant - NOT! And now I have a supervisor wants to get to know everyone and spends so much time wandering around and chatting that the rest of the office thinks our entire department has nothing to do. She also enforces the rules in a haphazard manner depending on whether or not you are a "pet." I'd love to have some input into my Performance Plan, but it's already written and signed by the Big Cheese in HQ before I ever see it. And when I ask to make a change to something I'll actually be working on, I'm told "no." ARGH!

Best and Worst Supervisors

HR Specialist
USPTO
Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:08 AM

Post Reply

Best - individuals that feel comfortable talking face to face with employees.

Best - individuals that give work assignments with clear expectations, and stay out of the way and await completed work.

Best - indidual that express trust and respect for work and subordinate decision making.

Worst - individuals that focus on small stuff
Worst - individuals that prefer to communicate through email.

Worst - individuals that exhibit untrusting behaviors in all aspects of their supervisory style.

Supervision

ER Spec pretending to be an accountant
DoD
Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:33 AM

Post Reply

Typically, articles like this one bring out the whining of the perpetually outraged and this one will probably be no exception.

I think most supervisors in their heart-of-hearts know the principles listed and explained in this well written article(s). Execution of those principles on a daily, consistent basis, however, is extremely difficult given all the competing demands on today's supervisor.

The whiners need to remember that the supervisor is human and has problems and outside of work isssssues just like they do. Further, take a look at the pay scales [after taxes] and ask if all that additional work and grief is worth it.

I have always felt there should be a separate supervisory pay differential above and beyond the standard classification system. Maybe NSPS in DoD will get there. Maybe not.

Re: Supervision

HR manager
DA
Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:27 PM
Agree & disagree - agreed that supv's are only human & each has their own limits. And regardless how good they may be or not, they deserve a level of respect for taking on the task of supervision, especially since there is, in most cases, not any additional pay or benefits. Disagreed that there should be a supv pay differential. First, if that were the case, every Tom, Dick & Harry & their brother would be claiming to be supervisors & HR would see even more bogus PD's than it does now, with many "supervisory" positions actually supervising less than a handful of employees. Second, If an agency or subpart wants to "flatten" out the organization by redefining supervisors as non-supvs or team leads, a special supervisory rate would either tie up the agency in grade/pay retention or cause the former supervisor to lose the additional pay, thereby creating morale problems which the agency would have to address. Best to leave well enough alone.

Re: Supervision

ER Spec pretending to be an Accountant
Oaklandon Road
Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:32 AM
Does anyone think DA HR manager is a classifier by heart and soul? Too often it gets in the way of leadership and good management.

Re: Supervision

HR manager
DA
Tue Aug 5, 2008 5:55 PM
As a matter of fact, I did come up as a classifier (not as someone pretending to be an accountant). I'm not sure what the remark "too often it gets in the way of leadership and good management" is supposed to mean. What is contradictory between proper classification & "good management"? If positions weren't classified, there would no doubt be more ER problems than there are now. Why the antagonism toward classification?

Supervisor's Supervisor

Supervisor
SSA
Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:04 PM

Post Reply

I've been keeping up with this newsletter for quite some time now. I don't remember ever reading anything about a supervisor dealing with a difficult supervisor/manager.

Must First Want To Be One

HR Manager (Retired)
DoD
Mon Jul 28, 2008 2:07 PM

Post Reply

All the “good supervisor” attributes listed are good but you failed to mention one of the most important – wanting to be a supervisor. In order to be a good supervisor one must first want to be a supervisor. Unfortunately, too many employees take supervisory jobs simply because they pay more – these are normally the ones who make the worst supervisors. Being a supervisor is not rocket science – it is merely having the desired and ability to be a leader, the ability and willingness to deal with employees, including the “high maintenance” ones, in a fair and equitable manner, ability and willingness to give credit where credit is due, and, of course, have the ability to accept criticism whether fair or not.

Good ones bad ones

retired
U S P S
Fri Aug 8, 2008 1:22 PM

Post Reply

Sit and wait for that morning phone call to tell me what to do the rest of the day.It has taken 3 articles to tell us what a difficult job it is even though we know that they can't make their own decisions without an ok from upstairs.It's a real tough job.Let me see who can I blame for the screw up.

performance plans

Microbiologist
USDA
Fri Aug 8, 2008 6:37 PM

Post Reply

We really have no say in our performance plans or critical elements. My last performance plan was an obvious cut and paste job from a document, probably HR. There is nothing in my plan that truly relates to what I do. therefore, on my appraisal, it's a best guest as to how my assignments relate to the performance plan. Makes it impossibly hard to determine how successful I have been. Should be interesting when we move to pay-for-performance!

Total Comments: 12
Page 1 of 2

« Previous | Next »

Add a Comment about this Article

** All fields are required.
Note: Your comments will not show up right away. FedSmith.com selects the most insightful comments from our readers for posting. If selected, your comments will show up in the comments section after they have been reviewed and approved. See our terms of use for more information.