Readers' Comments
Total Comments: 20
Page 1 of 3
Page 1 of 3
« Previous | Next »
What I Have Learned About Supervision (Mostly the Hard Way): Part III
Total Comments: 20
Page 1 of 3
Page 1 of 3
« Previous | Next »
Free Email Newsletter
| Close | Change | YTD | |
| G | $12.7463 | +0.0008 | +0.04% |
| F | $12.5956 | +0.0340 | +0.12% |
| C | $10.4853 | -0.3174 | +0.49% |
| S | $12.3632 | -0.4115 | +1.28% |
| I | $14.3592 | -0.2050 | +0.73% |
| Close | Change | YTD | |
| L 2040 | $12.5675 | -0.2638 | +0.63% |
| L 2030 | $12.6930 | -0.2335 | +0.55% |
| L 2020 | $12.9186 | -0.1958 | +0.47% |
| L 2010 | $13.8674 | -0.1008 | +0.25% |
| L Income | $12.8084 | -0.0642 | +0.19% |
January 8, 2009
Search:
Custom Search
Home | About Us | FAQ's |
Site Map | Terms of Use |
Privacy Policy |
RSS 
|
Twitter 
© 2009 FedSmith Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Supervisors
US Trustees Office
Wed Aug 6, 2008 9:43 AM
Post Reply
The problem is exactly what you stated, supervisors are not selected based on any supervisory/management skills. If that were the case we would not be discussing the matter. Supervisors in my office are attorneys without little or no management training but were selected to manage a staff...for God's sake what is that about? Is it right to hire or promote someone to a supervisory or management position? No, but it happens all of the time. What I don't understand is how is hiring someone without the required skills justified?
Re: Supervisors
Agency
Wed Aug 6, 2008 1:01 PM
Hopefully, the HR folk and other professions do not attempt to program and troubleshoot the mainframe.
Menotring/Coaching
Corps of Engineers
Wed Aug 6, 2008 10:30 AM
Post Reply
August 6, 2008
Mentoring & Coaching - mentoring and coaching skills are critically important –
In my organization, it appears that management would rather replace their existing employees than mentor/coach them along to improve their skills.
Over the several years that I have been in Real Estate Division, it has been proposed, by current & former long time Realty Specialists, that the lower graded realty assistants/technicians be entered into an ‘upward mobility’ program’ to bring these people ‘up to speed’ on Government real estate issues & further promotion; but these proposals have always been argued, from a budgetary point of view, that there was ‘not enough available funding’ to be able to promote these upward mobility programs or the proposal had fallen on ‘deaf ears’.
Technical competence
VHA
Wed Aug 6, 2008 10:41 AM
Post Reply
Why not set up a promotion system for technical competence since technologies are so important for the future? Why not set up a up a promotion path for technical workers so they do not have to move to the supervisory path to advance grades?
First Line Supervision Lot of Trial and Error
Civ Agency
Wed Aug 6, 2008 11:32 AM
Post Reply
Not everyone who serves as a first line supervisor someday becomes a second line or higher supervisor, because not everybody is good at it! You have to expect first line supervisors to make mistakes, hopefully not too many, and not in repeated fashion. The comment about technical folks being promoted to supervisor is true. Many technical experts have no management or people skills whatsoever. If you are one of those people, either improve your people skills or get out of supervision or you will be taken out by competent senior managers. If you can't hack it, then do everyone else a favor and ask for reassignment rather than hang around and create a mess that takes years for your colleagues to clean up. Senior managers rate your junior managers honestly and don't reward them for poor performance, if you made a mistake in selecting a subordinate for supervisor position then own up to it by fixing the problem you created.
Supervisors
VA
Wed Aug 6, 2008 11:39 AM
Post Reply
This is a difficult position. For many years I've had to put up with supervisors who were chosen for their "people" skills and who were totally incompetent to actually supervise the technical work. On the other hand, I had several years of experience with a "technically skilled" supervisor who made enemies and had a long line of grievances filed during his position of supervisor.
I guess the best we could hope for is a "people skilled" supervisor who know when to keep their mouth shut when dealing with a technically difficult case!!!
Re: Supervisors
Agency
Wed Aug 6, 2008 1:04 PM
Blame it on Adam,
Who blames Eve,
Who blames the serpent....
Ahhhhhh, Perfection, perfection,
where hast thou lain thy lovely head?
Supervisory Inservice
GSA
Wed Aug 6, 2008 3:52 PM
Post Reply
I would love to see a once a year supervisory in-service that exclusively addressed the practical supervisory skills necessary in today's workforce. I'd leave the technical position skills to those experts.
New Age Supervision-Not on Our Watch
DOD
Wed Aug 6, 2008 4:18 PM
Post Reply
I agree with Steve that the top-down, don't ask questions management style is not appropriate to manage the future federal workforce. The collaborative style is the way forward, but I really don't see how DOD agencies and the services could realistically adapt it to benefit their civilian workforce. Military people who manage civilian staffs use a universal skillset of accomplish the mission at all costs. They don't tolerate endless quibbling and most feel they have the leadership skills to manage both military and civilians, so no further training is needed or welcomed. This attitude is perpetuated by civilian managers who are military reservists, and also by the large number of retired military who carry their beliefs with them into the civilian workforce. I'm not saying it's hopeless, but improving the management culture within the DOD will require much patience and a unique approach.