For many supervisors, their relationship with the people who work for them could be much better. A recent study by faculty members at the University of Florida indicated that more than half of employees found their supervisors untrustworthy, not good role models, and too free to share confidential information. This is indeed a severe accusation. Poor supervision is often considered a factor in high turnover, and employers are increasingly holding supervisors responsible for turnover among their direct reports.

Supervision is about nurturing employees. It’s about committing to making them successful rather than waiting for them to make a mistake. Supervisors must have a clear and specific idea of ​​how we can support the people who work for us. Just as we have a specific plan to maintain a service or process, good supervision requires a roadmap to get us where we want to go.

Supervisors are responsible for technical skills and attitudes or habits.

Generally speaking, supervisors are better at dealing with technical skills than habits and attitudes, which is why habits and attitudes are responsible for more layoffs than technical job skills. Which brings us to the Ten Commandments…because if they are followed, the supervisor will be more successful in changing attitudes and habits.

1. Be organized. Don’t bring your employee into a messy office. Expect the employee to have an agenda, to have prepared for the supervisory conference, but you must also prepare.

2. Manage yourself. Model the behavior you expect to see from your employee. Manage your own responsibilities well.

3. Recognize good work. Regularly and frequently. No employee has ever complained that his boss compliments him too much. Compliments feel good.

4. Be positive and upbeat. Give your employees the confidence that things will work out; give them a reason to believe that the plans will lead to success. Describe the strengths and weaknesses.

5. Document your discussions. Describe the behavior you want from the employee both verbally and in writing. Track progress and make a note of it. This will save you a lot of time and eliminate surprises when doing the annual review.

6. Have a respectful environment for supervision sessions. Do not accept phone calls during a supervisory conference, except in the case of true emergencies. Put a do not disturb sign on your door and make sure your conversations stay private. And while we’re talking about respect, don’t forget to be objective and nonjudgmental.

7. Refer often to the organization’s mission and goals. Make sure the employee knows exactly what to do in their own work situation to contribute to those goals.

8. Demonstrate your own commitment to learning and improving your own performance. Don’t expect your employees to find time to go to training if you can’t seem to part with time for personal growth. Be willing to admit your own mistakes and areas where you need to improve.

9. Be fair, but honest. Be prepared to speak clearly about the areas of the employee’s performance that need improvement; do not use vague language. Be behaviorally specific in terms of the problem and solution, as well as the time frame for expected improvement. One can be specific without judging the person receiving the feedback.

10. Know the employee, what motivates him, what are some of his personal interests, what are his goals for his personal and professional future. Be prepared to share some of your own too. This builds the bond between you and your employee, allows for better planning for the future, and adds some excitement to your work together.

As a supervisor, you must recognize that your job now requires you to help the company achieve its goals through the cooperation of others. You may have been very good at making clay pots, but that’s not your job now. Instead of the technical skills that were required to make those pots, you now need the people skills that build loyalty and motivation. As Dwight Eisenhower said, “Leadership (including supervision) is about getting other people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it that way.”