The New Supervisor's Handbook

The New Supervisor's Handbook, Julian Talbot, TA Trust, 2014

Congratulations! Someone in the upper reaches of your company has decided that you have reached enough milestones to officially become a supervisor. This book will help answer some of the many questions that have just popped into your head.

Among the first things you need to learn is how to communicate with your subordinates. Do you need to see it, hear it or do it before you learn it? Don't assume that your subordinates all communicate that same way. If they communicate some other way than you, both of you may be speaking English, but it is like you are speaking a foreign language to them.

Then there is the subject of meetings, that black hole of modern day business. Be sure that the only people attending are those that need to be there. Email an agenda to everyone ahead of time. During the meeting, stick to that agenda like glue. Don't let anyone monopolize the meeting. Later,l email notes or a summary of what was discussed to everyone, especially those who have to see it before they understand it.

An unpleasant, but necessary, part of being a supervisor is disciplining, or terminating, employees. In short, document all contact with the employee. Have an impartial witness, like someone from another department or someone from outside the company, present at all meetings with the employee.

This book will not answer all possible questions that a new supervisor might have, but it will certainly point them in the right direction. It is short, and easy to understand, and very much worth the time.