A couple of years ago, I was surfing around LinkedIn and came across an article entitled, People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses and I was like “Ooooh, yes, preach! Tell me more!”, and clicked on it because I so instantly felt that it was representative of my own lived experience. I found that it was just a one minute read, but in it, the opening paragraph pretty much sums up the entire article,
“A Gallup poll of more than 1 million employed U.S. workers concluded that the No. 1 reason people quit their jobs is a bad boss or immediate supervisor. 75% of workers who voluntarily left their jobs did so because of their bosses and not the position itself. Bad bosses are the No. 1 cause of unhappiness at work. "People leave managers not companies...in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue."
It goes on to define a few pointers on supervision including things like respect, empathy, and appreciation. I wanted to sing this statistic from the mountaintops, so naturally, I posted it to my social media. What I found was that it had already begun to go viral, and so many of my coworker friends from my many different positions, had already been sharing the article as well.
Since then, I have seen myriad others articles citing similar statistics and holding similar positions. I can tell you from my personal experience that I have had the exact sentiment in so many words time and again, “I didn’t hate the job, I just had really awful experience with management.”
As I think about my future as a higher ed professional, I know becoming a supervisor is inevitable. This is something from which I’ve consciously shied away due to its intimidating nature. That being said, coming back to school for my Master’s mid-career, I know that this is something I need to change my view on, and that I need to take on in earnest. It’s a challenge that so many managers seem to not get right, and the consequences for all parties involved can be frustrating at best and dire at worst. I do not want to be that supervisor!
When I reflect on my own experiences, I can say that I have been incredibly fortunate to have a handful of supervisors who have been truly standout human beings as well as managers. People who went above and beyond to help me to reach my goals, get to know me as a person, and let me into their lives, while maintaining a reasonable distance and balance between our personal and professional lives. From my very first job at the University of Buffalo, to UCLA, Onondaga Community College, and to the incredible position I held at Colorado State University, I have had the distinct pleasure of working with really stellar supervisors, all of whom managed using very different styles, and after whom I am able to model my own leadership style.
This past week, I read a chapter for my internship course that spoke directly to this point. In it, the author talked about two very positive experiences that she had where she was under the direction of two very different types of supervision. What was fascinating was that while they were completely different, she found distinct value in both styles. One supervisor was all about sharing with the people that she supervised, and being an active participant in the lives of the staff both inside of work and out. “We shared stories from our personal lives and regularly disclosed information about romantic relationships, friends, and frustrations at work or school. This supervisor and I observed each other cry during moments of frustration.” (McGraw, 2011, p. 20).
On the other end of the spectrum, she worked with a supervisor that was all business and who made a clear distinction between her work life and her personal life. What McGraw found as she reflected on her own style of supervision later in life, was that she had taken pieces of these two styles to meld them into what worked for her specific role.
I feel that I can really relate with McGraw’s experiences in that I too have had both styles of supervision as well, and like her, I hope to take key pieces of what I have experienced and fold them into my own style. I have found that for myself as an employee/supervisee, I respond most positively to a more personal leaning style of supervision that includes mentorship and leadership.
I think that the difference between a really great supervisor and an “OK”/”good” supervisor really resides in the spirit of those two words – leadership and mentorship. In my opinion, OK experiences with managers are those with someone who is good at keeping order and peace, and getting people to do their work successfully. A good manager allows you the leeway to go to conferences or meetings that you have sought out for yourself. A good manager, appreciates you for your work, and gives credit where it is due. However. A GREAT manager, a LEADER helps you to find those opportunities. It’s someone who understands your goals and passions, and recommends committees and conferences and connections to people that they come across that make them think of you. They talk to you, and help you to grow and enjoy going through that process with you. Part of being able to know your employees in this deeper way comes with conversation – not just about work, but about school, family, relationships, hobbies, etc.
When I think of these great managers I have had, they have been true leaders. These are people who have an excellent ability to communicate openly and honestly, even when it’s tough or when things are confusing and in a state of flux. True leaders are positive and creative and can inspire the staff they work with to make dreams into realities. True leaders have a sense of intuition that helps them read between the lines of your struggles and your strengths to find a path to helping you achieve, and with all of this in mind, they mentor you to help you discover your capacity to achieve, within yourself.
Now, this sounds like a tall order! Hence my intimidation with becoming a supervisor. Although I have had a few experiences supervising throughout my career, I have not had the chance to really feel out my own personal style of managing. I am glad that I have these leaders to look up to, but I am actually happy to have had countless experiences with poor leadership and management, as well, which gives me an understanding also of what does not work.
I know that I want to be the kind of leader that my greatest supervisors and role models have been.
First and foremost, communication is key! This includes being able to actively listen, as well as communicate with everyone at all levels of an institution – from the students and parents all the way up to the top! Being transparent and allowing staff in on the bigger picture, is critical, as is communicating expectations, providing training and guidance, and having an open door policy for conflict resolution and question asking. Secondly, mutual respect is a big sticking point for me. I know how profound it can be when I am respected for my work, opinions, feelings, knowledge and expertise. Professionalism is also something that can really make or break an office, too, and that can take many forms – as McGraw discusses in her chapter, knowing where the boundary is for your particular position is key, and it can be fluid and up for interpretation. However, when the relationship becomes too personal, as a result work can suffer, or, as in more than one experience of mine – when a supervisor is gossipy, rude, and catty that is a level of unprofessionalism that is completely inappropriate for a work environment.
Empathy and compassion are definitely two traits that I want to encompass my general everyday life, and as a result, these are traits that intend to bring with me into my role as a manager. Everyone in this world is going through things, and aspiring to reach goals, and facing adversity. We are all humans, and we should treat each other with care. I want to be aware and helpful in working on issues with staff that I supervise, and make sure that they know I appreciate them as people, first, and employees second.
In addition to these important factors, I think that it is also important to hold people accountable for their work and their actions. Although I hope that my management style is that of a true leader, the mentoring part can be seen in helping people to grow and do better. This is probably the piece that I will struggle with the most as I delve into the world of supervision. I like to be “the good guy”, and I know that it’s not always possible, and that not every situation comes out with a positive resolution. My hope is that when conflict or adversity at work arises, I can make an impact with a teachable moment for whomever it is that I am supervising. If this is not possible, I hope to be able to stand my ground and do what is right for the department and the institution.
Ultimately, supervision, leadership, and mentorship is a lot of responsibility, and I think that I have had really great teachers in the field to help shape who it is I will be as a manager. I really look forward to being able to share what I have learned and hopefully, if I’m lucky, maybe one day I may be someone’s great boss that kept them at their great job, and not vice versa.
Cheers,
Brianna
Reference:
McGraw, C.E. (2011). Reflections on building capacity as a supervisor in
college student services. New Directions for Student Services, 136, 17-25.