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Educational Management

Notes

How is supervision done of co-curricular activities ?

18.3 Qualities of an Effective Supervisor

1. Availability : Availability can mean a lot of things, both tangible and intangible. On the tangible
side, it means being physically present at work. Of course, you’re not going to be at your desk
every second of the day, but being away all day, every day by traveling too much, having too
many off-site meetings, etc. isn’t productive. That also means keeping your calendar updated
regularly. Personally, I’m a fan of making your calendar ‘public’ through Outlook. On the more
intangible side, availability means being mentally present and available — and being clear
about when you can’t be. If you are under a lot of stress for a major project, you need to let your
supervisees know that you won’t be able to help them think through a project. But don’t let the
‘can’t’ times take over the ‘can’ times or you’ll create problems.
2. Mission-focus/priority-setting : Here is what priority setting comes down to : Figure out what
is most important. Do that first. It is that simple and that difficult. In a nonprofit environment
(every environment really) it is essential. We are mission-focused organizations and everything
we do, everyday, should help us achieve that mission.
3. Transparency : Not every decision needs a full, 360 degree explanation, but lots of secrecy is
frustrating and ultimately dis-empowering to those you supervise. Being transparent also means
admitting when you’re wrong or when you don’t know the answer. No one is perfect and if
you constantly try to hide behind a perfect image, the downfall will be that much harder.
4. Delegation : Delegation is arguably the hardest of these skills to learn and perfect. Delegation
basically means transferring decision-making authority to another employee for a task not
necessarily within one’s job description while still retaining ultimate responsibility for the task.
There are three key pieces of this :
• Responsibility - setting clear expectations, but not step-by-step instructions on how something
should be done
• Authority - the delegatee is given the right to make decisions
• Accountability - delegatee is responsible for the work, but delegator has ultimate responsibility
5. Taking Responsibility and Giving Credit : When you delegate authority, you are responsible
for what your supervisee does. You must take responsibility for the mistakes. BUT - you must
also give credit for the good things.
6. Realism : Again, simple : DO NOT make commitments that you and your staff can’t keep.
Promising the world to a funder, sponsor or partner does no one any good -especially if you
can’t deliver. Putting that extra pressure on your employees (not to mention yourself) just
creates all kind of unnecessary stress. You also need to be realistic about what you can do as a
supervisor - don’t be a bottleneck.
7. Great communication skills : As a supervisor one must communicate clearly and correctly to
avoid misunderstandings and frustrations. When receiving information from a subordinate,
she should be sure to receive it correctly - There is no harm in asking again if necessary.
8. Adapt to the changes : World is changing at a fast pace. The efficient supervisors ought to keep
up with it. Do not just blindly follow the age old norms and rules. Think out of the box if
required. Adjust to the needs of the organization.
9. Value the employees : The people are any supervisor’s real asset. They are ones running the
business and the work. A good supervisor understands their worth and treats them accordingly.

234 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY