First Time Supervisor: Strategies for a Successful Transition

You’ve worked hard to earn your promotion to the role of supervisor, and you’re excited to have the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge in a leadership capacity for your organization. However, being a first-time supervisor presents a variety of challenges, many of which you may not have anticipated. Some of the obstacles you’ll need to navigate during the supervisor transition process include:

• Motivating others. You’re likely a highly self-motivated individual, which probably made you stand out from your peers and helped you land the supervisory position. Now, you will have to shift your focus to motivating others. Many first-time supervisors struggle with the fact that some of their employees don’t share their vision and do not bring the same enthusiasm to their job function. An important part of your role will be determining what makes each worker “tick” so you can motivate them to perform at a high level.
• Managing the change in relationships. As a non-supervisory employee, you may have enjoyed being “one of the boys.” One of the most difficult challenges during the supervisor transition process is being able to establish boundaries without alienating your subordinates, some of whom may be your close friends. You now must lead the workers that you once served with in the trenches — and make some tough or sometimes unpopular decisions along the way.
• Mastering the administrative aspects of the position. As a front-line employee, your proficiency at the technical aspects of your job helped you gain recognition from management. As a supervisor, you will need to spend more time on mundane administrative tasks such as budgeting, planning, preparing reports and more. Some new supervisors soon find themselves wishing for the “good old days” when they were not burdened with paperwork and could just focus on doing what they do best.
• Hiring and firing. New supervisors often dream of building and molding a team in their image. But finding and hiring the right people is not easy. It frequently requires sorting through stacks of resumes, conducting numerous interviews and making that all-important final hiring decision. And if the new person doesn’t work out, it can be a source of embarrassment. Firing an employee can be even tougher, especially if the person is someone you once worked alongside.
• Coaching and development. First-time supervisors must become proficient at developing their staff so that each team member can maximize his or her potential. Many new supervisors discover that they may not have the patience or communication skills to nurture their charges and help them improve their areas of weakness. Part of being a leader is providing guidance that will generate performance improvement instead of chastising employees for their mistakes. You will also need to take on the role of a psychologist by listening to and helping to resolve various employee issues.
• Coping with pressure. New supervisors sometimes place additional pressure on themselves, as they feel the need to justify their promotion and not disappoint those who helped them ascend to the position. It’s important that as a brand-new supervisor, you set clear expectations with your boss so that you will know exactly where you stand. It is also essential to allow yourself some time to grow into the position — remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and good supervisors are not created overnight.
• Making immediate and drastic changes. As a first-time supervisor, you may be eager to make sweeping changes within your work area or department. After all, your time on the front lines enables you to identify what is working — and what needs fixing. However, too much change too soon can be difficult to manage and will likely cause significant stress for your workers. A better approach is to keep the “big picture” in mind — implement change gradually with the ultimate goal of achieving your long-term vision for your work area.
• Managing time. New supervisors often find themselves overwhelmed — you’ll probably have a lot more on your plate than when you were a front-line employee. Becoming proficient at time-management can be one of the biggest challenges for brand-new bosses. You’ll need to allocate time for meetings and administrative tasks while still performing the operational duties of your job, dealing with employees and handling conflict. You’ll need to develop strong organizational skills so you can manage your time effectively and efficiently.
• Creating/maintaining a productive work environment. You’ll need to ensure the work environment is conducive to achieving your departmental objectives. Depending on the situation, this could mean revitalizing a toxic environment where team members are reluctant to work with one another or maintaining the status quo in a healthy, well-functioning culture.

Our Supervisor Transition Program Provides the Training You Need to Succeed in Your New Role

Examples of specific areas covered by our first-time supervisor training program include:

• Successfully developing new relationships with team members — Learn how to overcome the awkwardness that frequently accompanies the supervisor transition process, so you can develop healthy, productive relationships with former coworkers who are now under your leadership.
• Evaluating your current supervisory skills — You will be able to assess your “hard” and “soft” skill sets so you can determine your strengths as well as areas that may need improvement. You can then create an action plan to hone your skills, enabling you to become a more effective, well-rounded supervisor.
• Becoming proficient at employee development — A supervisor is only as good as the people who work for him or her. Our training program will help you find ways to motivate your employees and assist them in developing their skills to maximize their performance.
• Learning the difference between leading and managing — While the terms “leadership” and “management” are often used interchangeably, they are not necessarily the same thing. Our program will help you understand the subtle differences between the two concepts and how they apply to specific aspects of the supervisory function.
• Implementing change effectively — Change is a constant in today’s rapidly-evolving work environments. Our training program will help you determine effective methods for implementing changes within your work area, as well as for adapting to change throughout your supervisor career.

Choose the Training Format That Works Best for You

At Lorman Education, we understand that busy professionals need flexible training options that will fit their schedule and learning style. You can choose the format for our “First Time Supervisor: Strategies for a Successful Transition” training program that works best for you. Options include:

• Live webinar — This one-hour live streaming format gives you real-time access to the information, allowing you to apply it to your job function immediately. You can also interact with the presenters by asking questions and receiving clarification regarding areas of confusion.
• OnDemand — We record many of our live webinars for later viewing. You don’t have to worry about being available for the live event if it doesn’t fit your schedule. You can log in on a 24/7 basis and watch the presentation at your convenience.
• Audio & Reference manual — This program is available on a USB flash drive containing PDF and MP3 files. You will be able to view and listen to the course materials on any compatible device.
• MP3 — You can also receive our first-time supervisor training program as an MP3 download so you can listen to the presentation via your computer, smartphone or tablet while you’re in the office, at home or on the go.

Why Choose Lorman for Your Supervisory Training Needs?

Lorman Education has more than 30 years of experience in providing high-quality, convenient training solutions for professionals in a wide range of industries — we’re passionate about helping our students get the training they need to achieve their career objectives. Our faculty shares our commitment to excellence in education — we focus on selecting the most knowledgeable instructors who bring a wealth of real-world experience and a solid educational background to the training process.

Through our training opportunities, you can obtain the skills you need to improve function and efficiency, remain compliant with the regulations and continuing education requirements that impact your industry and stay ahead of the field in today’s highly competitive job climate.

Explore Your Purchase Options Today

You can order the “First Time Supervisor: Strategies for a Successful Transition” course right now or check out the other available purchase options. A cost-effective way to enjoy all our training programs is by purchasing our All-Access Pass where you get one full year of unlimited training in any format for one low price.