Do You Have What it Takes to be a Supervisor (Not the Elected Kind)?

 Human Resources Manager Anne Calle speaks at the well-attended "So You Want to Be a Supervisor" workshop in March.

Do you have strong character? A love of working with and mentoring other employees? A positive attitude? All are critical attributes to have as a supervisor at the County, according to a panel of experts at a recent workshop titled, “So, You Want to be a Supervisor?”

Being a technical expert isn’t always the most important aspect of supervision. Supervisors and managers spend a lot of time on big picture questions.

“You could be a technical expert,” said Anne Calle, a Human Resources Manager and Business Coach. But “when you’re a supervisor, it’s your role to teach other people to have that expertise.” Contrary to what some may believe, keeping the knowledge to yourself is not powerful, Calle said. If you want to look good, put the knowledge and expertise of your team in the spotlight and let them shine.

These were just a few pointers speakers shared at the well-attended workshop earlier this month. Organized and hosted by the County’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and the Department of Human Resources, the event took place at the County Operations Center and was the first of its kind. Calle led the workshop. A panel of Senior Human Resource Analysts joined her, including Erica Bayles, Kathleen Murphy, Tim Mathues, Nameh Rezvan, Adriana Matsuhiro and Zenobia Howard.

Israel Garza, Vice President of the San Diego County Latino Association, said the County’s Employee Resource Groups hope to organize more workshops like this in the future.

Among the advice shared:

-At least as important as your skill level is who you are as a person, Calle said. “I’m talking about character, I’m talking about who you’ve become,” she said. Opportunities open up for people who demonstrate integrity and character.

-Being a great supervisor means a lot of interaction with people. You are helping your employees, and inspiring, nurturing and developing them. When supervising is in your title “that means that you are overseeing people, overseeing their careers,” said Calle. If you prefer to work independently, without interruption, supervising may not be the best fit. As a supervisor, your role is to develop, guide and support your team.

-Strong supervision is having the ability to make high-level strategic planning decisions by using your technical knowledge along with understanding the big picture.

-Having a positive attitude is one of the most important attributes a supervisor can have, Mathues said.
“Be upbeat, informative and inquisitive,” he said.

-Self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses is very important, Bayles said. How do you present yourself? How do you react to situations? And work to improve your areas of weakness. “Look for opportunities to get out of your comfort zone,” Murphy said.

-Build and maintain your credibility. When you don’t know the answer to something, ask for more time to research it, for example, rather than guessing. It’s much better to be honest, said Rezvan.

-Be innovative. Managers are looking for people with creative ideas who can also apply them.

-Be able to make decisions independently, Howard advised. “If you are in a supervisory position, you need to be able to make decisions,” she said. “There are going to be critical times when you have to do that and you can’t wait until your supervisor comes back from vacation.”

Speakers also suggested that employees consider their motivation for wanting to become a supervisor. There’s a difference between wanting power and control versus wanting to inspire, empower and develop employees.

As a supervisor, “it’s not about you,” Calle said. “It’s about leveraging the successes of your team.”

For more information on the County Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), visit the ERG InSite page.