Setting a New Supervisor Up for Success

I find it fascinating how often employees are promoted from a front line position to a supervisory role, and we magically expect that they will hit the ground running. How could a new supervisor possibly know how to transition from being a "doer" to a facilitator, negotiator and delegate?

The early days of becoming a new supervisor can be very intimidating and downright scary. Employees are looking to them for information or advice, and in most cases, they don't have any idea of what is expected. As a manager, one of the best tools to get your new supervisor off and running is a detailed checklist. This checklist should include things they need to know (and do) on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Getting your new leader into a solid routine of key areas they need to focus on will pay dividends in the end. Not only will you be able to gauge how well they are able to stick to the priorities you have established through the checklist, but you can then focus more of your time providing information and guidance on other leadership related topics.

As a department manager, going through the process of putting this tool together will help reinforce key focus areas and risks within your operation. As time consuming as this exercise will be upfront, it will help ensure proper oversight of tasks and activities in your environment.

Daily Checklist

This checklist needs to drive oversight of very detailed areas of the business. Highlight all of the key tasks and activities done by the department and what the new leader should be reviewing to ensure the timeliness, accuracy and quality of the work being produced. Not only will this keep the new leader on the right track, but it will help them grow their knowledge of the area they are supervising.

Weekly and Monthly Checklists

These checklists should focus on required reporting, projects, audits, etc. You can also build proactive leadership related items into the list such as employee one-on-ones, writing performance reviews, creating documentation for the department, etc.

Summary

One final piece of advice.... Resist the temptation to turn this tool into some type of mandatory reporting requirement. The magic of it is to see how well the new supervisor uses it to drive results.

Do the right thing by setting your new supervisors on a path to success. Frequent, open and honest dialogue about expectations, along with their progress on the goals you have set will help solidify your working relationship. This tool is a key step to get the ball rolling.