First Line Supervision, Fifth Edition

Table of contents

1. Cover Page
2. Title Page
3. Copyright Page
4. Contents
5. About This Course
6. How to Take This Course
7. Pre-Test
8. 1 Becoming a Supervisor
   1. Making the Transition to First-Line Supervisor
      1. Focus
      2. Seeing the Big Picture
      3. The Work
      4. Number of Priorities
      5. Work Quality
      6. Time Commitment
      7. Dealing with Information
      8. Motivation
      9. Role on the Team
      10. Attitude
   2. Importance of First-Line Supervision
      1. Day-to-Day Operations
      2. First Line of Contact for Employees
      3. Span of Control
      4. Development of Organization Talent
   3. Paradoxes of First-Line Supervision
      1. Being a Supervisor and a Technical Expert
      2. Little Effort Is Devoted to Training
      3. The Way Work Is Organized
      4. Supervising Tasks and Learning Skills
   4. Leadership Style and Behavior
      1. Task vs. People
      2. Other Considerations Affecting Leadership Style
   5. Recap
   6. Review Questions
9. 2 Role of the Supervisor
   1. Day-to-Day Supervisory Roles
      1. Plan and Organize Work
      2. Provide Resources
      3. Manage and Develop People
      4. Administer and Control
      5. Handle Problems and Issues
   2. Personal Qualities of an Effective First-Line Supervisor
      1. Set High Personal Standards
      2. Be Accessible
      3. Inspire Success
      4. Accept Responsibility for Your Actions
      5. Emphasize Quality and Service
      6. Believe in Employees
      7. Set Priorities and Stick to Them
      8. Strive for Continuous Improvement
   3. Working with Your Boss
      1. Develop a Partnership
      2. Focus on Common Priorities
      3. Communicate Upward
      4. Maximize the Relationship Potential
   4. First-Line Supervision Key Competencies
      1. Communicating
      2. Developing People
      3. Managing People
      4. Building a Team
      5. Getting the Work Done
      6. Supervising in a Changing Environment
   5. Recap
   6. Review Questions
10. 3 Communicating
    1. The Communication Process
    2. Listener Problems and Solutions
       1. What Is This All About?
       2. Exactly What Is Being Proposed?
       3. Why Is It Needed and by Whom?
       4. What’s in It for Me?
       5. What Is Supposed to Be Done About It?
    3. Improving Personal Listening Habits
       1. Listen for Ideas, Emotions, and Feelings
       2. Listen for What Is Not Being Said
       3. Control Your Emotional Reactions
       4. Overcome Personal Prejudgments and Distractions
       5. Keep an Open Mind
       6. Listen More Than You Talk
       7. Hear the Other Person Out (Don’t Interrupt)
       8. Use Open-Ended Questions for Active Listening
    4. Planning and Conducting Meetings
       1. Preparing an Agenda
       2. Conducting the Meeting
       3. After the Meeting
       4. Brainstorming
    5. Written Communication
       1. Organize Before You Write
       2. Use Simple, Straightforward Language
       3. Be Sensitive to the Tone of Your Writing
       4. Write from the Viewpoint of the Reader
    6. Communication Technology
       1. Electronic Messaging
       2. Voice Mail
       3. Internet or Intranet
       4. Conferencing
       5. Cellular Technology
       6. Computer Systems
    7. Recap
    8. Review Questions
11. 4 Developing People
    1. People Development
       1. Benefits
       2. Types of Development Activities
       3. Setting Goals and Maintaining Focus
    2. New Employee Orientation
       1. Objectives
       2. Developing an Orientation Plan
       3. Conducting New Employee Orientation
    3. Employee Training
       1. Benefits of Training
       2. Failure to Train
       3. Identifying Training Needs
       4. Four-Step Training Method
       5. Being an Effective Trainer
    4. Making Sure Training Is Effective
       1. Have a Pre-Training Meeting
       2. Have a Post-Training Meeting
       3. Provide an Opportunity to Perform
       4. Ensure a Supportive Environment
       5. Encourage and Recognize Improvements
    5. Coaching Employees
       1. Key Factors in Assessing a Possible Coaching Situation
       2. The Coaching Process
       3. When to Quit Coaching
    6. Recap
    7. Review Questions
12. 5 Managing People
    1. Performance Feedback
       1. Using Feedback Systems
       2. Provide Positive Feedback to Reinforce Performance
       3. Providing Corrective Feedback
       4. Performance Appraisal as a Feedback Tool
    2. Working with Difficult Employees
       1. Types of Difficult Behaviors
       2. Causes of Difficult Behaviors
       3. Strategies for Working with Difficult Behaviors
    3. Managing Workplace Conflict
       1. Causes of Conflict
       2. Conflict Management Styles
       3. Steps for Successful Conflict Management
    4. Taking Disciplinary Action
       1. Focus on Behavior
       2. Disciplinary Options
    5. Recap
    6. Review Questions
13. 6 Building a Team
    1. Why Teamwork?
       1. Organization Benefits
       2. Individual Benefits
    2. What Is a Team?
    3. Transforming a Group into a Team
       1. Share the Expectations
       2. Share the Responsibilities
       3. Share the Glory
    4. Being a Valuable Team Member
       1. Use Active Listening
       2. Avoid Making Commitments You Can’t Keep
       3. Deliver What You Promise
       4. Give Credit to Others
       5. Seek Contributions of Others
       6. Share Your Resources
       7. Work to Resolve Workplace Issues
       8. Keep Confidences
       9. Maintain a Sense of Humor
       10. Smile
    5. Obstacles to Team Development
    6. Recap
    7. Review Questions
14. 7 Getting the Work Done
    1. Performance Motivation
       1. Your Role in Motivation
       2. Different Folks, Different Strokes
       3. All Behavior Is Motivated
    2. Obtaining Top Performance
       1. Establish and Communicate Expectations
       2. Provide Positive Feedback
       3. Focus on Teamwork
       4. Inspire, but Don’t Control
       5. Lead by Example
    3. Delegating to Get the Work Done
       1. Guidelines for Successful Delegation
    4. Planning and Organizing for Success
       1. Imperatives of Planning
       2. Make Your Plan Specific, Achievable, and Measurable
       3. Plans Should Be in Writing
       4. Plans Must Have a Timetable
       5. Determine Priorities Beforehand
       6. Communicate What Is Going On
       7. Questions Your Plan Should Answer
    5. Managing Your Time
       1. Use a Daily List of Things to Do
       2. Prioritize Your Daily List
       3. Determine the Best Use of Your Time Right Now
       4. Manage Your Time Like Money
       5. Strive for Life Balance with Your Time
       6. Effects of Stress on Productivity
    6. Recap
    7. Review Questions
15. 8 Supervising in a Changing Environment
    1. Legal Issues for First-Line Supervisors
       1. Government Laws and Organization Policies
       2. Avoiding Legal Action
    2. Supervising a Diverse Workforce
       1. Your Role in Supervising Diversity
       2. Developing Yourself for Diversity
    3. The Distance Manager and Virtual Work
       1. What, Why, and When of Distance Management and Virtual Work
       2. Being a Successful Distance Manager
       3. Being a Successful Virtual Worker
       4. Organization Success Factors
    4. Managing Change
       1. Stages of Change
       2. Managing Change as a First-Line Supervisor
    5. Recap
    6. Review Questions
16. 9 Ensuring Your Success
    1. Reevaluate Your Confidence Level
    2. Additional Skill Development
    3. Ongoing Professional Development
    4. Recap
    5. Review Questions
17. Bibliography
18. Post-Test
19. Index