5 signs of a good supervisor

The list below is certainly not a catch all, but these signs seem to be present in effective bosses:

1. Good supervisors create a work community where everyone is equal, even if the pay or titles say differently.
This concept comes straight from the Monkeyshpere, and the ideal behind an intentional commune. Each cog is just as important as the other and if everyone cares about the people they work with, there is a better chance of employees working out a matter between themselves rather than dividing the department.

Good bosses do this by throwing mini-parties (at work). Generation X or Y do not want to waste their personal time attending a “company” party. Some companies can afford outdoor activities for their workers, but, often it can just be a chance to celebrate something special in that department. Like a birthday.

2. Good bosses do something special on your birthday.
Everyone wants to feel individual and special. For most people, their birthday represents a day that they do not have to share with anyone else at work.

A good boss will celebrate with food and cake during work hours (see first point, above) and will have something tiny that he/she has brought in just for the occasion. This can be a small plant, blooming flowers, etc. It needs to be something that a boss (or secretary) can access quickly and easily and will not show favorites among coworkers.

3. A great boss provides a mentor.
This can be the boss themselves, if appropriate, or a fellow co-worker. Regardless, it is the boss’s job to make sure the employees understand the job and what it takes to do the job well.

It would be silly for a supervisor to expect a new employee how to run a marketing campaign for Company X just because the employee has a degree in marketing, but no experience with Company X’s target market, etc.

It is important to make it clear to the employee that mentorship is highly valued. A good boss will make a learning chart, have weekly scheduled chats, and build in time for reflection.

4. A good boss will take an employee aside and let them know how they are performing, before the performance review.
Some skills are cross cultural and can be applied to the same type of job, however, the company culture represents a whole new skill set. A good supervisor will train their employees in the ways of their land (who gets to make copies, who chips in for coffee, etc.).

A good boss does not wait until you screw up to let you know that you screwed up. A good boss makes sure you understand (this means actually watching/mentoring your employees and reminding them how things work in officeland).

When a good boss notices an employee is not shutting down the computer at the end of the day, she will remind the employee that computers are shut down every night. The good boss will not send out a memo reminding everyone that computers are shut down each night (when it is obvious that you are the only one who is forgetting).

5. Finally, a great boss will encourage you to go home when you are sick.
A good boss knows that a sick employee means that the other employees will soon be sick. A good boss values you as a person and wants you to be healthy. A good boss does not burden you with finding a replacement for the day. A good boss takes care of the logistics because that’s why they are the boss and not you.

source: notesfromasmalltown