The Professional Supervisor program was created in 1991 through a partnership with Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The Professional Supervisor program typically includes modules that cover the roles and responsibilities of a supervisor very clearly, and also emphasize the skills required for supervisors to become better leaders of people and how to create environments where people feel motivated to go the extra mile within a culture where people actively care for one another. The approach aims at improving the behaviour and engagement of Supervisors, which in turn improves the engagement and motivation of front-line workers. The modules focus on the following:
- Common Ground – An introduction to the role of the Professional Supervisor and understanding what we all have in common as Supervisors. The Supervisors’ mandate of duty and care for the resources under their control and optimizing these resources Safely, following SOP’s and following the Plan for each shift.
- Wellness, Safety & Sustainability – Clearly outlining the principles of Wellness, Safety and Sustainability with an emphasis on the role of the Supervisor in the Safety Program. The program emphasizes the importance of the Supervisor in creating a culture where safe behaviour is encouraged and embraced and everyone works towards the safety of everyone else.
- Leadership & Motivation – Being a leader is more than being a manager. The program emphasizes the environment that leaders need to create in order to create conditions conducive to self-motivation and discretionary effort.
- Leadership & Communication – as supervisors and leaders, our key tools for influencing the behaviours of others is through what we do and what we say. Our verbal and non-verbal communication is critical within our teams and across departments.
- Coaching and Leading the Team – The Supervisor is a coach and coaching begins with Caring, then Observe, Analyse, Communicate (feedback), and Helping your team to achieve their goals.
- Doing the Job of a Professional Supervisor – Being supervisor is a profession that is held in high regard and carries enormous responsibility. The role and job requirements are discussed, which includes the legal requirements, but importantly the leadership and people side of the job.
Compliance to standard procedures and programs is emphasized throughout the course as a core supervisor responsibility, and additionally various ways to improve compliance are explored, moving beyond a pure compliance focus to an empowerment focus. There are a number of exercises and role plays that reinforce the important components of the course and safety principles are embedded throughout the program.
The Professional Supervisor Program is always customized for business and company-specific content is woven into the content and can include:
- Company values, vision and strategy
- Key elements of the company safety management program
- Key elements of quality and risk management programs
- Key costs, KPI’s, and other statistics
- Any other management objectives or goals can be tailored and included in the program
Timeline and Approach
The Professional Supervisor program begins with a Three-Day Classroom Development Workshop, where the modules are covered, as outlined above. This initial phase is followed by field coaching phases and a Day Four classroom workshop.
During the Field Coaching Phase we spend a full shift with individual supervisors. Each supervisor’s performance is observed in their normal work environment. There is a formal close-out meeting to provide feedback where positive behaviours and habits are celebrated and reinforced and opportunities for each supervisor to improve are discussed. A formal report is prepared for each supervisor.
Once the initial coaching is completed there is a One-Day classroom event, Day Four, to review the program material and celebrate identified successes. Each person relates to the group how they feel they have improved their performance, and each person also receives feedback form the group. More performance improvement items are discussed and added to the supervisors leadership toolbox.
Upon completion of the Field Coaching, telephone coaching takes place, with the purpose of following up and reinforcing the learned skills and behaviours that the supervisor is trying to master. This helps keep each person on target with their personal commitments and adds an important element of personal accountability and sustainability to the program. Formal reports are prepared for each supervisor.
Through multiple rounds of repetition and performance improvement commitments, the program instills continuous personal performance improvement as a ‘way of working’ rather than a one-time event.