Course Description

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: April 16, 2024
(Due to assessments used during this program, participants must be registered three weeks before the start of class.)

Format: Live Online

We’ve created a schedule convenient for the busy supervisor. The six modules are presented as half-day sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays over three consecutive weeks. Participants may choose the morning sessions, offered 9:00 am – noon Central Time, or the afternoon sessions, offered 1:00 – 4:00 pm Central Time.

Summary

On any given day, supervisors are challenged to build positive relationships with employees, hold them accountable, and drive business results. It’s essential that they have a strong and effective skill set and mind set to tackle issues and build on successes. Through this foundational course, participants will gain fresh insights into their role as supervisor via group discussion and opportunities for practice. They will receive job aids and resources to develop an action plan and gain the confidence to immediately apply the skills and implement the best practices they have learned through this comprehensive program.

Who Should Attend
Supervisor Training is designed for front line supervisors, warehouse supervisors, operations supervisors, foremen, and plant superintendents. Warehouse managers will also benefit.

Seats are limited. Register early, and contact Monique Combs with questions.

Monique Combs
mcombs@msci.org
(847) 485-3004 or (708) 704-1289

Agenda

Module 1: Role of the Supervisor
May 7, 2024

The first step to becoming a successful supervisor is to develop a deeper understanding of the role itself. During this first module, participants will learn and discuss the following topics:

• Roles and responsibilities of a supervisor
• Overcoming common supervisory challenges and transitional issues
• Effective and ineffective supervisory behaviors
• Balancing tasks and relationships

Module 2: Communication
May 9, 2024

Oftentimes, the success of a supervisor depends largely on how well they communicate. In Module 2, participants will take Wiley’s DiSC assessment to become more aware of their own and others’ communication styles and preferences. They will also learn and discuss the following topics:

• Meaningful communication as a supervisor
• Building relationships and rapport
• Communication with others (listening, sharing viewpoint, clarifying, giving feedback)
• Influences of non-verbal communication
• Understanding and adapting to different styles

Module 3: Conflict Management
May 14, 2024

Supervisors spend a considerable amount of time handling, preventing, and minimizing conflicts. To learn to manage conflict well and prevent negativity, stress, and demotivation among employees, participants will discuss the following topics during Module 3:

• Defining and identifying conflict
• Costs and causes of conflict
• Conflict management styles
• Strategies to manage and positively resolve conflict
• Practical tools for dealing with challenging people, challenging situations, and dysfunctional conflict

Module 4: Managing Employee Performance
May 16, 2024

Managing and documenting an employee’s performance is an essential function of a supervisor’s role. This ongoing process begins as soon as a supervisor has started working with the employee to establish goals. Participants will learn and discuss the following topics:

• The performance management cycle
• Setting performance expectations and establishing a partnership
• Tools to track and document performance
• Effective and meaningful feedback practices
• Strategies to easily deliver a performance review

Module 5: Planning and Managing the Work
May 21, 2024

Supervisors must help employees manage their time, priorities, and projects – in addition to their own. One common pitfall supervisors face is trying to manage everything themselves rather than delegate. Module 5 helps supervisors create effective teams by covering the following topics:

• Identifying your accountabilities
• Setting priorities
• Successful time management strategies
• Effective delegation
• Efficient meeting management

Module 6: Leading and Managing Teams
May 23, 2024

Teams are comprised of diverse individuals with different social styles, personalities, reward and recognition preferences, work prioritization styles, and preferences for receiving feedback. Supervisors have the responsibility of juggling all of these differences while maintaining a cohesive, high-performing team. During this last module, participants discover the roadmap to success through these topics:

• Importance and power of teams and teamwork
• Characteristics of effective teams
• Stages of team development
• Behaviors of an effective team leader
• Consensus in team decision-making
• Overcoming team challenges