The Biggest Shock for New Supervisors

When people are promoted to supervisory positions, it is often because they have demonstrated success and skill in their current position. This technical skill, whether it involves sales or students or courtroom wins, is perceived to be a good indicator of an employee’s value. Choosing talented people to become managers simply because they are talented at a particular skill is the result of two erroneous beliefs. The first is, if you have demonstrated that you are good at your job tasks, you will automatically be a good supervisor of those who do those same job tasks. The second is, because you are good at your job tasks, your reward is a position with higher status and money. This reward just happens to bring with it the role of supervising others, whether you have any interest or potential in it or not.

Of course, it is true that many people who are skilled in their field will also be skilled at management. It is equally true that many will not. Managing, like teaching, is an entirely separate skillset. Being good at doing something does not automatically make you good at supervising people doing that same something. These are two entirely different entities, and it is time we start treating them as such.

When people are promoted to a supervisory position based solely on their success in their technical role, they often do not excel in the same way they are used to succeeding. This continues to be the biggest shock to new supervisors and the people who have promoted them. Not fully understanding the complexity of the role, an erroneous assumption persists that success crosses over roles and skills. When this doesn’t happen, people who are used to doing a good job- and those above them- are shocked when they suddenly struggle. They are shocked that being a supervisor is hard, and they are shocked that they aren’t automatically good at it.

In addition to universal professional skills like communication, time management and reliability, those in supervisory positions must develop an entirely new set of skills such as delegating, hiring, providing feedback and, most importantly, professional development of others. In most cases, these skills need to be taught and coached. In most cases, they are not.

If you are considering becoming a supervisor or you are in the position to promote someone else to a supervisory position, it is important that you eliminate any assumptions you have that being a good supervisor happens naturally and immediately. This will only set you up for frustration and failure. Instead, you need to embrace the fact that supervising others effectively is a skill like any other, and that it needs to be developed, supported and coached accordingly.

To set new supervisors up for success, you must prepare them before they take on the role, not after they’re in it. In addition to skill and mindset development, you need to be both honest and realistic with supervisors- and yourself- with everyone’s expectations of the new position. You must be clear and sincere about the importance and impact of the role. And you must be honest about how complex and challenging it can be. How it takes time and continued investment to do it well. That they probably won’t be very good at it initially. That it may be the hardest thing they’ve ever done. You need to set them up for success by being honest and by helping to reduce the initial shock too many new supervisors experience. 

It is imperative that we treat the supervisory role with the respect and importance it deserves. Supervising other people should not be collateral damage on the path to higher status and money. It should be an opportunity for those who are driven to support others in their development. It should be reserved for those who are interested in doing the job well within organizations who are interested in supporting them to do it well. For those who are not interested in taking on such a role, organizations need to find avenues for them to achieve higher money and status without the supervisory tag attached to it.

If you are a new supervisor, about to be one or contemplating being one, consider your motivation. Is it just about the status and money or are you driven to lead and serve? If so, invest in your growth and development as you invest in that of the people in your stead. Know that the road to success for most new supervisors is a challenging and slow one. Don’t expect it to be easy. Don’t expect to be great at it right away. Give yourself time to learn and grow. Don’t be shocked if you struggle at first. Don’t be shocked if it takes more time than you expect. Don’t be shocked at how amazing of an opportunity you have to positively impact the lives of those around you.