Supervision and Leadership Free Essay Example, 2500 words

Managing the group is about transforming a bunch of individuals into a well-functioning team that works efficiently and effectively toward the same goal(s). This is easier and requires people skills such as public speaking, tact, discretion, decision-making, initiative, even-handedness, a sense of humor, willingness to give feedback, and — perhaps above anything else — hard work. Leaders will encounter many situations that require them to make decisions that affect the whole group. A few of these situations include volunteers that find they are not interested in the work, personality clashes, poor weather, prejudice, lack of tools, accidents, dietary issues, and risks to health and safety. Experience helps leaders deal with these situations but there are some principles that apply to them all. Each person has needs. In order to establish a safe mental environment, leaders must ensure that people’s individual needs are being met (Rockall and Gertsch, 2001). Supervisory responsibilities Much of what managers and supervisors do is solve problems and make decisions. New managers and supervisors, in particular, often solve problems and decisions by reacting to them. They are "under the gun", stressed and very short for time. We will write a custom essay sample on Supervision and Leadership or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Consequently, when they encounter a new problem or decision they must make, they react with a decision that seemed to work before. Its easy with this approach to get stuck in a circle of solving the same problem over and over again. Therefore, as a new manager or supervisor, get used to an organized approach to problem solving and decision making. While leadership is easy to explain, leadership is not so easy to practice. Leadership is about behavior first, skills second. Good leaders are followed chiefly because people trust and respect them, rather than the skills they possess. Leadership is different to management. Management relies more on planning, organizational and communications skills. Leadership relies on management skills too, but more so on qualities such as integrity, honesty, humility, courage, commitment, sincerity, passion, confidence, positivity, wisdom, determination, compassion and sensitivity. Besides, it is essential to have a good communication and relationships with the team. This means that if you are leading a large organization you must check that the processes for managing, communicating and developing people are in place and working properly (Chapman, 1995). Communication Skills Probably no other skill is as vital as communication skills in the world of the supervisor or manager.