1. #Whattraining? Reflection and Competency Development in Supervising Staff in Student Affairs
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 | 10:10am – 11:00 a.m.
304 ABC - LA Convention Center
Aja C. Holmes, Ph.D., Senior Associate Director, Residential Life
CSU-Sacramento

2. Outcomes Reflect on your experience with supervision
Become more knowledgeable on Competency Based Supervision
Discuss some common areas of concern
Begin to develop your own supervision style
Supervising professionals can be a lot like being a parent. There’s lots of time spent together which can include: laughter, tears, and at some point probably conflict

3. Why supervision, you ask?
How many people have had a bad supervisor before?
Most student affairs staff receive very little training on how to supervise professionals
Peter Principle
It’s a big part of the mid-manager job
Often left up to me to figure out
Deer in the headlights
Supervision often has a direct impact on the effectiveness and satisfaction of employees
“Employees don’t leave organizations, they leave supervisors.”
The so-called Peter Principle holds that in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence. This phenomenon is famous in the field of team management and is more common than we think.
In many modern organizations, good employees are rewarded with promotions without anyone stopping to consider whether the person is prepared to carry out other duties. “People who do their job well are promoted to positions of higher responsibility until they reach their level of incompetence.” In other words, the best workers rise and rise until they hit their ceiling, leaving behind roles in which they had achieved excellence.
There are many examples in real life. An excellent teacher who becomes a poor director, a great technician who becomes a bad manager, a prestigious surgeon who isn't so good at directing a hospital, a successful athlete who fails when coaching a team, etc.
This paradoxical phenomenon was popularized by sociologist Lawrence J. Peter and it's unfortunately quite common. Ortega y Gasset detected something similar in the early 20th century when he said: “All civil servants should be demoted to the level immediately below theirs, as they have been promoted to the point of becoming incompetent.”

4. Research Graduates 2011 Needs of New Professionals Current supervisors
Their story
Assistantships with no supervision component
No coursework devoted to supervision
Needs of New Professionals
Using their job description
Making supervision a priority
Holding staff accountable
Evaluation
Current supervisors
Importance of effective supervision on staff
All ranked informal experiences much higher than formal training
Communication is key
Style changes informally change over time
None were familiar with the Synergistic Supervision Model or Competency Development Model

5. See a Need, Fill a Need
High attrition with the first 5 years of employment, partially due to inadequate supervision (Tull, 2006)
Poor supervision of new professionals associated with negative outcomes (Roser and Javinar, 2009; Winston and Creamer, 1998)
Limited opportunities for professional development
Increasing complexity of student learning needs, institutional challenges associated with desire for more intentional supervision (Cliente, et al, 2005)

6. Reflection Reflect on the following: My definition of supervision…
My supervision strengths are…
My supervision weaknesses are…

7. Interactive Discussion
Pull out a business card
Write on the back of the card: An area of supervision that you would like to work on in the next 3 months
Discuss that area with someone next to you in the room
Why this area?

8. Supervision Style Guided Questions
Culture around supervision and staff development
Goals of supervision? (personal, professional, organizational)
Organizational structure or processes exist to support quality supervision? (selection/orientation/training/professional development)
Incorporating supervision into your division/department/area/campus mission and vision statement

9. Supervision Style Guided Questions
Define and identify the individuals you will be supervising? (Identify the individuals/group characteristics, high ability, low skill etc.)
Characteristic of the supervisors in your organization? (skills, values, attitudes, knowledge, style)
Evaluate your supervision? (assessment, evaluation, one on one, informal conversation)
Information needed about your supervision style (Support, communication style etc.)

10. Competency Based Supervision
An approach that uses the ACPA/NASPA/ACUHO-I Competencies to help supervisee develop in specific area or areas followed by a self- assessment, informal and formal evaluation.
Utilize action plans as way to track their development
Using a common set of language and terms

11. Competency Based Supervision
Identify 1-8 competencies they would like to improve
Decide on a timeframe: 3 months, 6 months, semester, year.
You and your supervisee identify ways to develop those competences
Supervisee does a self-assessment
Informal and formal evaluation of their development

12. Competency Based Supervision
Identify
Choose Competencies they want to strengthen
Time
3moths
Semester
End of Academic Year
Development
Specific opportunities for development
Assessment
Self
Informal and Formal Evaluation

13. In Practice Identify Time Development Assessment Budgeting
Want to be a better at budgeting and the aspects that go along with budgeting
Time
Fall Semester
Take the fall semester to develop their budgeting skill set
Development
Meeting with the department Budget Analyst
Very organized with their budget
Increase their programming budget
Assessment
Self
Give a monthly report at 1-1 about how they doing
Able to explain that job of the Budget Analyst
Informal and Formal Evaluation

14. Tips, Tricks and Ideas Maximizing the one-on-one
This is sacred time, it’s the time where its just you and your employee
Create a standard 1-1 form so that you are prepared for one-on-one, but be flexible with agenda items
Use the competency development model so that your 1-1 can be where goal setting and growth is discussed
Caring about your employee as a person
Finding balance
Being an advocate
Holing your staff accountable
Use Productive Self- Reflection
Clear directions and expectations help get task accomplished
Time, place and manner when giving both praise and criticism

15. Tips, Tricks and Ideas, cont.
Older employee and they have been at the institution longer that you
Using their institutional knowledge to help reach the goals of the department
Be upfront- point out the elephant in the room
Work as a team on some projects
Staff Development when there is no money
Drive-in conference
Cross campus development
Visiting with partnering campus for training

16. Interactive Discussion, cont.
With that business card:
Exchange cards
follow-up on April 15, 2019
Inquire about their progress
Ask about their opportunities to develop in the area of supervision

17. Developing an Action Plan
Specific Tasks
Timeline
Develop staff appraisal
1.Read the HR information on Staff appraisals
2.In my next one-on-one with my supervisor, I will ask for tips on how to develop staff appraisals
3.Read 1-2 articles on staff appraisals
April 15, 2019
Check-in on my Friend I met at Dr. Holmes Presentation 
Send an check- in!

18. Thank you!
Shupp, M. R., & Arminio, J. L. (2012). Synergistic supervision: A confirmed key to retaining entry- level student affairs professionals. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 49(2),
Tull, A. (2006). Synergistic supervision, job satisfaction, and intention to turnover of new professionals in student affairs. Journal of College Student Development, 47(4),
Winston Jr, R. B., & Creamer, D. G. (1997). Improving staffing practices in student affairs. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Winston Jr, R. B., & Creamer, D. G. (1998). Staff supervision and professional development: An integrated approach. New Directions for Student Services, 84,
Zenger, J. H., & Stinnett, K. (2010). The extraordinary coach: How the best leaders help others grow. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Questions:

19. See you next year in Austin, Texas!
Thank you!
See you next year in Austin, Texas!