Most people working for social change in nonprofits and libraries crave strong, trustworthy leadership at every level. When we’re supported and respected, we can build the confidence to be brave and enjoy space to grow.

I’ve seen first-hand that if supervision is not valued, it’s difficult for an organization to be effective in its work towards the mission. I once worked with a supervisor who was so afraid of giving feedback, he routinely avoided his direct reports. Needless to say, his team constantly felt lost and experienced high turnover.

However, when managers are well-trained and able to work in partnership with staff, small problems rarely become big ones, and staff remain engaged and productive. On my better days as a leader, I’ve been able to listen deeply, keep my promises, and help staff answer many of their own questions.

It’s worth investing in the people who supervise others. Here are eight ways we can tell that the practice of supervision is highly valued in an organization.

8 Signs That An Organization Values Supervision

TIME: The time needed to supervise is built into their managers’ workload and valued by other leaders and executives.

TRAINING: The organization spends time and money to invest in supervision training to increase managers’ skills and confidence.

STANDARDS: The organization is clear about what it expects of its supervisors. It talks about, codifies, and holds supervisors accountable to these standards.

INCLUSION: Supervisors and executives come from the same communities and share life experiences with the staff and the people they serve. Positional power does not reflect obvious racial, gender, or other distinctions.

PERSPECTIVE: Organizations acknowledge that there are different ways to look at things. Supervisors invite staff input before they make decisions that will impact their team. Managers are first inclined to listen, ask questions, and figure out an informed way forward.

MODELING: Good supervision is modeled from the top. An executive director practices shared power. They set regular meetings with their direct reports, they define success, and they give and receive specific, actionable feedback.

ASSESSMENT: Organizations empower managers to facilitate periodic assessments to review: 1) progress on goals 2) implementation of values, and 3) equity gaps in compensation, hiring, and promotions.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Organizations hold people accountable—including managers for how they supervise. They make sure all staff fulfill their responsibilities, model the organization’s values, and adhere to agreements made about what, how, and when work gets done.

This list is adapted from Leading with Justice: HR, Supervision, and Culture by Rita Sever.

You can download this list here.

Download the Graphic here

We invite you to reflect on the following:

How many of these signs show up in your organization?
What are your organization’s strengths?
What does your team need to work on?

To revive or renew your commitment to the practice of supervision, join us for Shared Power in Supervision. We will help you strengthen your effectiveness as a manager by digging deeper into meeting practices, performance assessment, and shared decision-making.

(By the way, we love Rita Sever’s book so much, Mia and Jolyn are giving free copies to everyone who registers for the Shared Power in Supervision training!)