SUPERVISOR COACHING

The models of organization and management are in a period of transformation. Hierarchies are being eliminated and employees are encouraged to move towards self-management. This change also requires new competencies from supervisors.

Supervisor coaching supports both new supervisors and veterans, helping them discover empowering, systematic, and goal-driven leadership. The topics addressed in the coaching meetings include putting the organization’s strategy into words, values-driven leadership, managing team dynamics, developing customer orientation and emotional intelligence as well as building deeper self-awareness. In addition to traditional training days, the program makes use of online learning, various digital tools, virtual facilitation methods, assessments, coaching and group innovation.

The role of the supervisor is assessed from many different viewpoints during the coaching. It is important to recognize that organizations are more than just structural charts – they consist of people and interaction between them.

The entire organization benefits when the participants gain access to new tools, a new understanding of their role and solutions for various situations in daily life at work.

Building a deeper understanding of the supervisor’s role and coherent operating practices

Supervisor training is tailored to each organization’s needs. The aim is to strengthen the participants’ leadership skills, clarify their actions in daily life at work and improve each trainee’s understanding of their leadership practices and development needs. At the same time, the coaching helps establish consistent leadership principles that support the achievement of the organization’s goals and the comprehensive development of the effectiveness of the workplace community.

Participatory methods boost change

The coaching program is built from customized modules that can address themes such as strategy execution, target-setting and performing the supervisor’s role. The meetings are built around collaborative learning and development and they make use of diverse methods that support learning and insights. A digital learning platform is also used for intermediate assignments and to support day-to-day management and the development of mutual cooperation.

“Supervisor skills can’t be learned simply by reading slides and listening to lectures. With this in mind, our coaching addresses themes emerging from the situations encountered in daily life at work. We highlight real-life situations and practice key supervisor skills, such as managing group dynamics, giving feedback, and dealing with difficult situations,” Minnariikka Rajala explains.

“The activities are highly engaging and also surprising in a good way. We challenge and explore issues together and build confidence for dealing with uncertainty. Developing emotional intelligence is also a significant theme throughout the training, as it is one of the pillars of building trust and impact.”

New role, new sources of joy

The role of the supervisor is assessed from many different viewpoints during the coaching.

“Supervisor coaching is tremendously useful for people who are switching from an expert position to a supervisory position, for example. These situations often force people to constrain their love for the substance of their previous expert duties. They need to change their perspective to adopt the broader view, which is necessary in managerial roles,” Rajala says.

“For many people, it takes time to realize that they are in a service role, enabling the daily life and success of their team members. When you realize that, you don’t get stuck in the weeds and you open your eyes to long-term planning.
Supervisor coaching helps the participants see their actions through the eyes of others. At the same time, the participants learn to establish a clearer view of the structures of their organization and understand how different functions and people influence one another.

“Organizations are more than just structural charts – they consist of people and interaction between them. The development of operations should include identifying the interfaces in one’s work, recognizing where there is waste and taking corrective action to make operations and activities as agile and streamlined as possible,” Rajala adds.

Insights for daily life at work

Supervisor coaching inspires the trainees to become effective in the role of a supervisor. It also helps them optimize their use of time and understand how value is created through their actions.
Arranging coaching also sends a strong message to the participants that the organization wants to support their success.
“Feedback often shows that people are more committed to the company they work for after they have participated in coaching. Feedback also repeatedly highlights how personal feedback offers deep insights and helps the participants make eye-opening observations about themselves as part of a group,” Rajala points out.

The coaching can also be conducted entirely using virtual platforms.