Supervision can spark lots of questions—join a community of supervisors to help sharpen your unique approach.
Overview
Whether you are new to supervision or you have been doing it for years, there are a few truths that all supervisors come to know: You won’t have the answer in every situation, the work can be isolating, and doing it well is time-consuming. Supervision is also rewarding, and it affords you the opportunity to influence other’s growth and success, and the success of your department/institution. As you progress on your supervisor journey, this discussion circle offers you a community with which to share wins, challenges, and questions.
Who Should Attend
If you supervise other people, this discussion circle is for you. If you’re completely new to the role, you’ll gain invaluable information and perspective from others facing some of the same challenges. If you have some supervision experience, you’ll brush up on some best practices, add new tools to your toolkit, and be among a community of other supervisors.
How It Works
This supervision discussion circle will consist of monthly discussions. Each month will feature a new topic (see agenda below), and all sessions are discussion-based. They are not comprehensive trainings—meaning that we will anchor the discussion with a framing piece of content—but will rely on the collective experiences and participation from the group to build our capacity as supervisors.
We encourage participation in as many monthly sessions as possible, but participation in each one is not required—join as many as you’d like. This discussion circle is meant to supplement the learning of our foundational supervision certificate programs, though it is not a prerequisite to consuming either offering in any particular order.
Due to the intended value of the live discussions, these sessions will not be recorded or included in our library.
Discussion Series Sessions
SESSION 1
How You Want to Show up as a Supervisor
June 19, 2024 | 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET
Some people may have intentionally sought out supervision, and others may have fallen into that path. Regardless, how many people ask themselves what kind of supervisor they want to be? In this discussion, we’ll create a space for you to think about what kind of supervisor you want to be. We’ll explore questions like:
- What calls you to supervision?
- What have you learned from past experiences that you want to do/avoid?
- What values will guide your work?
- How do you view your supervisory responsibility relative to others and the institution?
SESSION 2
The Mindset Shift in Becoming a Supervisor
July 17, 2024 | 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET
Becoming a supervisor requires shifting your mindset from that of an individual contributor to someone who must also create an environment that will enable another’s success. This requires a mindset shift. You don’t want to lose sight of your own preferences and unique skillsets, but now, your work must also be driven by what is best for your team, unit, or institution. You might also be supervising former peers or have to enforce policies that you don’t agree with. In this discussion we’ll unpack some of the key mindset shifts supervisors face and create the space for you to reflect on how they’ve shown up for you.
SESSION 3
Making 1:1 Check-Ins More Effective
August 21, 2024 | 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET
How do you spend the time in your 1:1 check-ins? What makes them hard, or what could make them more productive? In this discussion, we’ll gather ideas and strategies from the group on how we’ll unpack one of the most basic, important, and sometimes challenging tools we have—the check-in.
SESSION 4
Managing Up, Down, and Across
September 18, 2024 | 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET
No one supervises in a vacuum. Supervision involves people, so it’s inherently messy and relational at its core. We all report to people above us, work alongside peers at our level, and support people below us. In some ways, our direction and success are dependent on how well we navigate information flow, strategy, and implementation among these levels. In this discussion, we’ll unpack what it looks like to manage up, down, and across.
SESSION 5
Making It Work When You Don’t Get Along with a Direct Report
October 16, 2024 | 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET
It’s ok to accept the fact that you might not become lifelong friends with a direct report, but what do you do when you really struggle to get along with them? Personality and work styles aside, you’ll still need to continue to supervise that person in a fair and supportive way. In this discussion, we’ll explore ideas for how to keep things professional and supportive despite differences.
SESSION 6
Flexing Your Approach with Different Direct Reports
November 20, 2024 | 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET
If you support more than one person, you’ve likely already learned that what might work with one person, might not work for another. In this discussion, we’ll explore what “flexing your approach” looks like with different direct reports. For example, some might respond better to direct communication, others might need time to process a new idea, or some might benefit from more brainstorming space, etc. We’ll give you the space to think through your own unique context.