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OCTOBER 2014 Newsletter
Welcome to Ascend Training Solutions
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One of the things I like to do when delivering Supervisory Skills Training to a group of Supervisors and Leads in a single organization is to encourage the participants to see themselves as a Supervisory Team. While they may supervise or lead different teams, they all share responsibility for delivering their part of the company vision. I believe that management skills develop through a combination of education or training and experience. I also think that it is important that employees belong to a diverse set of teams: functional, departmental and hierarchical, to understand the big picture of the work of the organization.
This month, the Supervisory Skills topic is Fostering Teamwork. I will offer some suggestions on helping Supervisors develop a sense of teamwork with their groups and an example of how I develop "Supervisor Teams," during the Supervisory Skills training series.
I hope your fall is proving to be productive with a positive sense of teamwork!
Sue
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TIP OF THE MONTH
Establishing Team Norms
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When forming a new team, it's important for supervisors and leaders to take the time to meet with the team specifically to establish team norms. Team norms are a set of agreed ground rules and expectations regarding the way the team will operate and communicate. They are designed to ensure all activities move forward and everyone is on the same page. Once identified and agreed, team norms should be clearly documented and communicated to each team member. In developing team norms, it is recommended that each team member develop their own list of proposed norms and share them with the group. This process ensures each team member has a voice in the development of the norms, as well as buy-in for their adherence.
Below are some questions to consider when developing team norms:
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OUR SERVICE
Ascend Training Certifications:
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Competencies of Great Supervisors
Part 11 - Fostering Teamwork
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There's no "I" in "TEAM"
We've all heard this phrase with regards to fostering a sense of team in the work place.  However trite or overused it may seem, the basic message holds true and serves as a key reminder of what a teamwork environment is all about. Fostering teamwork is creating a work culture that values collaboration, where no one alone is as effective as the group is together. Such an environment promotes the belief that planning, decisions, and actions are best carried out cooperatively for maximum productivity, innovation, and morale. As team leaders by default, the team environment calls upon supervisors to develop and constantly promote a sense of team among their work groups. 
Though it sounds straightforward enough, creating real teamwork within an organization or work group (and not just paying lip service) can be challenging. In America, our schools, family structures, and pastimes emphasize winning, being the best, and coming out ahead of the other guys. So,...Read Entire Article...
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The majority of great managers have both some amount of training and a wealth of leadership experience to draw upon as they lead their teams. One way to develop this bank of knowledge and experience is to draw upon the knowledge and experience of others. This is why I treat groups in my Supervisory Skills series' as cohort of managers who are there to learn to use each other as a leadership experience resource. If your experience bank is built upon both your own experiences and the experiences of others, it will grow and develop much more quickly than if you relied solely on your own leadership experiences.  During my Supervisory Skills series, I use examples and case studies from real events or situations in that organization and encourage all the managers in the room to think about solutions and to dialogue about them. Over time, these Supervisors share a common language, a common vision and a common sense of trust in the feedback and opinions of the others. The result of this is a strong front line supervisory team with resilient connections to each other and an understanding of the issues in their respective departments or areas of responsibility. What I see in companies where the training series has occurred more than once is the development of an even greater support system of the first group providing feedback and in some cases, even mentoring to the members of the second group. The sense of TEAM and shared vision is obvious and contributes to a harmonious and productive work environment.
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