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SUPERVISORY NEWSLETTER June 2022 | Issue 04
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Would it surprise you to learn that only about 40% of people in the United States agree most people can be trusted? (World Value Survey, 2014)
TRUST is an essential component of effective leadership and the foundation of effective teams. In an environment where trust is so essential, it can seem like the odds are stacked against us. Further compounding the preconceived notion that not everyone can be trusted, employees may be predisposed to mistrust management due to previous or current experiences - whether on a personal level (e.g. having a "bad boss") or at an organizational level (e.g. experiencing layoffs).
Have you heard the saying, "Trust takes years to build, minutes to break, and forever to repair?" While this phrase may seem like an exaggeration, rebuilding broken trust is a significant undertaking which requires patience, time, and considerable effort. Therefore, we recommend knowing how to actively build and maintain trust and avoid common pitfalls that can lead to a breakdown of trust.
According to Frances X. Frei, trust has three drivers. When trust is lost, it can almost always can be traced back to a breakdown in authenticity, empathy or logic. These are referred to as our "wobbles," and to actively build trust, you have to know which driver you wobble on the most. To learn more about steps you can take to overcome these wobbles, watch this month's featured video in the Small Bites section below.
Remember, empowering leadership doesn't begin when others start to trust you. It begins when you start to trust yourself.
Until next month!
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This newsletter is for YOU, so feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, suggestions, thoughts or concerns you may have that we can address in upcoming issues.
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"Leadership is the relentless pursuit of truth and the ceaseless creation of trust."
- Jack Welch
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STARTER BITE
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"The trust of the people in leaders reflects the confidence of the leaders in the people."
- Paulo Freire
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Trust and Telework
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Research shows that supervisors may struggle with managing remote workers. Ineffective supervision can lead to an erosion of trust, leave employees feeling micromanaged, and negate the benefits of telework arrangements.
Here are three tips to improve your remote management skills!
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Know the potential benefits of telework.
Telework arrangements can result in higher employee satisfaction, improved work-life balance, cost savings on fuel and/or vehicle maintenance and parking, and increased engagement. Furthermore, employees can be more productive working offsite due to increased autonomy; however, a lack of trust can void any of these potential benefits. We recommend asking each of your employees why this flexibility is important to them, how they would benefit from a such an arrangement, and how you can best help support them. While we understand not every position lends itself well to telework arrangements, blanket policies disallowing telework or increased flexibility can lead to low morale and increased turnover.
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Learn the difference between "checking in" and "checking on" employees.
Giving employees autonomy does not equate to hands-off supervision. Increased communication and support are crucial to ensure the success of our telework staff; however, we must be aware of our intent when we communicate. Asking questions such as, "What did you do for the past three hours?" vs. "How's it going? Is there anything I can help with?" can make the difference between being seen as a micromanager or a supportive supervisor. We recommend the latter.
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Focus on outputs instead of inputs (i.e. manage by results).
Employees who feel they are constantly "checked-up on" believe they are not trusted to manage their work. They feel obligated to be available 100% of the time in order to respond immediately to requests/calls/emails. This can result is high stress levels, increased anxiety, and could erode any potential benefits of remote work agreements. Instead of focusing on whether someone might be changing out a load of laundry, we should focus instead on whether or not they are meeting all their goals and deadlines. Remember, trust should go both ways!
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For more information on how you can best support your telework employees, visit our HRS Telework Resources page by clicking HERE. If you have any specific questions regarding telework, please email us at hrs-performance@uni.edu.
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Our HRS Supervisors webpage has gotten a makeover. This comprehensive page is designed to provide you with resources and support for a variety of HR related functions. Click HERE to check it out!
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Welcome New UNI Supervisors!
Ashley Rasmussen, Admissions
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Thank You to those who were able to participate on June 7th in the "The Fundamentals of Supervision," the first offering in the Supervisor Development Series.
If you were unable to join us, we hope to see you in September!
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We want to feature YOU! Do you have any supervisory tips/tricks you’d like to share? Burning questions about supervision you’d like to ask? Are you a new UNI supervisor? Do you have a cool or unique workspace? If so, reach out to be featured in our upcoming issues.
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How to Build and Rebuild Trust
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Establishing a Culture of Trust
WATCH this video by Karen M. Allen
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To access this video, click on the purple button above and enter your UNI email address when prompted. If your personal email address populates, please ensure you click on the "change" link first to update your email address. Once entered, click on "Continue to the University of Northern Iowa LinkedIn Learning account" to access content.
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Trust Issues? How to Rebuild Trust by Understanding the Basics
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Want to understand what trust is, and how to rebuild it? Ever found yourself lost in thoughts and queries when you know trust issues are present, and wished upon wish that someone, something would come along and tie up all the answers in one nice, neat little package?
Then look no further! Today must be your lucky day.
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Read More »
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Book Club
Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change: Inspire the People and Succeed Where Others Fail by H. James Dallas.
Part III (Chapters 7-9) focuses on People. Specifically, why being people savvy is an essential component of leading change and creating an inspiring environment. Any time you start a change initiative you should also develop a way to measure and/or assess your progress. We learn, build relationships, finesse problems and validate or invalidate feelings by doing. Therefore, the most important of those metrics should be, "What is getting done, and how do we know it is being done right?"
The next thing to keep in mind when assessing progress is reading people - not reports. If we focus too much on the hard data we might miss the body language or the non-verbal cues that give us an insight into how people are feeling. Although the data may point to success, is it having an adverse impact on those the change affects? You'll also want to ensure you pay attention to workplace culture. If you are in an environment that is hierarchical in nature, non-verbal communication becomes even more important as people may be more hesitant to speak up in opposition to their leaders. Finally, if you want good data, you must ensure you create an environment where mistakes are not seen as demerits but opportunities for growth. Change means challenges and the goal is to find solutions in ways that do not punish said mistakes.
Alignment, and realignment, are key steps to ensuring groups maintain focus. As a leader, your role is to be like the little plastic thing that holds a six-pack - a little useless on its own, until you try to carry six cans! It's not about opening every can and dumping them all into the same container, it's about "getting them lined up and moving in the same direction."
Can you guess what the entire focus of Chapter 9 was? You guessed it - TRUST! When building relationships, even a simple warm hello can go a long way to build trust. Remember, even if you don't notice, people are watching you and it's not just about how you greet them but how it differs from how they see you greet others. How else can you build trust? Engage with people (and not just those you supervise directly), share your weaknesses (you are human after all), create safety to make mistakes, and be transparent in communicating changes. Above all, put your pride aside. "As a leader, you don't get to be a hero. Your job is to make heroes out of others, not by giving them credit, but by giving them enough responsibility so that when things go right, they actually deserve that credit."
Part II in Tweets:
- Common ground, not compromise, is your friend.
- The more important you are, the more advice you need.
- Teams accept decisions when they've been heard.
- Broker trust and you'll find resolutions.
- Trust is more important than any practical skill you may offer.
Favorite Quotes:
"Without trust, there is no leadership."
"Trust is built through action and commitment."
"Nothing gets in the way of building trust more than being hot and cold in your behavior."
"Pride is the only known disease that makes everyone sick except for the person who has it."
If you would like to read along and share any thoughts or reactions to Part IV (Chapters 10-12, our final chapters in this book) for our next issue be sure to contact us!
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Supervisor Development Series: Fundamentals of Supervision
September 13th - Registration Opening in August
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Supervisor Development Series: Leaves, FMLA & Workplace Accommodations
Coming Soon!
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Supervisor Development Series: FLSA/Time Reporting
September 20th from 1:30pm-3:00pm
October 18th from 10:30am-12:00pm
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Click HERE to register for upcoming trainings.
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027 Gilchrist
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
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(319) 273-6219
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Our Vision
All employees will be positively engaged in achieving their greatest potential while contributing to the success of the university.
Our Mission
Human Resource Services fosters an environment of integrity and collaboration through innovative solutions and communications contributing to the successful recruitment, development, and retention of university employees.
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