Summary
At a time when experienced supervisors and managers are retiring at a high rate and when the competition for talent is increasing on every front, it is important for organizations to identify, develop and promote their own front-line employees into supervision and management. This 2-day program provides the training resource needed to give every front-line employee the opportunity to assess their interest in and readiness for supervision and management. Implicit in the design of this program is that each employee has to make an informed choice as to whether a career in management is in line with his or her career goals. This program helps participants assess their interests and to begin to prepare a career development plan to help them acquire the skills and knowledge they need in supervision. Participation in this workshop does not guarantee anyone a management position. Rather, it will serve as an important first step in identifying the actions employees need to take to qualify for consideration for a position in supervision or management.

With the emphasis on improving productivity and organizational performance, sweeping change within organizations is the norm. A pivotal player in the implementation of these initiatives and the "do more with less" approach to managing organizations is the front-line manager. To be successful, organizations need to identify and promote those employees who have both the competencies required to be a front-line manager and the motivation to use them in a management role. 

Course Outcomes
The knowledge that an individual wants to manage is the most important personal step he or she can take on the path to a career in management. This program lets supervisory candidates assess their current readiness to move into supervision and their interest in doing so. Participants acquire a thorough understanding of the roles and responsibilities involved in supervision. They have the opportunity to identify both their strengths and improvement opportunities as potential supervisors. Moreover, through the use of feedback from their associates, they gain great insight into the impact they currently have on people. Specifically, they will learn to:

• Understand leadership styles and practices;
• Analyze management and leadership situations and evaluate the effectiveness of various practices and choices;
• Assess their own effectiveness in eight performance dimensions common to most supervisory positions;
• Understand and apply communications styles and practices for various working relationships within a work unit;
• Assess the impact of individual communication practices on the motivation of coworkers;
• Analyze the impact of interpersonal practices on performance; and
• Identify specific actions to increase effectiveness in current positions and prepare for advancement. 

Participants examine a series of management situations, evaluate the effectiveness of various management practices, explore their personal job satisfiers and use self-assessments that examine dimensions for supervisory effectiveness.

The course concludes with the development of action plans that focus on individual performance improvements. The plans are formulated, in part, using the Sterling Institute's Associate Practices Survey, which provides both personal feedback from the participant's coworkers and boss on his or her interpersonal practices and feedback on the impact of these practices on the organization.