Interpersonal and Communication Skills
According to organizational management expert John Maxwell (2007), another crucial attribute of effective supervisors and leaders is the ability to connect with others. In fact, Maxwell suggests that if leadership and supervisory effectiveness were capable of being boiled down to a single characteristic, it would be that good leaders are those individuals to whom others are naturally inclined to pay attention to and follow by virtue of their ability to connect with and achieve "buy-in" among their associates.
Good supervisors have the ability to communicate their wishes, their vocational values, and their expectations clearly; they also have the ability to give and take criticism fairly and in a manner that does not demean, embarrass, or undermine their associates (Harari, 2002; Maxwell, 2007). They also are good listeners, irrespective of relative position or authority. Poor supervisors, by contrast, tend to be ineffective communicators who listen poorly (or not at all, particularly to subordinates). Whereas good supervisors are usually open to bottom-up management when criticism is justified, poor supervisors characteristically create a climate that is unreceptive or even hostile to any criticism, especially from below (Harari, 2002; Maxwell, 2007).
Conclusion
In many respects, leadership ability is an essential characteristic of effective supervisors. Psychological stability, high self-esteem, good communications and interpersonal skills, and the ability to establish connections with others are also important characteristics of successful supervisors. At a fundamental level, good supervisors also exhibit and reward personal and professional integrity and they are capable of earning the trust and loyalty of their subordinates.
Generally, effective supervisors cultivate a culture of competence and mutual respect throughout their areas of influence. Conversely, ineffective supervisors tend to cultivate vocational cultures that exemplify their own worst attributes among their proteges. Ultimately, that is why successful business organizations and other enterprises are those that value and reward effective supervisors and leaders.
