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     This book is intended to assist individuals that suddenly find them selves in charge for the first time, a supervisor, a team leader, the boss. It is also intended for those that aspire to be a supervisor and those that oversee supervisors, or even as a gift for that challenging boss! Even the CEO has direct reports they supervise. Being in charge, that is that lucky person that has been promoted, elected, drafted, or just the individual that steps up establishes you as the person responsible for team success. Line supervision is not as easy at it looks. The position comes with its pitfalls, and its opportunities. Line supervision is generally the first level of management, a person in charge of a handful of direct reports. Supervision comes in many shades, be it the crew chief of a maintenance crew, the president of a PTA, elder in a church, squad leader for a fire department, or staff manager for a congressman. Supervision can be of a volunteer group, a structured work group, a union crew, or a team of baseball players. Fundamentally you are in charge of a small group of people with a mission. Success of the group depends on your ability to supervise people and processes successfully.

     This author finds there are hundreds of books dedicated to leadership, clearly a facet of being in charge, but no field guide for the nuts and bolts of line supervision. Traditionally, the many nuances to successful supervision are learned the hard way, that is trying, failing, and learning and trying again. It is easy to be a worker complaining about the boss’s style of supervision, yet when folks find themselves in the position of supervisor, supervising is not so easy.  At the time of finalization of this book in 2019 this author has over 38 year of supervision and management experience, experience that he began documenting in the early 1990’s. As this author experienced both the good and bad of the supervisory experiences this book began to take shape, one facet or subject at a time. This book attempts to document over this author’s years subjects that through experience, were useful facets of supervision, lessons learned. Like most life lessons successful supervision was learned through trial and error, both this author’s and his fellow supervisors. This book is a compilation of subjects and this author’s opinions as to what seemed to be important and useful.

     This book is structured in very short chapters, 52 chapters, one for each week of the year. The chapters can be read one per week or at one sitting, or something in between, each chapter stands alone, but again in total should provoke thought on some very important issues. This book can be used to spark conversation on any particular subject for groups of supervisors.

     It is not the intent of this book to answer all of the questions, or address all of the issues; it is the intent of this book to put in writing the experiences of one humble line supervisor. If you have picked up this book to read you have taken a good first step in becoming a good supervisor, you realize you do not have all of the answers, good supervision is learned, both through experience and instruction. Line supervisors are the sergeants of the workforce, success of failure, day to day, rests with those sergeants, with you. Please consider taking time to read the compilation of my experiences.

     In the spring in the mid 1970’s Stephen C. Gerwin found himself a newly minted supervisor, no direction, no advice, just sink of swim, learn it on the fly. A bunch of very young teenagers reporting to an older teenager, no problem! He worked part time at The Behnke Nursery Company in Beltsville Maryland, a horticultural nursery weekends while in high school. Now in college it was assumed he could handle a half dozen younger workers, after all five or so years ago he had been the same very young, impressionable, know it all teenager himself, just like the very folks he was to supervise.

     He had some supervisory experience at Paint Branch High School in Silver Spring Maryland as he had stage managed a number of major drama productions. One distinct memory was of the drama teacher stating on opening night in the green room to the actors and crew that once the house lights went down the stage manager, he, was “god” during the production, in complete control of actors, lighting, and sounds crews, grips, the whole of the production, wow!

     At the nursery his crew had worked with him on an assemble line during the winter, his bosses left him alone, they just expected the assemble line to produce a set quantity of pots filled of soil ready for planting during the week. Experimentation was how he learned his new responsibility as a supervisor. One of his more challenging members of the crew finally came around when he, as the new supervisor agreed to listen to Bob Dylan while the assembly line rolled. This author was not Bob Dylan fan at the time, but the music seemed to inspire this one troublesome teenager to work with the team. We all became a Bob Dylan fans in time! The young man was heard, valued, and with the music he helped the team succeed. They had some real fun and met the quantity and quality easily each week. 

     As the winter turned to spring his crew was now on many different tasks spread all over the nursery. The kids were watering, moving plants to the sale area, cashiering, loading cars. How could he be everywhere helping his crew to stay on task? After all a good supervisor is everywhere at all times because, well he was the supervisor and workers need constant guidance.

     One day it hit him like a bolt out of the blue, he did not need to be every where at all times, in fact trying to micro manage his crew gave him heart burn and probably did the same for his crew. What a revelation, delegation, a day this author thinks about even 40 years later.

     Upon graduation from college in 1979 with a BS in Engineering from the University of Maryland he was hired by a water utility and again found himself a line supervisor, managing a 24/7 operation that oversaw and operated a rather substantial water distribution system. His staff was predominately older gentleman that new far more than this new young engineer. One gentleman was over 70 years old, managed by this 23 your old kid. Needless to say, the staff took good care of this new supervisor and after some years and more than a few supervisory mistakes by him the team did good work together. Again, there were very few classes in supervision and the courses offered we very limited.

     As his career moved forward the number and type of folks supervised expanded. In the 1990’s he became a manager overseeing an operation with about 45 people. In 2003 He held an acting position overseeing a team of over 250 employees for almost a year. Along the way a Master of Public Police was picked up. He has also held the position of president of a public elementary school PTA as well as various board positions in professional organizations. Always learning about how to successfully supervise direct reports, be they volunteers or staff.

     At the time this book is being finalized he has retired from his first job after 28+ years and assumed the director’s position for a different utility, working there for ten years and retired for good in Florida in 2017.

     It was time to collect all of those years of notes on lessons learned both good and bad regarding line supervision and publish them in a book, and this book, A Field Guide For New Supervisors was born.    

The Chapters

In the Beginning

1) Twelve Commandments for Good Supervisors

Your Skills

2) Honesty

3) Humility

4) Accountability

5) Courtesy

At the Staring Line

6) First Day

7) Transition

8) Respect History

9) Expectations

10) Next Best Qualified

11) Veterans

Your Style

12) Problem Solutions

13) Consensus or Conviction

14) Delegation

15) Getting Out of the Way

16) Negotiating

17) Command and Control

18) Anger Management

Mechanics

19) Organize Your Time

20) Chain of Command

21) Time Management

22) Task Management

23) Meetings

24) Take a Walk

25) Diary

26) Your Office

27) Interviews

28) Disciplinary Action

29) Termination

Staff Dynamics

30) Relationships

31) Relationships II

32) Defining Moments

33) Conflict Resolution

34) Grief Management    

Staff Development

35) Upward Mobility for Staff

36) To Read

Commnnication

37) Information Dissemination

38) Speech Making

39) Maxims

Stepping Back

40) Big Picture

Measuring

41) Staff Appraisals

42) Measuring Your Performance

43) Example 360

44) Sharing the Good News

45) Rewards

Leadership

46) Leadership

47) Lead by      Example

48) Supervision, Management, and Leadership

The Rules

49) Employee Rights

50) Federal Rules

51) Gender, Age, Martial Status

The End

52) The End Game

 A maxim is a short set of words conveying a truth or a standard of conduct. These are powerful tools of communication when few words are needed but power in those words is imperative. Some of the more famous: “Failure is not an option”, Gene Kranz, NASA, Apollo 134, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”4 President Roosevelt, “I have a dream”5, Dr Martin Luther King. A few words that have stood the test of time and succinctly captured the moment.

 Down to earth were we live an example of the use of maxims is with the phrase that followed my name and title on my business email, “All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by”6. No, I am not a fan of early 20thcentury poetry, but I liked what the line conveyed, a good organization with a well-defined mission. I was also a huge fan of that captain of the Enterprise from the 1960 science fiction series; I liked his style! Further, the quote always appeared in green as I have always been an environmentalist. So much in just a signature line for emails!

 Following are maxims I have collected and used over the years, consider these and your own as tools at the ready when needed. Remember fewer words are better than many words most times. The use of maxims conveys the bigger idea you are trying to get across in succinct way.

1) Count your blessing, count your challenges and stop complaining – We too often seem to be surrounded by complainers, and negative thought, just watch the national news any evening. In reality the vast majority of life is good, your job is to accentuate the good news and not be dragged down by the bad.

2) Toward the fire, not away - As a leader you must lead by tackling challenges front on.

3) “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom” – General George S. Patton, Folks need encouragement during the tough times.

4) Judge the man not the moment - There will be time where your folks do stupid things, if that person is generally a valued worker, cut them slack we are all imperfect.

5) “Whatever you are be a good one” - President Abraham Lincoln, excel!

6) Finish well - Unfortunately most judge by outcome, not process, keep this in mind.

7) “Well done is better than well said”7 – Benjamin Franklin, Actions, Actions, Actions.

8) Victory is not accidental - There is no such thing as luck, victory is achieved by those that are prepared, work hard, and prevail.

9) “Walk by faith, not buy sight”8 - The Apostil Paul, believe in those working for you despite what your eyes and ears tell you, they have tremendous potential if believed in.

10) Embrace the remarkable - There will be those that have the gift, the talent; associate and encourage these folks.

11) Life does not change you, you change it - Do not be a victim, be a change agent.

12) How fortunate for the world you share your gift - Again, for the remarkable, encourage them, be a force multiplier.

13) “Happiness and moral duty are inseparable connected” - President George Washington. A positive attitude is contagious, it is good and it inspires.

14) “Courage is knowing what not to fear” – Plato. Be brave, resolute.

15) Your trouble is your transport - Hard times build character for those willing to listen, learn, and persevere.

16) Time is the great healer - There will be times feeling are hurt, time is on your side, be patient.

17) Today is a good day for a good day - Keep it positive and more positive and more positive.

18) As youth fades let wisdom prevail - We all age, wisdom expands quicker than youth fades.

19) Perfect is the enemy of good - We have all been there, know when the product is ready, do not overwork the issue.

20) “When you’re in command, command”9– Admiral Chester Nimitz, you are in charge for a reason, there will be occasions you must exercise your authority.

21) Live generously - I would bet you got to where you are through the help of others. Always return the favor many fold.

22) “If not now, when?”10 – Hillel, as the saying goes, carpe diem, seize the day!

23) Strength is when no one is watching - It is most rewarding to one’s self when no one knows but you the good you have done.

24) Push through it - Head forward, chin up, drive, drive, drive.

25) Loyalty - Being faithful and devoted, having an allegiance to mission and staff is critical to success.

26) Be unafraid to be right - You will be challenged, stand firm when you are certain.

27) Sometimes you do not know all of the answers - It is Ok to not have the answer at that moment, it is a sign of wisdom, but search out the answer if possible.

28) “Alone we can do little, together we can do much” - Helen Keller, the synergy of the team is amazing.

29) No one is smarter that all of us – So important that everyone, everyone, have a say.

30) “Where there is no vision there is no hope” - George Washington Carver, someone must see the course and direction.

31)  Let grayer minds prevail - It has been my observation that there is rarely any substitute for experience and wisdom. 

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