| New Supervisor Blues |
|
|
What to do when you and your team are at war - Stages of group formation when a new supervisor takes over
Guest
Writer:
Susan Anderson, CSW
So, you've sent out resumes, networked with peers and mentors, polished up your interviewing skills, and … Congratulations! You've gotten a position as a supervisor!!
But wait … after you've been introduced to the entire staff and gotten a warm welcome, get ready. After you survey your new office or cubicle and hang your diploma on the wall, here's where the real work begins. While you're happy and excited because you're moving up the career ladder, the group that you will be leading will be looking at you through the eyes of foster children. They will be facing another change in the routine, a change that was not initiated by them, a change that they have no control over. They can make each day Hell for you, unless you are prepared and forewarned.
Similar to the stages that Kubler-Ross discusses in her writing on death and dying, you and your team may go through stages too. Don't be surprised if you encounter these:
Casual consultations with the former supervisor This is easy for them to do if the former supervisor is still on the premises. They will present you with the rationale that the old supervisor knows the case and you don’t. They just had to ask one question. They were just casually discussing some recent event from the case with the old supervisor because they had worked on the case together.
Fortunately, not all of your workers will respond like that. Often the needier ones will come to you for help right away, either because their cases are out-of-control or they need the emotional support and approval in order to work well. This does not mean that they are weak workers. It just identifies them as people who are more likely to respond to praise and support throughout your working relationship.
This situation is helped if the former supervisor either gently sends them back to you, doesn’t have too much to say about the case, doesn’t come back to you to tell you what to do or what they would have done, or suggests a joint meeting with you and their old staff to discuss the changeover and/or the cases. This makes it “official” that you are now their supervisor. It helps you to also become familiar with the cases. If this is not happening at your agency, take steps to hold transfer meetings to share information.
If you cannot have a meeting with the former supervisor involved, at least hold an introductory meeting with your unit yourself. Use the meeting to let your new staff begin to get to know you. Tell them about your experience - let them know that you know what to do, what you can help them with, what assets you bring to the table. At the same time, let them know what you expect from them. Lay down some ground rules for how the unit should function (i.e., how much communication you want from them, how they can communicate with you). Let them know what your goals are for the unit. Let them know whatever you know about their strengths as a unit.
Begin to establish the structure for the unit. Establish when people will have supervision with you.
Rejection Feeling like you’re invisible is bound to stir up feelings in you. For me, it made me want to have more control over the situation. I started pushing for more acknowledgment from the unit. I was trying to be more visible and insert myself more into the situation. The response to this was rejection, sometimes accompanied by hostility or passive-aggressive behavior. This is a serious stage because at this point the unit can sabotage your efforts to prove to management that you know what you are doing.
Rejection can look like this:
- Workers forget to give you their schedules.
- Workers forget to come to a team meeting.
- Workers forget to come to supervision.
- You say something to a worker and they give you a look or make a comment that makes you feel stupid.
- Workers tell you that they did not follow whatever procedure you are trying to implement or they do see a need to make any changes.
- They make you feel like you are intruding.
- Sometimes people will leave or transfer out of the unit.
If you a “people pleaser,” like I am, this can be a rough road to follow. You may be wondering what you were thinking when you took this promotion or accepted this job offer! Be patient, nurture yourself, keep reminding yourself that this is temporary, and, no matter what, do not engage in a power struggle with your workers.
Anger and Testing the Limits Rejection is also sometimes mixed with some expressions of anger from the workers. They may challenge what you know, why they have to listen to you. You may get the impression that you just can’t work with this unit.
Remember, that you are there to help promote the agency’s mission. At the point where all the acting out from workers begins to affect the efficiency of the unit, you can remind them why everyone is there - to work together as a team. Be sympathetic to their feelings about having to start anew with someone new, but remind them that the reality is that there is work to do. You can help them to get that work done, you can teach them from your own expertise, you can help them solve problems.
Try to use group dynamics to your benefit. Find out who the leader of the group is. Is this someone who can work with you? If you can align with them and then have them align with you, they will lead the rest of the group to accept and follow you. Also look for those who are also “people pleasers”. They want to work with you, have calm and stability in their environment. They will offer the least resistance to accepting your leadership.
Acceptance Going through the above stages might take about 6 weeks. Changes will be subtle. Watch for signs of workers defending you or telling you what you need to know to defend yourself. I sensed a change when a worker came up to me and told me not to accept being given a hard time by someone in the Fiscal Dept. because if I accepted the treatment, it would continue.
Being able to listen to what workers have to say helps the process. I found that things turned around when I held a meeting to ask for feedback about a mandatory 2 weeks spent in-house. While we did talk about what they had accomplished, the discussion rapidly turned to the causes of the backlog of paperwork - which really meant a discussion of burnout and stress. Once the door was open to that discussion, it was like a floodgate had opened up. The brief meeting turned into an hour meeting.
My listening to the workers vent seemed to help them feel understood. Instead of simply telling me, “You don’t know how it is here” and smiling knowingly amongst themselves, they included me and clued me in to “how things really are here."
In the process, I learned that one worker was struggling with a case situation and feeling unsafe. She had not felt supported by the Program Director, because an intervention had not been made. This surprised me because previously whenever I tried to get closer to her, she would put up a wall and tell me that she had already spoken to the Program Director (her former supervisor) about the case. So, I learned that he had not kept a promise and he was not as perfect as he had been portrayed.
The following day I wrote a memo and pushed for steps to be taken that protected the worker. When I showed her the memo that I was submitting, she responded by saying “Finally, someone is doing something about this!” This was a turning point for us to begin working together.
I did not stay with this group or the agency for much longer. Leaving at that point was not an easy thing to do. While we had a ways to go before I could make demands for better performance, I found I was approaching each day there with more energy and optimism than I felt when I was wondering where we were going and why I was there.
When I first started out as a supervisor, I faced a similar situation with my first group. I did not have the guidance or agency support that would have helped and I did not have the confidence that would have helped me steer clear of the power struggles than continued over the months. These words are for any new supervisor who is struggling and feeling disappointed because the promotion was not as wonderful as they had expected it to be.
About the
Author
Susan Anderson, CSW, is a graduate of Fordham Univeristy's School
of Social Work. Susan has earned a certificate in child & adolescent
psychotherapy and has supervised NYU and Hunter students. Currently, Susan says,
" I am still fighting the same fight as a "New Supervisor" in my current new
job. My major methods to validate myself outside of work are gardening,
writing, learning photography, drawing, and taking short trips outside of New York City to unwind. And,
in addition, I am a social work entrepreneur."
Susan adds, "Remember friends even when you can't grab a moment for yourself at work." Consult with Social Worker Susan about sending gifts to recognize special events for your friends and family, such as new babies, birthdays, friendship. Click here to visit her website.
Ms. Anderson retains the copyright to this article, which may not be reprinted or republished without her express permission.