Supervision is about the relationships we form with individuals, how we motivate them, and how we inspire people to be at their best in the organization (McNair, 2011). As a Student Affairs professional I will more than likely have to supervise individuals throughout my career. It is important to me that I incorporate skills from those who have supervised me, along with my own values in my supervision philosophy.

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        Some of the values I hold are authenticity, adaptability, motivation, and growth and development. Implementing these values to the best of my ability while I supervise others, I hope to create a powerful and meaningful environment where students feel welcomed and safe.

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        As a supervisor I want to be my authentic self, meaning I want to be transparent and show others who I am. By doing so I am more likely to develop better working relationships with those I supervise. This allows for a more successful working environment with everyone within the specific department. I also believe in adaptability within the work environment. As a supervisor, I need to make connections with those I supervise and get to know them and their working style, communication style, and more. By being adaptable and flexible with these individuals it allows for more trust in each other. It can challenge me as a supervisor to figure out the best way to work with those on my team. I also need to understand that not everyone will be successful with the same type of supervision style. However, by being adaptable I can work with individuals to see the best course of action to make sure they are feeling included and receiving the same supervision just maybe in a different way that works better for them.

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        I also believe as a supervisor you should always motivate or find ways to better engage individuals you work with. Individuals are more likely to succeed and enjoy their environment if they have a supervisor continuously motivating them to do their best work. This also ties in with growth and development. By motivating others, you watch them grow and develop into their best selves, leaders, or even supervisors. I want to hold one on ones with those on my team so we can see how they are progressing throughout their time on my team, along with getting to know them more on a personal level. As their supervisor, I will continue to motivate them so they can achieve their goals and develop any new skills they wish to develop. This will not only help those I supervise by continuing to grow but will challenge me to find different ways to encourage those I work with to better themselves.

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        As a supervisor I want individuals to be able to approach me with questions, concerns, or anything they feel needs to be brought forward. I want to have an open-door policy so everyone knows their voices can be heard and that we can work together to come to a mutual agreement on whatever it may be. I also want those I supervise to be able to approach me with constructive criticisms, such as advice on how to work with them better or ideas for changing my style to make sure everyone is included in the environment. I believe supervision values are forever changing in that I can always add new values I believe are important and that will work best for the institution or position I hold.

 

References:

McNair, D. (2011). Developing a philosophy of supervision: One step towards self-authorship.  New

    Directions for Student Services, 136, 27-34.