Essential Skills for McGill Supervisors

In order to encourage a sense of belonging and connection to McGill's Supervisors’ network, our Essential Skills launch will be "in person". This 3-hour mandatory session will include an overview of the program, important dates and descriptions of the sessions. In addition, participants will be exploring what it means, as a supervisor to support a healthy hybrid and inclusive workplace.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

In these times of change, a supervisor’s coaching skills are more vital than ever to maintain employee engagement, productivity, and accountability. This workshop will assist you in identifying and preparing for coaching opportunities to help your employees develop their technical and behavioral competencies that will in turn maximize their contribution.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The Situational Leadership Model serves as a valuable frame of reference to ensure that supervisors are meeting their employees and teams “where they are”. An important piece of the puzzle involves understanding your supervisory role in the context of change – sometimes integrating new employees, and at other times inviting seasoned employees to do new things. Providing the optimal amount of direction and relational involvement is both an art and a science. Building on the Situational Leadership model, we will engage you in exploring the likely leadership needs of those you supervise as they move towards increasing levels of autonomy (e.g. clarity around expectations, roles and responsibilities, timely information and recognition, knowledge documentation/transfer, delegation, feedback loops, etc.).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Feeling the crunch of budgetary constraints? Concerned for team morale and employee retention? Wondering how you will manage further change? A focus on talent management and succession planning matters more than ever.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the key principles of talent management and succession planning, and why they are important today.
• Identify critical roles as well as valuable sources of organizational memory that may warrant attention (EG flight risk).
• Recognize current bench strength and identify emerging skill/competency gaps defined by the needs of a changing environment.
• Develop meaningful and cost-effective strategies to retain, engage and develop talent.
• Apply workforce planning tools and principles.
• Build simple succession plans suited to a resource-limited environment in times of rapid change.

Conflicts and collaboration need not be opposites. In times of rapid change and uncertainty, more than ever, we need to create a workplace culture that actively values differences and psychological safety in order to remain engaged, collaborative and productive. As stress mounts, withdrawal, unhealthy conflict and competition can become commonplace, overshadowing empathy and mutual respect. As supervisors, we are required to manage conflicts constructively, with an awareness of the impacts of constant change, stress and fear on us all.

It takes courage to move into healthy conflict and to strive to transform conflict into greater mutual understanding and growth. In this interactive workshop, supervisors will explore their own relationship with stress and differences in times of change. Through various interactive exercises, participants will build the skills needed to effectively manage various types of conflicts with sensitivity to diversity, mental health, and organizational context. Participants will be prepared to enter into various types of <difficult conversations> and have an opportunity to practice relevant scenarios, within the safety of their learning circles.

An important aspect of a supervisor’s role is to prioritize work according to objectives, to organize and distribute tasks effectively, and to ensure tasks are completed within a defined timeframe and according to certain standards. Structure and follow-up, when properly adapted to the needs at hand, are critical components of employee engagement and effectiveness. This workshop will introduce you to simple and effective management tools that you can implement in your operations to maintain and increase overall team performance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

To fully harness the power of experiential learning we need to create opportunities for supervisors to make work a continuous learning experience. Between structured training sessions, groups will engage in Learning Circles to discuss and integrate their shared learning. Your facilitator will help guide the process, serve as a resource person, and connect the group to outside resources.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Managing in a Unionized Environment: In this session, supervisors will gain an overview of the different employee groups and collective agreements at McGill, and the implications for managing effectively in this unionized environment. We will highlight key considerations, explore potential myths and misconceptions, and discover ways in which you can engage your unionized staff, building on tried and true initiatives at McGill. You will participate in scenarios familiar to our McGill environment and explore ways of managing them most effectively.                                                                                               

Performance Dialogue: This session provides an opportunity for supervisors to explore how the Performance Dialogue process works. Learning the process of enabling employees to receive valuable feedback on their overall performance as well as actively help them manage their professional development and career pursuits. By developing an in-depth understanding of this process, you will be able to maximize its value not only for your own professional pursuits but for those of your unit as well.