Supervisor Interview

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Nov 17, 2021

I look for several things - and I have hired several new supervisors.

1. The intelligence to understand and perform the duties of the job.

2. People skills. The ability to communicate without being condescending or authoritarian. My motto is, if your authority is constantly on display, you aren't using it correctly.

3. Sound decision-making. People who display a consistent ability to make well thought out, rational decisions make better supervisors than those who don't.

4. Not afraid to ask questions or request assistance. Pretending to know more than you do, or charging blindly ahead without having any idea what you are doing are not positive characteristics. Nobody inherently knows everything that there is to know, and asking more seasoned nurses is a good way to tap into their experience and knowledge.

5. Compassion for others. Realizing that the people who work for them are individuals, not just lines on a schedule. While there are situations when you must make decisions without much notice, those are the exception.

6. Willing to get input before making decisions. Some of the best ideas that I have used have come from subordinates. Employees on the front lines know their jobs better than I do (although I performed most of them at one time or another). It also helps morale and helps to increase buy-in when you show a willingness to listen to ideas, and to adopt the best ones.

7. Not afraid of making difficult decisions. Not every decision that you make will be a crowd pleaser, and some people have difficulty accepting that. Sometimes difficult decisions must be made for the good of the organization, whether it is changing work assignments, changing schedules or policies, or terminating a non-productive or disruptive employee.

8. Ability to deliver constructive criticism. One of the best bosses I ever worked for had a skill that I like to call "the velvet hammer". She had a way of correcting someone's behavior and making them want to improve, instead of tearing them down and demoralizing them. I have tried to emulate that in my career as much as possible. She was calm and very rarely raised her voice. People are a lot more accepting if you are tactful and calm when you address things with them, as opposed to yelling at them and demeaning them.

9. Ability to accept correction. If a superior offers a suggestion, resist the temptation to immediately defend what you did or to try to prove that you were right when perhaps you weren't. Although there are exceptions, most supervisors won't offer correction unless there is an issue. That supervisor may have made the same mistake at an earlier point, and wants to offer the benefit of experience.

10. Understand what real leadership is. Intimidation and instilling fear are not leadership skills. I have worked for several people who never figured that out. It leads to resentment, and it may make subordinates reluctant to make independent decisions for fear of incurring the wrath of the manager. Leadership is displayed by making consistent, well-thought-out decisions, and displaying competence in the job. It also helps to show employees that you are not asking them to do anything that you are unwilling to do yourself. Helping during critical times can go a long way.

peeweedelivery · Apr 18, 2022

On 11/16/2021 at 5:56 PM, Orca said:

I look for several things - and I have hired several new supervisors.

1. The intelligence to understand and perform the duties of the job.

2. People skills. The ability to communicate without being condescending or authoritarian. My motto is, if your authority is constantly on display, you aren't using it correctly.

3. Sound decision-making. People who display a consistent ability to make well thought out, rational decisions make better supervisors than those who don't.

4. Not afraid to ask questions or request assistance. Pretending to know more than you do, or charging blindly ahead without having any idea what you are doing are not positive characteristics. Nobody inherently knows everything that there is to know, and asking more seasoned nurses is a good way to tap into their experience and knowledge.

5. Compassion for others. Realizing that the people who work for them are individuals, not just lines on a schedule. While there are situations when you must make decisions without much notice, those are the exception.

6. Willing to get input before making decisions. Some of the best ideas that I have used have come from subordinates. Employees on the front lines know their jobs better than I do (although I performed most of them at one time or another). It also helps morale and helps to increase buy-in when you show a willingness to listen to ideas, and to adopt the best ones.

7. Not afraid of making difficult decisions. Not every decision that you make will be a crowd pleaser, and some people have difficulty accepting that. Sometimes difficult decisions must be made for the good of the organization, whether it is changing work assignments, changing schedules or policies, or terminating a non-productive or disruptive employee.

8. Ability to deliver constructive criticism. One of the best bosses I ever worked for had a skill that I like to call "the velvet hammer". She had a way of correcting someone's behavior and making them want to improve, instead of tearing them down and demoralizing them. I have tried to emulate that in my career as much as possible. She was calm and very rarely raised her voice. People are a lot more accepting if you are tactful and calm when you address things with them, as opposed to yelling at them and demeaning them.

9. Ability to accept correction. If a superior offers a suggestion, resist the temptation to immediately defend what you did or to try to prove that you were right when perhaps you weren't. Although there are exceptions, most supervisors won't offer correction unless there is an issue. That supervisor may have made the same mistake at an earlier point, and wants to offer the benefit of experience.

10. Understand what real leadership is. Intimidation and instilling fear are not leadership skills. I have worked for several people who never figured that out. It leads to resentment, and it may make subordinates reluctant to make independent decisions for fear of incurring the wrath of the manager. Leadership is displayed by making consistent, well-thought-out decisions, and displaying competence in the job. It also helps to show employees that you are not asking them to do anything that you are unwilling to do yourself. Helping during critical times can go a long way.

This is great advice, can you give an example of the velvet hammer?

thx!!

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Apr 20, 2022

On 4/18/2022 at 3:43 PM, peeweedelivery said:

This is great advice, can you give an example of the velvet hammer?

thx!!

I don't recall the exact situation, but a nurse had been making mistakes in medication. The DON called her in, and very calmly explained what the issue was and what issues that it created. There was no yelling, no accusations, no denigration. The employee left the meeting wanting to improver rather than feeling completely torn down.