10 Steps to Leading an Effective Care Home Supervision

Supervision is a vital part of a Manager’s responsibility to support staff members. These meetings can help the performance, development and motivation of your team, as well as create a relationship based on openness and honesty. Use the following checklist to ensure you are getting the most out of this one to one time with your people.

Your 10 Step Checklist

1. Plan for the meeting. Planning can save around 40% of the implementation time, so take some time to prepare. Be clear what your objectives are for the meeting and you will achieve so much more.
2. Structure the meeting. A simple structure is                                                                                                                                                    a beginning for introductions, setting agendas and agreeing outcomes
   a middle where the content is worked through
   an end where the meeting is summarised, decisions taken and actions agreed.
   Agenda items may include a review of workload, performance and  responsibilities, a discussion of development and training issues and a discussion of working relationships and personal support issues.
3. Questioning. Asking the right questions is vital to getting your team member to open up and create a meaningful two way discussion. Open questions get the other person talking. Try “How have you found things this month? What have you been particularly happy with? What hasn’t gone so well?”  Use open questions to probe their answers too eg “What were the reasons for that, do you think?” “What could you do to tackle the situation?”
4. Listening. We should spend 80% of the meeting listening and only 20% talking. When people don’t feel listened to, they shut down – they simply stop communicating. If your team member feels genuinely listened to they will share so much more with you.
5. Giving feedback. Giving feedback includes praising at the right time and in the right way, as well as giving developmental feedback. When done well, it can be a hugely motivational tool and can really help people to move forward. Make sure the feedback you give is supported with specific examples and is followed up.
6. Receiving feedback. This a separate and distinct skill from giving feedback. If you are open to receiving feedback from your team and people around you, it will help your own development as a manager and help you keep in touch with what is happening within the team.  When was the last time you actively asked for feedback on your management skills from your team?
7. Agreeing objectives. Supervision provides an ideal forum for agreeing objectives and monitoring progress on a regular basis.  Objectives need to be specific, measurable and have timescales agreed, so that you can follow up on them effectively. 
8. Establishing Development Plans. Supervision provides an opportunity to identify where skills, knowledge and experience need to be gained.  Most of our learning happens on the job so look for development opportunities such as coaching and shadowing, as well as training courses.
9. Coaching.  Because 90% of our learning is done on-the-job, Managers play a vital part in helping team members embed new skills and knowledge.  Good coaching can happen in a 10 minute spontaneous conversation or in a planned structured session. It is about asking the right questions and encouraging team members to put their skills into practice.  A supervision is a good time to identify opportunities for coaching or may even turn out to be a coaching session in itself!
10. Take notes. Ensure there is a written record of what was discussed and agreed.  Written confirmation of actions means they are more likely to get done and gives a reference point to follow up on in subsequent meetings.

Spending regular one to one time with your staff is vital to managing them effectively and can pay dividends – are you making the most of that time?

If you would like more information on how we can help develop your management skills including running effective supervisions have a look at the training we can offer for Care Home Directors, Managers and Team Leaders or call us on 01903 732 782