Behavioral Skills for Supervisors

 

A to Z - Activities, Competencies, Education and Training of Engineering Supervisors - Article Series

Behavioral Skills 

Acting Honestly— Describes the extent to which a person values and adheres to ethical and moral standards of behavior, as well as a personal level of humility.

Getting Along with Others—Describes the extent to which a person interacts positively and cooperates with others, and is generally kind, friendly, and tactful.

Keeping an Open Mind—Describes a person’s level of open-mindedness and curiosity about a variety of ideas, beliefs, people, and experiences.

Maintaining Composure—Describes the extent to which a person is relatively calm, serene, and able to manage emotions effectively.

Socializing with Others—Describes a person’s preferred level of social interaction, behavior in interpersonal situations, and optimism.

Sustaining Effort—Describes a person’s level of diligence, effort, organization, self-control, and compliance.

The Importance of Behavioral Skills and Navigation Factors for Education and Work Success

https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/R1633-behavior-and-navigation-2017-04.pdf

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED583586.pdf

Supervisor competency model 

https://insite.johnsoncitytn.org/uploads/files/supervisor%20competency%20model.pdf

Interpersonal Skills

1. Building Positive Working Relationships 

2. Building Trust 

3. Communication Skills

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

1. Building Positive Working Relationships: Developing and using collaborative relationships with 

internal and external partners and customers to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals.

Key Behaviors:

 Keeps people within and outside the department updated and informed in a timely manner.

 Values others’ knowledge and expertise. Invites the input and feedback of others. Fully 

considers others’ explanations/points of view.

 Acknowledges requests from others promptly. Is available and responsive. Shows up on time for 

meetings and appointments.

 Maintains a positive attitude.

 Initiates open and candid relationships with people at all levels.

 Interacts effectively with own and higher managers; builds solid relationship with boss.

 Cooperates with others to pursue mutual goals.

2. Building Trust: Interacting with everyone in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and 

those of the organization; fostering an environment that is fair and open to new ideas.

Key Behaviors:

 Builds trust by being reliable and dependable. Follows through on commitments.

 Gives credit where credit is due.

 Treats people fairly and with respect.

 Applies policies and procedures consistently when dealing with employee issues.

 Expresses consistent point of view to different audiences.

 Supports employees' decisions.

 Is honest and straightforward with others. Maintains confidentiality and high personal ethical 

standards.

 Communicates rationale for decisions/actions. Admits ineffective decisions.

3. Communication Skills: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to others 

in formal and informal settings in a manner that engages them and helps them understand and retain 

the message.

Key Behaviors:

 Organizes thoughts before speaking, and concentrates on key points. Communicates clearly and 

articulately. Speaks concisely and to the point.

 Uses examples to clarify a point.

 Says what is on his or her mind in a direct but tactful manner.

 Adapts communication style and presentation focus to fit the audience. Uses appropriate 

language to set the proper “tone” of the communication.  Writes correspondence that is professional, accurate, and grammatically correct.

 Asks questions to encourage others to elaborate on their thoughts. Listens carefully to input 

without interrupting. Clarifies what others say to ensure understanding.

 Conducts effective and productive meetings (one-on-one, team, etc.) on a regular basis.

 Uses multiple modes to communicate messages.

https://opentextbc.ca/businessopenstax/chapter/developing-interpersonal-skills-is-key-to-your-success/

The Good Manager: Development and Validation of the Managerial Interpersonal Skills Scale

Gerard Beenen, Shaun Pichler, Beth Livingston, and Ron Riggio

Front Psychol. 2021; 12: 631390. Published online 2021 Mar 29. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631390

PMCID: PMC8039519PMID: 33854464

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8039519/