INSTRUCTOR GUIDE

Supervisors and Managers Series

Leadership Skills for Supervisors

Leadership Skills for Supervisors 1

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PREFACE

UNDERSTANDING YOUR TRAINING PACKAGE

Your Velsoft training package contains the following items:

• Instructor Guide: Contains all textbook information plus this preface, icebreakers,
activities, delivery tips, and more!

• Student Manual: Contains textbook information as well as areas to take notes. Each
manual also includes an evaluation form, action plan, and recommended reading list.

• Handouts: Contains pre- and post-class answer keys as well as any additional information
or activity resources.

• Pre-Assignment: Task for participants to complete before the workshop to get them
thinking about the learning that will take place.

• PowerPoint Slides: PowerPoint presentation highlighting talking points in the course.

• Quick Reference Guide: Two-page cheat sheet of tips and facts covered in the course.

• Outline: Word document that outlines the overview and objectives of the course and
summarizes each session to be covered.

• Advertorial: Pre-made flyer that you can customize and distribute.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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PREPARING FOR TRAINING

To begin, read through this Instructor Guide. This is intended to be a guide and not absolute!
Be guided by your experience, the needs of the participants, and your own common sense, as
well as the information in here. Most of the suggestions and all of the information have been
developed through research and hands-on, classroom experience, but you will want to
customize the material for your particular audience.

Practice writing on flip chart paper before the workshop. You may want to draw lines on the
paper (lightly, in pencil) to help you. As well, many of the flip charts suggested in this course can
be prepared ahead of time. The first page should be set up like this:

• Name of Workshop

• Facilitated by < Your Name>

• Your Organization’s Name

For an extra touch, include sheets with the words Courtesy, Participation, and Confidentiality
written on them and post them around the room. You might also want to add the words
Exercises, Role Play, Learning, and Fun.

Have an emergency kit ready with the following items:

• Extra markers

• Tape and sticky putty

• Adhesive bandages

• An extension cord

• Safety pins

• Tissues

• A bottle of water

• A fuzzy toy (which can be used for many activities and to spice up any lecture)

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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Arrive at least one hour before the start of the session to ensure that:

• Signs are placed directing trainees to your room.

• The classroom is set up as desired.

• You know where washrooms, break facilities, smoking areas, and fire exits are located.

• You have all necessary resources for the day.

• Materials for the morning are laid out, particularly for the icebreaker.

• Pens, sticky notes, and scrap paper are placed at every table.

• If you are using a laptop, it should be connected to the projector and both items should
be turned on.

OUR TOP 10 TRAINING TIPS

Although we will provide advice throughout the workshop, there are a few tips that we think
every trainer should know.

1. Always shake hands with each participant and introduce yourself as they come into the
classroom. This breaks the ice and sets the type of friendly atmosphere that is conducive
to learning.

2. Always practice before the big day, even if you have delivered the course beforehand.

3. Bring extra activities with you, such as a list of children’s games that is adjusted for
adults.

4. Always have a backup plan! For example, if you plan to use PowerPoint slides, make
sure you have a copy of the Instructor Guide, which includes the information to be
covered.

5. It is a good idea to print the instructor guide and place it in a three-ring binder,
including any customized information. Also, during the workshop make notes about
what worked and what didn’t. This will be a resource that you can build on in the future
too!

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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6. Things will go wrong during your workshop. If you are well prepared and confident, you
should be able to resolve most situations quickly and easily. Try not to let participants
see you stressed!

7. Involve participants as much as you can. Have them help you set the agenda, guide
activities (by passing out or collecting forms, for example), lead discussions, and
improve the course. The more participants put into it, the more they will get out of it.

8. Be ready to learn. Often, workshop instructors learn something during the sessions.
Challenge yourself!

9. Tie everything back to the workplace. It’s no good knowing information unless
participants know how to use it.

10. And finally… do not be afraid to have fun! Bring a few fuzzy toys and use them as a
speaking hat during discussions – whoever is speaking has the toy. Plus, it sparks
creativity and keeps participants interested.

MATERIALS REQUIRED
• Flip chart paper

• Markers

• Soft ball or object

• Ball of yarn or string (Morning Icebreaker)

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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RELATED COURSES
• Business Leadership – Becoming Management Material

• Coaching and Mentoring

• The ABC’s of Supervising Others

• The Professional Supervisor

• Time Management —Get Organized for Peak Performance

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
If you would like more information on training, Velsoft offers Train-the-Trainer courses at
several different levels. We also like the following books:

• The Trainer’s Tool Kit, by Cy Charney and Kathy Conway

• Diversity Training, by Cris Wildermuth

• Games that Teach, by Steve Sugar

• Sivasailam Thiagarajan’s books on games and activities

If you have a favorite resource, please share it with us!

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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AGENDA
8:30-8:45 Icebreaker: Spinning a Tale

8:45-9:00 Session One: Course Overview

9:00-9:15 Session Two: Pre-Assignment Review

9:15-10:15 Session Three: What’s Your Type? How About Mine?

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-10:45 Session Four: Introversion/Extroversion

10:45-11:25 Session Five: Understanding Leadership

11:25-11:45 Session Six: Manage Your Time and Your Energy

11:45-12:00 Morning Wrap-Up

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:15 Energizer: Wishing You Were Somewhere Else?

1:15-1:45 Session Seven: The Commitment Curve

1:45-2:45 Session Eight: Employee Development Models

2:45-3:00 Break

3:00-3:30 Session Nine: Dealing with Conflict and Difficult Issues

3:30-4:15 Session Ten: What Successful Leaders Do

4:15-4:30 Workshop Wrap-Up

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

Leadership Skills for Supervisors 11

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SESSION ONE: COURSE OVERVIEW

Ask students to turn to Session One in their workbooks. Read the introduction.

 Workbook Material

Supervisors represent an important force in the economy. You have the power to turn on or
turn off the productivity of the people who report to you. You are the crucial interface
between the employee on the shop floor or the service desk and the managers of the
organization. Although you usually have more technical experience than the employees you
supervise, you may not have had a lot of leadership experience. This one-day course will
give you the skills in communication, coaching, and conflict that you need to be successful.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Learn ways to prioritize, plan, and manage your time.

• Identify your primary leadership style.

• Develop some flexibility to use other leadership styles.

• Determine ways you can meet the needs of employees and co-workers through
communication and coaching.

• Explore ways to make conflict a powerful force for creative, well-rounded solutions to
problems.

Give participants a moment to write down their own learning objectives in their workbook.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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ACTION PLANS AND EVALUATIONS

Next, pass out evaluations and action plans. (Both of these items are in the Handouts folder and
the Student Manual.) Ask participants to work on these throughout the day. They will also have
a few minutes at the end of the workshop to finalize their ideas.

 Handy Quotes

“Management is about persuading people to do things they don’t want to do, while
leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.”

— Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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SESSION TWO: PRE-ASSIGNMENT

REVIEW
(9:00-9:15)

 Activity Ideas

 Slide and Handout Material

Participants were asked to complete a brief questionnaire about their leadership skills. The
questions were:

• What kind of leader do you prefer to work with? What traits do they have that
resonate with you?

• Who is the best boss you ever reported to? What was so good about them?

• Are you the type of leader that you would like to work for? Why or why not?

• What things are you most interested in learning about in order to become a better
leader?

Organize participants in groups of three or four. Ask them to share their answers (with focus
on the fourth question), discuss what their answers mean, and consider what they can do to
be a leader that people would like to work for.

 Workbook Material

There is room in the workbook for participants to record their ideas.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.

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WORKSHOP WRAP-UP
(4:15-4:30)

Take the last 15 minutes for a quick review and to answer any questions the class may have.

In closing:

"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the
one that gets the people to do the greatest things." — Ronald Reagan, 40th
President of the United States.

"Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better." — Bill Bradley, former

professional basketball player who served three terms as a United States senator,
and has authored seven non-fiction books including We Can All Do Better.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more,
you are a leader." — John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States.

"A leader's role is to raise people's aspirations for what they can become and to release
their energies so they will try to get there." — David R. Gergen, political analyst,
former presidential advisor, and professor at the Center for Public Leadership.

“Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others,

towards the achievement of a goal.” — Kevin Kruse, Forbes leadership columnist
and book author, named to Top 100 Business Thought Leaders by Trust Across
America.

This is also a good time to help participants wrap up their action plans, collect evaluations, and
to pass out certificates.

 Trainer’s Tip

If you haven’t provided students with the Student Manual, print out the Recommended
Reading List and give it to participants as a bonus.

 2005-2018, Velsoft Training Materials Inc.