Preface

Effective supervisors are essential to the future of government. The knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to be an effective supervisor can come only through continuous learning and development.

There are many different ways to learn and develop as a government supervisor. The Insider’s Guide to Supervising Government Employees offers one such opportunity, drawing from the rich and varied experiences of a broad range of people.

Some of the 32 contributors have had many years of experience; others just a few. Some made supervisory work their choice; others learned from their own supervisors. Some serve the public; others support the government through their life’s work. Some have titles like program manager, facilitator, engineer, contracting officer, senior executive, human resource director, community organizer, lawyer, student, executive coach, politician, finance officer, administrative specialist, and IT manager. Some share their personal stories; others participated in work and learning experiences that gave rise to the sage lessons, promising practices, and new insights they share.

The result is a book of stories by and about supervisors as they experienced the many aspects of supervisory work and learned through those experiences. You can read the entire book over a weekend and put some new ideas into practice as the need arises on Monday. You can select a specific story or topic if you find yourself in a similar situation and need some ideas for taking your next step. You can also use the book as a source of ideas and inspiration to support the learning and development of a group of supervisors.

The Insider’s Guide to Supervising Government Employees focuses on the essential elements for mastering the competencies and accountabilities of supervisory work in the government. It was compiled as a source of support to help you demonstrate your commitment to serving the public though your own effective supervision. The stories in this book are filled with helpful perspectives and ready-to-use practices for government supervisors—no matter what level you are serving in your department or agency and whether you are new to supervision, a practicing supervisor, or a senior executive supervisor.

A hands-on tool included in The Insider’s Guide to Supervising Government Employees is a seven-step, 38-item Supervisor Readiness Assessment. Completing this self-assessment and the easy-to-use interpretation and planning tools will help you answer two key questions:

How ready am I to supervise?

How can I enhance my readiness to supervise?

We hope your reading and learning experiences will generate some new or different ideas about how to support others and make good things happen across the government.

As a government supervisor, you have the most important job in all of government. Make the most of it!

—Kathryn M. Johnson
September 2011