QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE SAYING YES TO A NEW SUPERVISORY OPPORTUNITY

Any new venture or relationship involves surprises—some pleasant, others not. While it is never possible to predict the future, you can take a great deal of uncertainty out of the equation by asking some simple yet powerful questions before you agree to a new supervisory opportunity.

Over the years, I have gathered a list of questions that I use to help me decide if a supervisory opportunity I am considering is right for me. (Sometimes aspiring supervisors hesitate to ask these questions for fear of what the answers will reveal.) I have found that the best sources for answers are both formal and informal connections with people in the organization or the specific work unit I am considering.

The next time you are considering a new supervisory opportunity, seek out answers to these questions to help you make the right decision:

What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities in the work unit you would be supervising?

What is the history, the story, of this (part of the) organization?

How are goals set? Do they meet the standard of SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely)?

How is the organization changing and how might that affect the work unit you would be supervising?

What is the current culture in the work unit? What adjectives would you use to describe it, both positive and negative?

What is the turnover rate in the work unit? Why?

What was the story with the last supervisor? How long was he or she in the position?

What are your immediate supervisor’s biggest opportunities or challenges?