Summarize this article:

Communication is vital to good leadership. You need to communicate your expectations clearly, whether you're explaining a single project or reminding the entire team about the company's policies. Make sure you take the time to get to know all of your employees, and let them know that you are available to talk to them whenever necessary. Communication involves listening as well as talking, so be open to listening to whatever input your employees have for you. When you give workers your undivided attention, they feel respected and are more willing to listen to your guidance. Strictly giving orders without listening can erode worker commitment and enthusiasm. Avoid lecturing workers or sending directives by way of wordy emails. Think about the most important messages you want to convey and communicate them face-to-face or over the phone. Put thought into your email communications to ensure that they are clear, concise, and respectful. Regular meetings with employees will give you the opportunity to ask them about the projects they are working on, hear worker grievances and triumphs, discuss team successes, and brainstorm solutions to new problems. Always be responsive by answering your employees' emails and returning their calls promptly. Multitasking is very convenient in today's busy world, but sometimes it just doesn't work. Let your employees know that you value their time by putting all distractions aside when you meet with them. You can't expect perfection out of your team, so be careful about over-criticizing or setting goals that are beyond reach. This will only discourage your employees. You can still expect excellence out of your employees, as long as that excellence is actually attainable. Take the time to talk to your employees about your expectations and get their feedback. If you encourage an honest discussion, your employees are more likely to let you know if your expectations seem unreasonable. You should have a good understanding of the work volume that already exists and the amount of time it will take your employees to finish a specific project before setting a deadline. If you don't have the right information, you risk over-committing your team. As a supervisor, it's impossible for you to do everything yourself, so you need to be able to trust your employees to take care of things without you. You may have to give up a little control, but you will have more time to focus on your own responsibilities and you will be giving your employees the opportunity to flourish. Remember that you are still ultimately responsible for your employees' work, even if you delegate specific tasks to others. If you don't completely trust your employees to do the work on their own, establish some kind of review process until you think they can handle it. When an employee does a good job, it's important to acknowledge it! Give all of your employees credit for a job well done and let them know that their hard work is appreciated. Some supervisors feel threatened by successful employees, but this will only hinder your ability to be an effective supervisor. You should be proud of your high-performing employees, not jealous. One of your responsibilities as a supervisor is to unlock the potential of all of your employees. You can do this by offering constructive criticism and by looking for ways to allow them to take on new responsibilities or new roles within the organization. Pay attention to the unique talents and skills of each worker and utilize those strengths for the benefit of the project or company. For example, a worker may be excellent on the phones but a slow typist. Find opportunities for her to apply her phone skills to building company connections, selling products, or serving customers. Whenever possible, offer training to employees to help them learn new skills. A slow typist, for example, can be encouraged to take a typing class or be assigned additional typing tasks to improve her skills. Avoid drawing attention to weaknesses unnecessarily. Excessive focus on employee weaknesses can result in discouragement and low employee morale. Use employee reviews as an opportunity to both praise your employees for their strengths and to offer constructive criticism on what they can do better. Part of being an effective manager is assisting employees to transform their weaknesses into competencies. The first step is creating awareness of an area that needs improvement. Don't wait for your employee's next yearly review if you can offer some constructive criticism today! Supervisors have to deal with a lot of uncomfortable situations, from disputes between employees to layoffs. While it may be tempting to avoid dealing with these situations as much as possible, it's best to tackle them head-on instead. Your employees will not respect you if they see you as someone who runs away in the face of conflict. When having a difficult conversation with an employee, always focus on objective observations and avoid making accusations.
Communicate effectively. Set reasonable expectations. Delegate responsibilities. Reward accomplishments. Encourage growth. Confront conflict.