Assistant Chief Earnestine Sanders

Dallas County Sheriff’s Department

1st lesson to learn is how to Manage PEOPLE!!!!!

How do I become an effective supervisor? (What’s your motivation?)

How do I motivate my staff and keep myself motivated at the same time? (You will be TESTED!!!)

When to be flexible and when to be firm? (The Test)

Be your authentic self!!!!!

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Pros to becoming a Supervisor:

1. Career advancement

2. Becoming a Leader

3. Learning how to be a positive influence

4. Learning to communicate

Cons to becoming a supervisor:

1. More responsibility

2. More accountability for your staff

3. Less time with your family

4. You must disciple your staff

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Draw the line and don’t cross it. (Big ONE)

Do you want to be “LIKED” or “RESPECTED?

Stay connected to your staff without them losing respect for yourself!!!!!

How to discipline without destroying your staff? (Progressive Disciple)

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Margaret Thatcherg

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Delegate tasks and responsibilities firmly and fairly,

secondly remember to follow-up. (You are auditioning your staff and they are testing you.)

Motivating people who are just “working for a check”.

How to separate your role of “boss” and a “friend”.

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Learn to Self Evaluate. (You are not the smartest

person in the room)

Learn when to stand firm and when to be flexible.

How to handle uncomfortable situations. (Disciple, Personal Issues, Medical Problems)

Develop your own personal supervisors style (Do What Works For YOU!!!)

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Develop your Supervisory Style

1. Authoritarian – Officers require continuous attention.

2. Laissez Faire – Get out of the way and let officers do their job.

3. Situational – direction and support is given based on the task being performed.

4. Participative - presents a happy medium between over controlling (micromanaging) and not being engaged.

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Become an effective communicator by:

1. Listening.

2. Talking (become interested in your officers).

3. Pay attention to body language.

Learn how to give positive and negative criticism (Discipline in Private, Praise in Public)

1. Give 1st, 2nd, and 3rd chances .

2. Always accentuate the positive .

3. Discipline in private in your office.

4. Document, document, document.

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

How do you build a cohesive TEAM?

1. Don’t build a team of FRIENDS.

2. Recruit officers that want to make the TEAM succeed and not themselves.

3. Recruit officers that are creative and that can do more than one function.

Build a TEAM of Leaders 1. Can everyone on your TEAM work unsupervised?

2. Use officers gifts and talents.

3. There should always be someone on your team that is prepared to take your place.

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority.

-Kenneth H. Blanchard

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

How to be a Supervisory TEAM BUILDER:

1. Officers only work for people they like and respect.

2. Become an influential leader.

3. Be a motivator not a Debbie Downer!!!!!

4. Become Transparent – your staff wants to know you.

5. Be a human being first before you are a Supervisor.

6. Make every moment a Teachable Moment.

7. Lead by example.

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

“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

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Successful Supervisors:

1. Learn to win over the officers that don’t like you (Why is this important?)

2. Be available to all officers not just the ones you like (Handicap – Hardest thing in the world to do)

3. Encourage officers to be better people and they will be better officers.

4. Model good officer behavior in front of your staff.

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Protect your emotional health:

1. Stay motived and enthusiastic

2. Don’t take the job home with you

3. Ignore the negative comments from you staff and believe that you are doing a good job

4. Don’t become defensive

5. Remember that your next level of leadership depends on what you do at the supervisor level

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor

Last question, how do I continue to promote up in rank?

1. Learn to be invisible. (Give the credit to your staff and not to yourself.)

2. Do your very best everyday whether you are recognized or not and you will be rewarded openly.

3. Don’t become negative Willie.

4. Make yourself irreplaceable.

5. Educate yourself.

6. Stand up for what it right at all times even when you stand alone.

Transitioning from Line Staff to Supervisor