Chapter 9 - Supervisory Interpersonal Skills

Abstract

In Chapter 7, we learned about teaching organizational behavior management strategies to our trainees so they can be effective supervisors of personnel. In doing so, we covered many of the items in Section I of the current the fifth edition task list. In this chapter, we will cover similar territory, but with a slightly different application—using basic reinforcement principles to bring out the best in your trainees, as well as using effective strategies to improve performance deficits (should they occur). In many ways, this should be an opportunity to model good performance management practices. Lastly, there are times when the supervision process does not end successfully. As such, this chapter concludes with reviewing how best to handle these circumstances. This chapter will heavily reference three books, and if you don’t own them already, they are well worth adding to your professional library. These include The Supervisor’s Guidebook, Performance Management, and 25 Essential Skills & Strategies for the Professional Behavior Analyst. While there are several other books we could mention, these three resources represent a good starting place.