Course Objectives

Participants will

• identify the differences between a supervisor and a worker and what strengths and techniques can be employed for an improved leadership role.
• understand the importance of communicating effectively with employees and fellow managers.
• learn techniques to motivate employees and to better manage time and activities resulting in high quality work products.

Course Content

• The Supervisor’s Role and Leadership Responsibilities
  As the first-line supervisor, the link between upper management and the work force carries considerable responsibility. You must understand the technical nature of the job and spend considerable time working with people and the organization’s administration. This section of the course will address what is expected of the supervisor and how to adjust to the role.
• Motivating Employees
  One of the important skills a supervisor can develop is the ability to improve productivity through motivating individual crew members. You will learn why people behave the way they do and how to influence their productivity.
• Communicating Effectively
  Both leadership and motivation skills depend completely on communication skills. This section concentrates on giving, receiving, and clarifying instructions and also on coping with confrontations.
• Discipline for Success
  Disciplinary action is one of the toughest problems facing the supervisor. Supervisors must enforce rules and take actions to ensure they are followed. This section of the course will review basic concepts and actions.
• Managing Effectively
  Good leaders are able to manage their operations efficiently and effectively. They keep on top of everything and set examples for the workers. Training new as well as older employees is an important responsibility of managers whether they are supervisors or top directors. This training may be formal classes or simply informal discussions. Although first-line supervisors are not always able to institute changes, knowledge of management principles will better equip them for monitoring and improving conditions for a motivating environment.

Who should attend

The course is designed for city, county, and state transportation personnel as well as other public works employees who are in a first-level supervisory position. Maintenance supervisors, crew supervisors, foremen, staff assistants, party chiefs, street superintendents or even directors and managers who wish to be more aware of supervisory and management concepts should plan to attend.

This is a Roads Scholar core course, required to achieve the level of Senior Road Scholar.

Registration

Registration for the online course is $75.

Instructors

Duane Smith has 18 years of experience with the Iowa DOT, working in road and bridge design, as a construction engineer and deputy maintenance director. He has also been a city traffic engineer and transportation consultant. Currently he is the associate director for outreach at CTRE.

Course Technical Requirements

For more information

Regarding class material — Duane Smith, 515-294-8103, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Regarding registration - Engineering Distance Education, 800-854-1675, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it