The new breed of supervisors are game-changers. More coach and mentor than cop and enforcer, these enlightened leaders drive engagement — and results.

For customer-centric companies like Zappos, Southwest Airlines, and Nordstrom’s creating high employee engagement is a core business strategy. According to the latest research by the Ascent Group on customer service success, the most highly rated companies focus on the human aspect of customer care. Ascent says, “People matter. Engaged employees are the key to excellent customer service. Engaged employees are employees who feel as though they are truly valued at work; that their efforts directly contribute towards the mission and success of the company.”

Quality supervision is a key driver of employee engagement. According to the Gallup organization, “Supervisors who cultivate positive, caring relationships with employees generate high levels of engagement.” It makes sense that when employees tasked with serving customers have the confidence of knowing their supervisor cares about them, they feel more valued. When these service providers feel valued, they are eager to pass that positive feeling on to their customers by making them feel valued and important.

What makes the supervisors who have highly-engaged employees different, is how they view their relationship with their direct reports. Rather than seeing themselves as an enforcer of performance; they consider their role as a manager and developer of front-line talent. While conventional supervisors rate the person and develop the performance, this new breed of supervisor does just the opposite – they rate the performance and develop the person. The most effective leaders believe that every person is different and should be treated as such.

Despite the fact that quality supervision is a critical success factor for delivering top-box customer service and a key driver to employee engagement, supervisors are the most under-trained employees in most companies. Most are experienced service reps promoted from within the service center who receive training in the technical and systems side of managing a service operation. Seldom do these new leaders receive in-depth training in coaching and mentoring — two of the basic skills for gaining employee commitment and engagement.

Four Essential Ingredients for Supervisor Success

1. Accountability for engagement survey scores.

2. Time to spend with their reps.

3. Specialized engagement training.

4. Creative communication tools.

Look for an examination of these 4 essential ingredients for supervisor success, as well as recommendations for implementing them in your organization, in upcoming Monday Aha!s

Have a terrific week!