SUPERVISION
SUPERVISION is arguably the most important and most distinctive role of the Resident Assistant Director (RAD) position. Providing RAs with a designated supervisor on whom they can rely for accurate and timely relay of information and to give them constructive and supportive feedback is critical.
Specifically, the Resident Assistant Director is responsible for:
With that; let’s compare the Resident Assistant Director position functions vs. other department roles:
Non-Supervisor (Resident Assistants, Office Assistants)
· Does work that is assigned
· Has several main responsibilities
· Exercises limited judgment, as instructed in training
· Needs clear and detailed explanations from supervisor
Supervisor (Resident Assistant Directors, Professional Staff)
· Plans work for staff team as related to your building
· Evaluates others’ work
· Translates Office of Residence Life goals into staff team goals
· Responsible and accountable for others’ work, as well as self
· Coaches staff for improved performance
· Motivates and rewards staff effort
· Documents performance concerns
· Consults with manager regarding non-routine decisions and staff performance
Coach (Resident Assistant Directors, Professional Staff)
· Works with others to develop best plan for work
· Challenges staff to develop new skills
· Works for the best interest of the students
· Assist with performance improvement plans
· Employee works with coach to set up and follow-through with performance and personal goals
Manager (Professional Staff)
· Plans work for area and office
· Assigns tasks/objectives to supervisors and others
· Evaluates/reviews supervisors and others’ work
· Sets office policies
· Budget management
· Develops training and staff development
· Responsible for results and outcomes
Specifically, the Resident Assistant Director is responsible for:
- Oversee all functions of your assigned residence hall(s)
- Assist in the selection process of Resident Assistants for the term of hire
- Supervise/Co-supervise 5-10 Resident Assistants
With that; let’s compare the Resident Assistant Director position functions vs. other department roles:
Non-Supervisor (Resident Assistants, Office Assistants)
· Does work that is assigned
· Has several main responsibilities
· Exercises limited judgment, as instructed in training
· Needs clear and detailed explanations from supervisor
Supervisor (Resident Assistant Directors, Professional Staff)
· Plans work for staff team as related to your building
· Evaluates others’ work
· Translates Office of Residence Life goals into staff team goals
· Responsible and accountable for others’ work, as well as self
· Coaches staff for improved performance
· Motivates and rewards staff effort
· Documents performance concerns
· Consults with manager regarding non-routine decisions and staff performance
Coach (Resident Assistant Directors, Professional Staff)
· Works with others to develop best plan for work
· Challenges staff to develop new skills
· Works for the best interest of the students
· Assist with performance improvement plans
· Employee works with coach to set up and follow-through with performance and personal goals
Manager (Professional Staff)
· Plans work for area and office
· Assigns tasks/objectives to supervisors and others
· Evaluates/reviews supervisors and others’ work
· Sets office policies
· Budget management
· Develops training and staff development
· Responsible for results and outcomes
PERFORMANCE COACHING
10 Values of a Successful Staff Coach
- Clarity- a strong sense of direction & purpose, clear communication
- Supportiveness –a commitment to stand with and behind team members, providing the help they need, whether that means advice, information, materials, or just understanding and encouragement
- Confidence Building –a personal commitment a built sustain the self-image of each team member, let the staff on your team know you believe in them and in what they are doing, point to past successes
- Mutuality –a true partnership orientation, creating and sharing common goals
- Perspective- an unflappable focus on the entire department, an understanding from the inside out, an ability to explain decisions and policies within a context, strong effort to get to know team as individuals
- Risk –the encouragement of effort that reduces punishment for mistakes and encourages learning in all things, establish a clear non-threatening way to deal with errors
- Patience – a view of time & performance that equitably balances learning and demands of the job, time and patience are keys to prevent a supervisor from simply reacting, whenever possible build in time between the event and your response
- Involvement –a genuine commitment to allow team members to control work within set parameters, getting out of your office and observing your staff in their environment
- Confidentiality –an ability to protect the information of all team members, it takes discipline to stop yourself and not give away confidences, the moment you betray a confidence, trust is lost and once you lose a staff member’s trust it is very difficult to regain
- Respect –a commitment to value and see the strengths within your people, respect involves the supervisor’s perceived attitude toward the team
BEING INCLUSIVE
Welcoming! Inviting! Friendly! Accomodating! These are all words that anyone would love to hear used when a resident describes their community. Do a quick test to be sure that you have made every effort to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to the programs, spaces, locations and presentations you are offering this year.
Language… The language you use can include or exclude. Be aware that language is very powerful and can make or break someone’s experience. Consider alternatives to commonly used “exclusive” words:
Instead if… Replace with…
Freshmen New Students
Boys / Girls Men / Women
Parents Family Members
Handicap Disability
Boyfriend/Girlfriend Partner/Significant Other
Assumptions… The assumptions you make can leave participants feeling not very welcomed in their new community. Assumptions can alienate! Filter through some common assumptions that we make about:
Space/Location… When putting together programs, either in your hall or across campus, consider how accessible the locations are. Can someone in a wheelchair access this space? Are the acoustics good for people who may have hearing difficulties? Think about your programming spaces in a whole new way!
Activities… When preparing for community meetings and activities, keep in mind the diversity of personalities, abilities and backgrounds each of your residents may bring with them. Make every effort to diversify your activities to accommodate the needs of each individual.
Humor… Humor can be a great tool to motivate and energize a group. However, avoid humor that may exclude or unintentionally “make fun” of people. And, should someone use innappropiate humor that may be interpreted as forms of racism, sexism or able-ism, be aware that people are watching your response. If you ignore it, your lack of response may be interpreted as acceptance and may potentially shut out students you are responsible for inviting in!
Understanding and Appreciating How People Learn Diverse Learning Styles
One way to be inclusive is to be recognize that people learn in different ways. In group situations or one-on-one interactions, be conscious of the variety of ways people take in and understand new information. Make an effort to diversify your presentation styles and program offerings to accommodate the three types of common learning styles:
For example, let’s say you are discussing what students need to do to close down properly for winter break. How can you accommodate the needs of each of the learning styles? Consider providing a typed list of suggestions to meet the needs of visual learners. To best inform the auditory learners talk through the list and discuss why these things need to be done. And, for the kinesthetic learners, provide paper for them to take notes on what they need to do.
Language… The language you use can include or exclude. Be aware that language is very powerful and can make or break someone’s experience. Consider alternatives to commonly used “exclusive” words:
Instead if… Replace with…
Freshmen New Students
Boys / Girls Men / Women
Parents Family Members
Handicap Disability
Boyfriend/Girlfriend Partner/Significant Other
Assumptions… The assumptions you make can leave participants feeling not very welcomed in their new community. Assumptions can alienate! Filter through some common assumptions that we make about:
- Faith- Not everyone believes in God or practices an organized religion.
- Family- Not everyone defines “family” as including two parents and siblings.
- Age- Not every college student is coming right out of high school.
- College Experience- Not every college student’s family has attended college; for some they are the first to continue on with their education.
Space/Location… When putting together programs, either in your hall or across campus, consider how accessible the locations are. Can someone in a wheelchair access this space? Are the acoustics good for people who may have hearing difficulties? Think about your programming spaces in a whole new way!
Activities… When preparing for community meetings and activities, keep in mind the diversity of personalities, abilities and backgrounds each of your residents may bring with them. Make every effort to diversify your activities to accommodate the needs of each individual.
Humor… Humor can be a great tool to motivate and energize a group. However, avoid humor that may exclude or unintentionally “make fun” of people. And, should someone use innappropiate humor that may be interpreted as forms of racism, sexism or able-ism, be aware that people are watching your response. If you ignore it, your lack of response may be interpreted as acceptance and may potentially shut out students you are responsible for inviting in!
Understanding and Appreciating How People Learn Diverse Learning Styles
One way to be inclusive is to be recognize that people learn in different ways. In group situations or one-on-one interactions, be conscious of the variety of ways people take in and understand new information. Make an effort to diversify your presentation styles and program offerings to accommodate the three types of common learning styles:
- Visual Learning- SEEING
- Auditory learning- HEARING
- Kinesthetic Learning- MOVEMENT
For example, let’s say you are discussing what students need to do to close down properly for winter break. How can you accommodate the needs of each of the learning styles? Consider providing a typed list of suggestions to meet the needs of visual learners. To best inform the auditory learners talk through the list and discuss why these things need to be done. And, for the kinesthetic learners, provide paper for them to take notes on what they need to do.