Excellence and Accountability are two of USC’s Unifying Values, reminding us to bring our best selves and take responsibility in the workplace. With this in mind, supervisors at USC are empowered to help their teams reach their top potential, be effective and high-performing, and thrive.
To create an environment in which your people feel valued, challenged, and can excel, here are some areas of focus in the management of people and teams.
- Communication – clear is kind: Effective communication centers around active listening and empathy in all conversations to cultivate clear and open dialogue that builds rapport, opens channels for feedback, promotes mutual understanding, and shows respect for differing perspectives.
- Team building – unity is strength: Trust and respect are fundamental components for building a secure team while encouraging different ways of thinking promotes inclusion, belonging, and increases the team’s overall productivity and efficiency. All are necessary and important for success.
- Encouraging professional development – growth promotes success: Endorsing professional development ensures members of your team feel fully supported and validated in their professional pursuits. When encouraged to grow in the workplace, individuals can experience increased self-confidence and motivation, as well as a deepened commitment to USC and your unit.
- Employee recognition – appreciation deepens workplace value: Recognition is an important feedback tool informing members of your team that they and their hard work are valued, which can increase their engagement, motivation, and workplace satisfaction. Formal or informal praise, rewards, and/or gifts are a few ways to communicate your appreciation.
- Delegation – instilling morale and motivation: Appropriate delegation of responsibilities and tasks conveys belief in your people’s abilities and potential to complete more challenging assignments. It also helps them cultivate new skills, improve their morale and motivation, as well as free up time for you to focus on more strategic endeavors.
- Conflict management – your approach impacts outcome: Making space for other points of views and experiences is important for empathetic reasoning and effective conflict resolution. By tapping into active and compassionate listening, you are more apt to find common ground, effectively identify the problem, and reach a resolution that addresses the underlying need.
For courses on the above skills and more, search for those topics in TrojanLearn – which provides free access to online courses, live events, videos, and much more.
To support your team’s development, you can even assign and manage the training of your direct reports within TrojanLearn.