A comprehensive program tailored to introduce a wide range of supervisory skills to transportation and public works supervisors.

Key elements of quality service: How customers evaluate service

Day 1 - Communications
• 7 non-verbal ways people communicate
• How to transfer understanding
• People’s perceptions-an added communication challenge
• 4 question types + 3 questioning approaches
• A 6 step approach for listening “actively” to your employees
• Taking a “time out” to communicate about how you and an employee are interacting
• How to use clear, responsible, assertive language with your people

Day 2 - Leadership & Motivation
• The qualities of good leaders
• How to use the Pygmalion leadership effect
• Determine your supervisory style
• What is your vision for your operation?
• Identifying motivators and demotivators
• Motivation-from the outside or the inside?
• Four ways to look at motivation
• What’s your role in keeping your employees motivated?

Day 3 - Coaching for Performance/Labour Relations
• What a supervisor should know about the legal framework surrounding employment
• How you can influence the collective bargaining process
• How to respond to grievances
• Effective progressive discipline-the last resort
• Keeping accurate documentation and starting it early
• What do we mean by “performance?”
• Parent, adult & child mindsets… and monkeys!
• 8 tips for delivering positive and corrective feedback
• Acknowledging your employee’s good work
• Coaching and Counselling – how to use a non-directive approach

Day 4 - Dealing with Performance Problems
• Effective ways to handle solid vs. marginal/poor performers

This course is recognized by:
The Engineering Institute of Canada honours this course with 2.8 Continuing Education Units.

Special Features of this Course:
* Hands-on and Interactive
•The program combines brief presentations of key concepts, in-class skill practice, small group discussions, video examples, instructor demonstration and questions & answers. Participants are encouraged to bring up for discussion real situations they face.

* Situational Leadership
•Participants complete a questionnaire in advance to identify their most commonly used supervisory style and look at alternative styles when the situation calls for it.
* People Challenge
• Participants are required to bring to class an actual people-related situation for which they would like concrete, actionable ideas. Examples might include: poor performance, resistance to change, disruptive behaviour, unrealized potential. On the last day they will work with colleagues to analyze this situation, drawing upon all that they have learned in the program, their experience on the job, their innate wisdom, and their problem-solving abilities
* Dedicated Web Page
•To enhance the quality and permanence of the learning, the instructor will set up a special page on his website, exclusively for participants of this course and their managers.


This site will feature:
•Welcome message from the presenters
•Some questions for participants to think about before coming
•Outline of the course agenda
•Opportunity to submit specific questions to the presenters in advance
•Guidance around your “people challenge” to bring
•Tips-to both the participant and his/her boss-for having pre and post-course meetings to identify learning objectives and plan skill applications back on the job.
•Links to useful articles about being an effective supervisor

Course Leaders:
Ian Cook, Principal, Fulcrum Associates Inc. Since 1988, Ian has been conducting training sessions for supervisors and managers in both the pubic and private sectors. His teaching style is highly interactive and upbeat. Participants leave with new insights into developing a more effective supervisory style and practical "how to" ideas they can implement immediately back on the job. Ian has served an extensive list of municipal clients and is a recipient of the "Excellence in Training" award from the Ontario Municipal Management Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill and a Master of Industrial and Labour Relations from Cornell.

Ainslie Wood, is the owner of Wood-Sloan Inc., a human resources and management consulting firm, specializing in municipal business since 1995. Her clients include over 60 municipalities, utilities, agencies, and associations in Ontario. Ainslie consults on a wide variety of topics including performance and compensation managment, recruitment, organization review, strategic and fire master planning, colletive bargaining, and other municipal/HR projects. An enthusiastic and accomplished senior manager, Ainslie's diverse background includes executive positions in human resources and local government administration, professional affiliations with HRPAO, AMCTO, an OMMI, and she has been a volunteer member of AORS, "Certified Road Supervisor" Certification Board for the past 15 years, as well as teaching at OGRA's C.S. Anderson Road School previously.