With Experience, I Grow…

Written By Steven Contreras
Syracuse University

For twenty two years I’ve worked on what it means to be me- Steven Contreras, a Dominican male from Bronx, NY. Yet, in the Fall of 2011 I had to begin to learn what it meant to be me- Steven Contreras, a Dominican male from Bronx, NY that supervises 18 student staff members.

I am currently working at Syracuse University as an Assistant Resident Director. In my role I advise a community council, supervise main desk assistants and oversee the day-to-day function of 2 halls that have about 320 residents in a mixed population building. Meanwhile, I am pursuing my Master’s in Higher Education. In my role as a first year supervisor and straight out of undergrad, here are three lessons about supervising students I had to find out the hard way;

Lesson #1: Being Relatable

As a supervisor you have to be able to relate to the students. A supervisor must get to know their staff and learn the different approaches needed for each staff member. This will provide the supervisor an insight of how to motivate a student. This also creates a rapport between the student and the supervisor. Once this relationship is built the student will trust his or her supervisor because they will see that the supervisor cares and supports them.

During my first semester I did not relate to the students I was supervising. I found it extremely difficult to keep the students motivated throughout the semester because I just did not know HOW to motivate them. In addition, the students did not feel comfortable coming to me when they had issues because they felt that they did not know me enough to trust me or know how I’d react to their various issues.

Now, in my second semester I take time to talk to them about things outside of work. I ask how their classes are going and check in on how they are doing. These questions have allowed them to see that I care for them. As time progresses more of the students stop by my office, they would tell me about the different things that were occurring in their lives. They contact me more with any issue. I learned small individualized ways to motivate them in the job or explain to them the processes in manner that they best learned.

Lesson #2: Consistency is the Key

A supervisor must be consistent in the way he or she treats the students and the way they reprimand students. This will show the student s that the supervisor is reliable and that the supervisor treats everyone fair and equal.

My own supervisor is good at this as I feel she treats everyone fair & equal. This sends a consistent message to the staff of what is acceptable. The staff understands that no one is the favorite and that everyone will be held accountable by the same standard. It’s hard because sometimes you connect with some better than others, it is human nature. The important piece is to ensure you aren’t playing favorites; it can cause a lot of issues within the staff’s dynamic and you may begin to lose the respect of those you supervise.

Lesson #3: Be Confident

Supervisors must have confidence in their abilities to lead. A supervisor must not second guess themselves in front of a staff. One must always be prepared for meetings and discussions. This will show the staff that you are knowledgeable about the subject.

Through trial and error I came to understand this lesson. When supervising a student one must give direct directions. If you are requesting something from a student, do not suggest it as an option but as a directive. If there is a conflict in the request, examine it to see if it is a legitimate conflict.

When I first supervised students, I began to notice that when I began a sentence as a request then the students saw that they had an option. So, typically they would exercise that option. Now I am assertive in my requests.

Part of this lesson is the importance of a supervisor that is prepared for meetings by reading up on the matter they will be discussing because students will have questions. This will show the students that you are prepared and reliable.

Never Ending Lesson

Being a young Dominican male, many students did not take me serious as a supervisor. Supervisors and authority figures don’t typically look like me- or so it seems. Students of color arrived late to shifts assuming that I would be understand their lateness because of the cultural stereotype of people of color and their relaxed view about time. White students seemed to take on the idea that asking for forgiveness before permission would be okay. The assumption was made that I had favoritism towards those who were staff of color over my white supervisees. These obstacles are difficult to handle because not many people warn you about this behavior.

Quickly, I established respect by demonstrating to them that my age did not matter but respect was a mutual expectation. Just as I respected them as students and staff members, I’d be respected as a supervisor. I also reminded them that if they disrespected my authority, corrective action would be initiated. I spoke to each individual that I encountered this problem with. It was important to approach these issues as soon as they occurred. I also let each staff member know that everyone will be treated equally on the staff.

I’ve been challenged to increase my assertiveness in staff meetings by my supervisor. I’ve also been pushed to think of different ways that I can impact the staff by adding different things on the agenda such as icebreakers, hot topics or discuss ways to improves processes.

In turn, I am proud that I also try to challenge the people I supervise. I have received positive feedback from those individuals that I challenge to grow in an effort to expand their student leadership.

I know I have a lot left to learn, but so far in my first year I think I’ve handled myself well as a young male of color in a position of authority where odds can seem to be against my success.