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Human Capital Services and Support

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Supervisory Development
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Promoting a culture within the USGS that recognizes, supports and honors supervisors for the crucial role they play in ensuring the excellence of our science.

The program strives to develop supervisors who…

  • believe people are as important as science
  • are equipped with a “moral compass” and well-developed leadership skills
  • are strong communicators with the ability to promote teamwork, address conflict and give constructive feedback
  • know the “rules of engagement” for supervisors at USGS
  • are not afraid to make tough decisions and can balance the need to be “Mr Nice Guy” with the need to protect the integrity of USGS
  • routinely hire the right person for the job, communicate clear expectations to their employees, develop their employees’ potential and motivate them to do their best work
  • are credible in dealing with the science of USGS

USGS Model for Supervisory Development

"First-line supervisors are the federal government's largest corporate leadership asset in sheer numbers and direct impact…Supervisors function at the point where public policy becomes action, and they directly represent management's voice to non-supervisory federal employees. As such, their behavior and job performance are a major determinant of organizational performance, workplace morale, and job satisfaction. They also influence employees' decisions to remain in or leave an organization."

National Academy for Public Administration (NAPA) report, First-Line Supervisors in the Federal Service: Their Selection, Development, and Management.


Upcoming USGS
Supervisory Challenge Class Dates

Supervisory Challeng logoOctober 1-5, 2012
Denver, Colorado

Supervisory Challeng logoJanuary 28 - February 1, 2013
Sacramento, California

Supervisory Challeng logoMay 20-24, 2013 (New Date!)
Reston, Virginia

DOI Supervisory Training Options

40-Hour Supervision: Level 1-Basic Skills

40-Hour Supervision: Level 2 - Leadership, Management and Supervision

Please visit the DOI University Web site to see upcoming dates and locations.

Please register for the USGS and DOI supervisory classes in DOI Learn.

Helpful Links:

Diversity Training

DOI Learn

Individual Development Plans (IDP)

Personnel Bulletin 06-04 on Supervisory Development

Manager resources for new hires

Leadership Development Program

Mentoring Program




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Page Last Modified: Wednesday, 27-Jun-2012 14:05:54 EDT