By Canadian Management Centre

The right to lose your temper. Displays of anger can lose a manager the respect of workers. No matter how justified a manager might be to lose his or her temper, he or she needs to stay calm in moments like that. If need be, a manager should walk away to calm down, then later address the reason for his or her anger.
 
Employees expect their manager to remain calm regardless of the situation. So besides the right to lose their temper, managers also lose the right to panic in crisis. If you saw the movie U-571, you might recall the advice the long-term seaman gave the young submarine lieutenant upon the death of the ship's captain. As the senior officer, the lieutenant was now in charge. The men expected orders from him, and he looked at them and said, 'I don't know what to do.' The seaman quietly took the lieutenant away from the men and reminded him that, as the person in charge, it was imperative that he seem in control. Likewise, supervisors. Your staff may want the opportunity to make decisions on their own but they also want someone in control who will ensure that the decisions they make are the right ones.

The right to hob-nob with and be one of the crowd. Employees expect their manager to be friendly but not one of the guys or gals, to be a counselor but not a confidant.

The right to leave at the end of the workday. Yes, you need to balance work and family, but as a manager you have to be ready to deal with problems as they occur, and that means not just during working hours. If a problem arises late in the day, they may be willing to volunteer to stay late to lend a hand, but they won't do so if they see their new supervisor on his or her way home. You can't ask your employees to do what you won't do.

The right to bring personal problems to work. Managers are no different from their staff members. They have personal dilemmas with which to cope. But managers are better sharing these with their own supervisors than with their employees. Just as new supervisors have to be willing to listen to the personal problems of their employees.
 
The right to speak freely. Managers who criticize and blame others for their setbacks, for their failures, and for their inability to provide for the welfare of their employees, will soon be perceived as powerless and inept by their employees. Also, what managers say, although reflecting honest beliefs, can be perceived as the beliefs of higher management. Then, too, expression that is too free can be frightening to employees. Consequently, managers should never criticize one employee to another; should be careful in offering criticism about company directives, policies, and procedures to their employees; should never criticize another member of management to their employees; and should always qualify their complaints or concerns that they will not be inaccurately perceived as the thoughts and concerns of higher management.

The right to oppose change. A manager must prepare his or her employees for change and be supportive of change. If a manager disagrees with a judgment, then he or she has the right to speak out, but in private with his or her own supervisor.

The right to pass the buck. Passing the buck, either downward or upward, identifies a manager who wants authority but is not willing to accept responsibility. A new manager has to be ready to accept responsibility for all the actions and activities that occur within his or her realm of authority and responsibility.

The right to 'get even' or 'choose favorites.' Managers should never apply sanctions or discipline because of personal animosity or to gain personal satisfaction. Likewise, he or she should always judge employees on the basis of their potential, capabilities, skills, and contribution to the achievement of department goals. When it comes to making assignments or recommending training opportunities or promotions, a manager must be objective.

The right to ask an employee to do what they wouldn't do. One of the quickest ways for a manager to lose employee respect is to ask an employee to do something that the manager wouldn't do or wouldn't be willing to do himself or herself. Likewise, a new supervisor never should allow himself or herself to stretch the rules (e.g., late arrival, long lunches, early departures).

So with the title of 'supervisor' comes some important responsibilities that may not be on the job description but are critical to supervisory success.