It’s nice to know that she cares…
So I had my standing meeting with my supervisor yesterday, and everything went well. The purpose of this particular meeting was to discuss my career goals, aspirations, personal growth timeline, expectations of my position etc. However, because I was not provided all the information necessary for us to have this discussion, we’ve postponed the meeting to next week. As such, we proceeded with our weekly professional/personal life check in.
The weekly check-in is something that my supervisor has instituted with all of her supervisees. Not only is a great way for us to update one another about what we have on our plate, what assignments have yet to be completed, evaluate where we are on our research study timeline, but has also become a time where I get to sit down and let her know what’s really on my mind, how I’m feeling, what I did over the weekend, what I have planned for the holidays etc. Though this may seem a little strange to have these types of conversations with “a boss,” I realized how much these discussions mean to me. I really appreciate the fact that she is genuinely interested in getting to know me as a whole person. Not just as an employee, not just as a researcher, not just as a coordinator, but a COMPLETE person who has a life outside of her job.
Though there are certain things better left unsaid (especially in a work environment), it surprised me to see how comfortable I felt talking to her about my family, my friends, my culture, my expectations of others and mistakes I’ve made in the past. But what was even more surprising was to hear her share similar personal stories. She doesn’t let her status, her degrees, or her accomplishment create a shield between us really getting to know one another. I really really really appreciate and commend her for the person that she is. And I hope that one day when I am in the position as supervisor, I too will be able to engender a similar relationship with my employees.
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2 comments:
I'm glad to hear that things went well. It's always good when a supervisor recognizes that there is more to a person than the work.
Mu supervisor is exactly like that. I'd kick it with her outside of work if she wasnt so much older than me, even though she did come with us to Air Lounge once. She's always cracking jokes and talking to me all day. She even came to see one of my dance performances. She's one of the reasons I dont hate my job as much as I could. lol
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