Maria Colonna is the first recipient of the new attestation, given by HR’s Organizational Development unit to supervising managers. As Manager, Administration in the Department of Biology, Maria was among the 19 managers who registered in the new attestation program launched last fall. She has been developing and refining her skills throughout her career at McGill. As a graduate of the Leadership Development Program, Maria has enrolled in several professional development sessions, which is part of the criteria to receive the attestation.
“Receiving this attestation is important because this program assists managers in building effective management and supervisory skills in a short period of time and provides practical knowledge. There are time limitations on managers, so we are constantly looking for alternate means to improve our supervisory skills. Much of this program focuses on learning from each other, based on shared experiences,” says Maria. She also credits the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) self-assessment tool, designed to enhance motivation, natural strengths and potential areas for growth.
For managers who are unsure about registering in the attestation program, Maria’s advice: “Go for it! This program has helped me to increase the level of personal effectiveness to think and act more strategically, increasing the level of better decision making and negotiating skills and perfecting skills that are necessary in managing staff in a vastly changing environment.”
The supervisory and management skills attestation was designed for supervising managers. Although not an accredited program, the attestation helps managers to increase their mastery of key competencies required to manage employees, teams and processes. The mini-program is grounded in pragmatic principles and tools. It emphasizes better prioritizing, planning and applying meaningful measures of success. For more information click here.