Supervisory Skills in the Security Industry: What They Are and How To Develop Them - Redmark Security

In the security industry Supervisors play an important role in the day-to-day operations of the sites that they oversee. Security company and the supervisors are responsible for the performance of their security guards & concierge staff to keep things moving smoothly. When things go wrong a supervisor is the first one to be questioned about it. On the other hand, when a situation is handled well, the supervisor can get the credit for running the team like a well-oiled machine.

What kind of skills help a supervisor do his job and give his team the best chance to succeed:

Well, it all starts with communication. Management needs to know that a supervisor knows what is expected of him as well as the team needs to know what is expected of them in order to achieve these goals. So, communication is vital for this process. It is the most important for a supervisor to cultivate.

Another skill is leadership. You need to be able to do what you ask your people to do. You need to train and coach them if they struggle. If there is confusion in any situation it is up to the supervisor to clarify and make sure everyone is on the same page. Adaptability is also a skill that is necessary. Frequently, things will not go as planned. This is almost the norm in security, so being able to adapt is essential. Teamwork is also needed to run a team smoothly. Making everyone feel involved, checking on guards and appreciating the job of hard-working employees is one of the main responsibilities of a supervisor.

Conflict resolution is the next thing I would like to discuss. No matter what you do it is impossible to avoid conflict in a team environment. The more people you have under you the more potential conflict you face. Resolving these conflicts is a big part of the job. It helps build relationships with the team as well and when done well will cause your team to respect you as well. In a similar vein is Interpersonal Skills, this is the ability to interact with people. There are often many different types of individuals on your team and you need to relate to each of them and make sure that they feel comfortable approaching you with their issues. These skills can establish a strong work culture and the ability to be empathetic and compassionate to your team members will go a long way to establishing this culture.

Decision making is another skill that is necessary since sometimes things come up and you will need to make the call on a serious issue, and you may not have time to consult with higher ups, so the weight fall on you. The ability to make the right decision is a vital skill.  Problem solving is a lot like decision making. You will need to have problem solving skills in order to run a site effectively. A lot of what we do in security is problem solving so displaying these skills also helps with leading your team. Finally, critical thinking comes into play. This will help you in both decision making and problem solving. Rash decisions are never good so critical thinking skills will be an asset.

RedMark security is a leader in teaching supervisory skills to its leaders and this is shown in the results they achieve for their clients.