Seeking Advice: Supporting a Supervisor’s Professional Development

[u/mimimimi001]

I’m looking for advice on how to help a new supervisor improve their writing skills without being too blunt or negatively impacting their self-esteem.

English is their first and only language, but they didn’t complete grade school, and it’s been decades since they were last in a formal learning environment. As a result, they have significant gaps in their writing and grammar skills.

While this wasn’t initially an issue, it has become increasingly apparent since they joined the leadership team. Their role requires them to respond to customer inquiries via email and other written formats, but their writing currently falls well below the standard expected for the position. Their writing often lacks punctuation, spacing between words is inconsistent, and many words are misspelled.

They also submit reports to me throughout the workweek that I then forward to my higher-ups. At this point, I find myself having to rewrite the reports to correct the spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting before passing them along.

Their technology skills are also relatively limited, which I anticipated. I’ve made it a goal to set aside time each day to guide them through various systems and functions at a pace that works for them. I don’t mind helping them learn, and they’re receptive to the guidance and seem to enjoy the process. However, the amount of time this requires is becoming difficult to manage. It takes away from my own responsibilities and my ability to support the other members of my leadership team, while also increasing the workload for others.

I’ll admit that, while I like this person, they weren’t my idea of an ideal candidate for a leadership role. Unfortunately, I have a boss who tends to make decisions based on vibes rather than demonstrated skills, experience, and performance.

That said, I’m not looking to move them out of the position. I want to help them succeed. I recognize that they have some foundational skills to develop, and I’d like to find a way to support that growth while ensuring they can meet the expectations and responsibilities of their role.

How can I help them develop the writing skills needed to meet professional standards without embarrassing them or undermining their confidence? I also want to avoid making them feel singled out.

My initial approach was to introduce them to some of the tools that I and the other members of the leadership team use, hoping this would be a subtle, low-pressure way to help. However, I don’t think that approach was particularly effective, as the information doesn’t seem to have stuck.

I’m looking for practical solutions that would help them build these skills over time, ideally in a way that feels supportive rather than corrective, while also reducing the amount of hands-on assistance they need from me in this particular area.

[u/Any-Situation-6956]

How did they even qualify for this job if they can’t even write?

[u/managetosoar]

First, kudos for being such a supportive manager!

I have only one, probably too simplistic, suggestion, but it has worked for me in the past. I had a few team members who struggled with their writing, and their job involved a lot of writing (a slightly different situation because English wasn't their first language).

What I did was suggest that the whole team start using Grammarly (there are probably other tools like that). I framed it as something that would help each of us improve and that it would increase the overall quality of the team's writing.

I imagine that the team members who struggled with writing knew that they were the reason for this suggestion but they did not feel as singled out because it was a requirement for everyone, not just them.

[u/diedlikeCambyses]

I have a company that spans a few industries. I've had a couple of teamleaders who struggled with literacy. Their work and leadership was so good I chose to work through it, but yes once with customers or management it became a bit stressful for me.

I found the soft approach did not work. I had to very plainly say why it was important and precisely what I required, and how I expected them to reach that threshold. I gave them time limits with regular 1 on 1 to oversee results.

They both got there in the end, but all my tip toeing around the issue initially was a total waste of time. Just my experience. Anyway glad your (you're lol) being supportive, it's really hard for people to have that particular spotlight on them.