On Supervising, after ten years

Power is operating between a supervisor and their direct report, and this needs to be acknowledged openly and navigated with care. So for me it’s a both-and. Sometimes it is okay and even necessary to ask for feedback, and sometimes it’s better to keep the yearning for validation to oneself. Yet, generally speaking, when a supervisor is open and vulnerable about their life and about their own strengths and weaknesses, and invites input, feedback, and others around them to fill in the gaps, the supervisor is encouraging others to use their power fully.