Supervisor Development

Provides leadership and capacity training for current local soil and water conservation district supervisors (and associates) in order for them to become more fully engaged and knowledgeable in their positions. 

Several of these resources are provided as PDFs. Click here to download the most current version of Adobe Reader so you can open the Adobe PDF documents. This software is free.

Resources

Understanding role/responsibility as a SWCD Supervisor:

• Measures of Excellence
• Supervisor Orientation
• Supervisor Handbook

Leadership Institute:  The Indiana Conservation Partnership Leadership Institute is a statewide leadership development program established for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors. Key District staff are invited to participate along with their supervisors. The program intends to improve District capacity to increase the quality of Indiana’s soil, water and related natural resources.

• Leadership Institute:  Upcoming dates, agendas, more
• Cornerstones of Leadership brochure
  

Laws concerning SWCDs: SWCD District Law

SWCD Manual selections:

• Annual Meeting
• Staff Employment
• SWCD Supervisor Job Description and Vision

Understanding role/responsibility as a SWCD Board:

• Board Diversity (NACD)
  
• Board Member Recruitment (NACD)
• Establishing Relationships with Lawmakers

• • Indiana General Assembly
  • Indiana’s US Senators
  • Indiana’s Congressional Representatives

Board Evaluations:

• Board self-evaluation
• Board Evaluation form

Board role/responsibility in Human Resources:

• Basics of Interviewing job candidates
• Analyzing the staffing needs of your District
• Conducting staff evaluations
  • Example: State of Indiana Employee Performance Appraisal Report
  • Example: Purdue Employee Evaluation Form – Hartman
  • Example: Purdue’s “Assess Annual Performance” information with Top Tips and resources, including a video

• Employee vs. Contractor
  • Draft standard contract for SWCDs (pdf)

Bill/Budget Process

• State budget process information
• State bill process information
• Federal budget process information (Center on Budget and Policy Procedures)
• Federal Policy information (National Association of Conservation Districts)

Running efficient and effective meetings is challenging. To help conservation districts improve the quality of their meetings and make sure all discussions are orderly, fair and to the point, NACD has developed this fact sheet on parliamentary procedure. This one-page document breaks down the basic rules for your district to use as a quick reference at your local board meetings, region meetings and national meetings.

• Parliamentary Procedure: A Quick Reference Guide for Conservation District Officials

Other:

• The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team article

Trainings:

Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy – Educates watershed coordinators, teachers, volunteers, engineers, district staff, non-profit organizations, and others to lead watershed efforts that improve water quality in Indiana. 

Indiana Natural Resources Leadership Development Institute – The goal of the Natural Resources Leadership Institute is to develop leaders within the natural resources communities who can build collaborative relationships with others around contentious issues. By applying the skills learned in the program, NRLDI graduates will be more knowledgeable about how to work collaboratively with others, build consensus, and find sustainable solutions to complex environmental issues.