As a supervisor, which of the following would be expected as part of your job duties?

• A. Provide feedback up and down the organizational chain about goals and how to reach them.
• B. Establish goals for the organization on a quarterly basis.
• C. Prepare the overall budget for the organization.
• D. Decide what types of animals the facility will house and how many.

Answer: (A)

Being a supervisor centers on guiding a team by communicating expectations and helping everyone work toward shared goals. A supervisor continually provides feedback both upward to leaders and downward to staff, clarifying goals, measuring progress, and identifying obstacles so the plan can be adjusted. This two-way feedback loop ensures that the team understands what needs to be done and that leadership understands what is happening on the ground.

Setting quarterly organizational goals and preparing the overall budget are more characteristic of higher-level planning and finance roles, while deciding what types of animals to house and how many involves facility planning and policy decisions made with stakeholders like IACUC and veterinary leadership. Therefore, the duty that best fits a supervisor is to provide feedback up and down about goals and how to reach them.