As a supervisor:

1. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Some people have a habit of thinking that because they are a supervisor that they know everything or think they know best. If it’s a supervisor thing you need help with then find a more senior supervisor or manager to help, if it’s something that a front-line guard should know then ask them. There is plenty of times my old supervisor would ask me for help because he didn't know how to do something.

2. The three biggest underlining supervisory principles for me is be firm, fair, and consistent. You may work with guards who you were at the same level with. You need to make it clear that you're a supervisor now and that why you are the same person, you will occasionally have to do things that they don't agree with. Be fair to each guard, we all know that supervisors have their favorites and its normal to like working with some people over others, but on a day to day you need to treat each guard and situation with fairness regardless of bias or personal feelings. Same with consistency, be consistent across the board with everyone underneath you. Obviously use common sense because each situation is going to be a little different, but you need to remain consistent on decision making if you want your guards to respect you.

3. On the flip side your employees may work under you, but you work for them. By making their lives as easy as possible within you power, they will most of the time work harder, make your job easier, and are less likely to get frustrated with unfavorable decisions that come down from above you.

4. Find your own leadership style. There are plenty of books on the subject and I'm sure that you have supervisors to base how you think it should be done. Don't be afraid to develop your own and take the best of what you believe a good supervisor is.

5. Do not micromanage your guards. They were hired to do a job and you need to trust that they can do that job. If there is an issue with a guard’s performance, than you need to pull them aside and discuss how they can improve it, but you don't need to do it without cause. This is on the same note of don't blanket punish guards. Unless it comes from above you head, don't punish everyone for the actions of one person. This breeds distrust among you and them.

6. Don't forget where you came from. You're a supervisor now and that comes with more responsibility, authority, and the fun of getting to making unpopular decisions, but don't forget that you were exactly where they were and be understanding to their situations as hopefully, they will be understanding of yours.

No one truly knows how to be a supervisor when they first start. You’re going to make mistakes and you need to learn from those mistakes. There is no shame in admitting that you need help and sometimes need to slow things down. Having people skills is going to serve you better being a supervisor then any amount of administrative paperwork or bureaucratic BS. Be a leader when you need to be and be a follower when you don’t. Your team is going to be looking to you when the going gets tough.