The EPA is launching a new training initiative Oct. 1, called the Successful Leaders Process. Every new supervisor will be required to enroll in the course.

The training will include a self-assessment and an individual development plan, which employees design with their supervisors. Employees are also assigned mentors for the first year, who guide them through the supervisory gauntlet, Ridings said. The training covers topics such as emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, coaching and feedback, managing conflict and performance management.

"In the classroom, you can’t rewind. With online learning, you can."

All the classroom supervisory training is taught by EPA supervisors who volunteer their time, she said.

In addition to classroom training, the program uses online learning tools from Ninth House Inc. of San Francisco. “In the classroom, you can’t rewind,” Ridings said. “With online learning, you can.”

EPA’s training addresses one of the weaknesses found in many government agencies. “Too often, we hire people because of their technical prowess,” Ridings said. An employee decides he or she wants to be a manager only because it’s a promotion. “But they find out they are really happier being technical people,” she said. “Perhaps they decide to step down, step back, and that’s OK, too.” If, after becoming a supervisor, an employee decides he or she does not really want to manage anyone after all, Ridings and her team will help the employee “walk away undamaged. It’s an ego blow, and we help them through that.”

Ridings describes herself as “not a shy person. The worst they can tell me is no.” She has worked at EPA for 51¼2 years, after 21 years in the banking industry. The Atlantic City, N.J., native also spent five years in the gaming industry, so she knows about taking risks. “EPA has allowed me the stage to launch this training,” Ridings said. “I have high hopes.”