ABSTRACT Effective professional supervision requires a combination of a complex mix of knowledge, values and skills. However, several of the learner managers reflected on their lack of formal training versus ‘learning on the job’ and of being aware of modelling their own practice on past supervisory experiences and learning from previous experiences of poor supervision. They particularly valued the opportunity to watch their own supervisory performance in the audio-visual recordings and learned from reflecting on it with reference to theoretical material and the learning support available through the leadership and management programme. One of the charges of being a social worker is to be a change agent. Feminist theory would direct us to work towards challenging societal views that devalue women. Female managers have a unique opportunity to be change agents by disputing prevailing traditional views on management. Demonstrating management success through the use of some of the suggestions outlined in this article may help to prove the importance of the feminization of leadership, while reducing the discomfort that some women feel in positions of power.