Team Leader’s Guide to Effective Team Building
The major roll a team leader plays in the managerial structure is to bring out the abilities of their team members in order to meet the objectives dictated from above. Most team members, however, are primarily concerned about relationships as well as being valued as a team member, much more than they are concerned about the task that the team is to undertake.
The main attributes of an effective Team Leader are:
- A commitment to people as well as tasks.
- A desire to support and serve the team as well as to lead from the front.
- Enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and sufficient expertise.
- The willingness to shoulder responsibility rather than pass the buck
- The ability to make the team come together to achieve more than a group of seperate individuals. Other wise, why have a team at all?
Facilitate, Don’t Dominate
When you say “let me show you how” your motivation is probably getting the work done rather than help the team member learn. Here you are dominating instead of facilitating the learning process. Remember that your team member will eventually have to carry out the task on their own. Make them go through the motions, work with other team members and bring problems to you as a last resort or where appropriate. By dominating the learning process, you’re simply creating additional coaching work for yourself down the line. Not to mention you’re doing the work!
Constructive Criticism before Discipline
When providing feedback, be sure to communicate the bad and the good, while highlighting things to be improved instead of dwelling of errors of the past. Resist giving them all of the solutions, instead guide the group by sharing your knowledge and experience and challenge them to find new solutions tailored to the here and now. Times change, and the answer that worked for you when you were a team member may not be as valuable as the fact that you know which question is the right one to ask.
Drive the Team not the Project
Team members want to be inspired and motivated by your leadership, energy and enthusiasm. But at the same time they don’t want to be micromanaged. Initially, you should provide some guidance and communicate that it’s an open door policy for additional questions that may come up along the way. Now, it’s important to back off! As a team leader, you must prove to your group members that you believe in their abilities and talents. They are members of your team, and the people you are counting on for your own success.
Shoulder Responsibility for the Entire Team
Team leaders are tested under pressure and, as in all aspects of life, sometimes mistakes happen. Always remember, it is not appropriate to pass blame for mistakes beyond the team leader level. This may seem unfair as the managers above will not hesitate to pass the buck down the line. Team Leaders however have a responsibility to shoulder political burdens and shield their members from the blame game. (Besides, someone else’s bad management style is no excuse for your own.) Mistakes within the team are an opportunity to identify areas of improvement. This does not mean that the leader should admit that issues beyond their control are in any way their fault (although they should be honest in admitting their mistakes) but rather adopt a proactive stance to ensure the team is not deflected from its course.
Conclusion
Being a Team Leader is likely the most thankless job in management. Consider your position as a Team Leader a trial by fire for your future leadership role within the company. Successfully navigating the conflicting priorities of your relationship with your team members and the objectives of the business is a skill that is required at every level of management, but rarely recognized for its instrinsic importance.
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