Organisations the world over are interested in hires with great leadership skills. No wonder just about all CVs landing on an HR desk nowadays have leadership skills as part of the attributes claimed by the job seeker.
Leadership is generally defined as the ability to influence or lead others. Team leadership, therefore, involves guiding, directing, organising and instructing a group of people for the purpose of achieving a desired goal.
Team leaders determine how much of the goals and objectives of an organisation are achieved. They are the eyes and ears of both their employers and their juniors.
Happy employees
Great team leaders equal happy employees and profitable organisations. However, the converse is also true. It is said that many employees do not quit their companies, they quit their managers.
If this is left unchecked, organisations end up losing staff they would like to retain, and also acquire a bad reputation in the job market. It is, therefore, important for all team leaders to understand their role and take appropriate measures to deliver as expected.
Leading human beings is not a walk in the park. Both technical expertise and emotional intelligence must be harmonised. It is said that no one cares how much you know until they are sure of how much you care about them. Be accessible and ask after your members’ lives outside the office to engender yourself to them and illustrate a softer side.
So how can one develop effective leadership that would lead to a high-performing team? By learning what to shed off and what to embrace, thus helping individuals kill mediocrity and become progressive.
One of the habits that should be avoided by team leaders include negative gossip that is anti-establishment. A team leader should never be caught bad mouthing the management, his or her team members, or customers.
Favouritism is another habit that must be avoided if a leader is to be trusted by the team. All members of the team must be treated equally, regardless of their colour, race or gender. Thus, a good leader is one who embraces diversity and understands the dynamics in the team.
Progressive career builders appreciate the fact that every role entrusted to them by the companies they work for demand certain skills and capabilities. For team leaders to be effective, they must pay special attention to enhancing their competencies to ensure their team productivity is at the peak. After all, a team’s performance is a reflection of the capacity of its leader.
Listening skills are a must-have asset for a leader. If you are a rude manger who arrogantly interrupts your juniors as they speak, stop wondering why your department is performing at its worst; you are the problem. Read about active listening or take an interpersonal communications course to help with this.
Further, you must learn to communicate effectively with your juniors, ensure deliverables are clear and make clarifications on request.
Inclusive meetings
Discussions at team meetings should include all members. Asking each person’s opinion on a particular issue is a great way to start.
To be an effective team leader, one must love his/her job and also buy into the organisation’s future plans; after all, it is self-defeating to drag a team to a destination you loathe.
As a team leader, seek to be a person of excellence by continuously improving on your weak areas. This will go a long way towards alleviating the insecurities associated with leading a team with individuals who have more capabilities than you do.
Seek mentorship and also mentor the team to enable them grow their careers. Remember, great leaders create leaders, not followers. Your team’s sacrifices should not go unnoticed, and find a way to reward them to keep morale up.
The writer is a career expert with Peoplelink Consultants.
goretti@peoplelink.co.ke
