Teambuilding

3. Leading the Team

Leading teams is an art. But the basic skills of leadership can be learnt (see Leadership).

3.1 Successful leaders organise and enable.

• Make sure your objectives for the team are SMART - specific, measurable, agreed, realistic and time-limited.
• Provide appropriate resources for the team to do its job. For example, adequate equipment and working space.
• Delegate tasks and make sure they are carried out and quality-controlled.
• Draw up flexible contingency plans so you can deal with things going wrong. For example, make sure another team member can deputise if a colleague is ill on the day of a critical sales presentation.

3.2 Leaders motivate and give their teams energy.

• Be enthusiastic about the team's objectives and the likelihood of success.
• Praise team members' achievements generously and promptly.
• Celebrate and publicise achievements. For example, if a team successfully launches a new product, congratulate the people involved at your company meeting and tell other employees via email.
• Ask team members for their opinions and explain the thinking behind your decisions.
• Lead by example. Show that you keep your word and that you support team rules and procedures.

3.3 Review the performance of the team itself.

• Hold reviews regularly.
• Keep the tone of reviews positive.
• Discuss how the team is organised. For example, could one member of the team be doing something differently to improve the team's effectiveness?

3.4 Review the team's objectives.

• Do they need modifying?
• What extra resources might be required?

3.5 The team leader takes final responsibility for the team's success or failure.

• Be prepared to be disliked. Leaders must sometimes risk unpopularity by identifying poor performance and taking decisions some team members will disagree with.
• Be ready to make the final decision.

3.6 Leaders must be prepared to act as counsellors.

• Develop your listening skills. Make it clear that your door is open to anyone who wants to discuss aspects of the team's work.
• Maintain confidentiality when team members come to you with problems.
• Do not let individuals undermine the team by lobbying for changes in private.