The team leader is a very important role in any team environment. An effective team leader can influence a team’s ability to accomplish goals while an ineffective team leader can leave a team feeling defeated and discouraged. For this reason, a team leader’s skills and responsibilities are important as they lead a team to accomplishing that which it was set out to do.
Examples of Team Leader Skills
Teacher
Instructs and educates team members on basic team dynamics and guides the group through the common stages of team development – Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Transforming.
Big Picture Thinker
The team leader needs to be able to see the big picture and understands how what the team is working toward affects organizational goals and strategy. Through this lens the leader keeps the group focused on the team’s charter and goals.
Coach
Coaches members on appropriate team behaviors, is skilled at conflict resolution and reinforces team ground rules. They encourage and keep the process moving toward the shared goal.
Negotiator
Has the ability to negotiate with senior leadership to ensure the team has the necessary resources (time, people, budget) needed to accomplish their goals.
Communicator
Is comfortable providing constructive feedback to the team as well as individual team members. This is important because appropriate feedback helps to resolve conflict, brings resolution to problems and helps to build trust amongst team members.
Conflict Resolution
Has a good understanding of team dynamics and understands that conflict can be healthy if managed properly. Proactively confronts issues and works toward win-win solutions.
Team Leader Responsibilities
- Works with leadership on team charter, goals and expectations.
- Negotiates with leadership to gain high level commitment for necessary team resources.
- Establishes goals, objectives and target deadlines for team.
- Establishes and gains consensus on team ground rules.
- Encourages fair play with team rules and ensures all team members are held accountable for their actions.
- Communicates expectations of the team and the importance of completing team assignments on time.
- Ensures team establishes measurable goals.
- Takes proactive steps in eliminating team members who do not adhere to team rules.
- Helps the team with conflict resolution and educates them on how to constructively solve problems.
- Reviews and monitors team progress toward goals.
- Ensures team celebrates successes.
Whether a team is defined as a departmental work group, a special project team or a group of volunteers working toward a common goal, if team members understand what is expected of them (goals), have the time, tools and training to do their job (resources) and are rewarded for doing a good job, you will have a healthy, happy and productive team.
photo by: jiheffee
