Effective Leadership:

Teamwork

9 Roles of a Team Leader

How To Become a Great Team Leader

1. Provide purpose. Everything starts with vision. You cannot have a real team without one because people will not find the desire to achieve the common goal.

   Winning Team: 7 Elements

   The team members will work together and sacrifice only if they can see what they're  working toward. Capturing and communicating vision is your role as a team leader. Only you can do it. Create an inspiring vision. Provide the big picture and keep the vision of the big picture before yourself and your people. Every team member "has a role to play, and every role has its part in contributing to the bigger picture. Without that perspective the team cannot accomplish its goal, whether the team's "game" is sports, business, family, ministry, or government," says John C. Maxwell, the author of The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.

2. Build a star team, not a team of stars. Your team will not reach its potential if players are unwilling to subordinate their personal goals to the good of the team. As Ervin "Magic" Johnson put it, "Everybody on a championship team doesn't get publicity, but everyone can say he's a champion." Be personally a team player. Teach people to cooperate to make a team a winning team, and thus all of them winners. Involve everyone. Establish shared values and  an environment oriented to trust, joint creativity, open communication, and cohesive team effort. Help resolve dysfunctional behavior. Facilitate joint problem solving and collaboration. Fully utilize diversity of team members.

3. Establish shared ownership for the results. Start with yourself – share your own individual results with the group. Shared responsibility is better achieved if the pay and reward system has a significant element that is dependent on the overall outcome. Keep the team informed how individual members are performing – it is important if Individuals' rewards depended on the performance of the group as a whole.

4. Develop team members to fullest potential. Bring out the best in your people. Help team members to develop so that all of them could effectively participate on the team. Lead by setting a good example. Train, coach and provide effective feedback.

5. Make the work interesting and engaging. Create enjoyable work environment. Encourage entrepreneurial creativity, risk-taking, and constant improvement. This includes also freedom to fail and fun in the workplace. Maintain healthy group dynamics. Facilitate problem solving and collaboration.

6. Develop a self-managing team. Be a superleader. Develop team members so that they can lead themselves. Don't give direct commands or instructions, use questions (such as "What do you think should be done?") and coaching instead. Empower people, delegate authority, and be open to ideas. Trust your team, rely on their judgment. Give your people authority to decide as much as possible. Encourage your team to engage in self-leadership behaviors such as self-observation, role-playing exercises, and self-problem-solving. Encourage your team or groups within your team to evaluate themselves and to give both positive and negative feedback. Share with the team members certain areas of your responsibility. Ask for their input when you need to make a decision regarding recruitment, firing, discipline, training, and promotion.

7. Motivate and inspire team members. Be enthusiastic, inspire and energize people. Set stretch goals. Recognize and celebrate team and team member accomplishments and exceptional performance

8. Lead and facilitate constructive communication. Lead the rich array of

types of communication exchanged between team members that include goal setting, task assignments, work scheduling, announcements, problem solving, performance evaluation, corrective feedback, praise, discussions, etc. Communicate in a way that is truthful and believable to team members. Provide constructive feedback to the team on where and how it might improve. Encourage open communication among team members and communicate team views to and from other teams. Encourage self-criticism and rehearsal. Strive for team consensus and win-win agreements. Provide guidance to the team based on upper management direction. Escalate issues which cannot be resolved by the team  and communicate team views to upper management. Serve as a focal point to communicate and resolve interface and integration issues with other teams.

9. Monitor, but don't micromanage. Avoid close supervision; do not overboss; do not dictate. Help keep the team focused and on track. Communicate team status, task accomplishment, and direction. Intervene when necessary to aid the group in resolving issues.

References:

1. The Wisdom of Teams, John Katzenbach and Douglas Smith

2. The Cycles of Leadership, Noel M. Tichy

3. The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, John C. Maxwell

4. Teambuilding That Gets Results, Linda Diamond and Harriet Diamond

5. Team vs Group: Implications for Leaders, Leadership Development Coaching

6. Team Building Guide

7. TeamBuildingInformation