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5 Keys To Being An Effective Team Leader

Since the back-bone of leadership is based on the ability to effectively lead any group of persons toward the accomplishment of a single vision, goal, or objective, one of most powerful leadership traits is effective team leadership. Team leaders are responsible for much more than simply making their followers feel supported, they also have an enormous impact, be it positive or negative, on the entire team and how it progressed towards its goals.

It is important that team leaders ensure that they take the time to interact with each member of the team, because interaction is what determines how the whole team will perform as a unit and the type of cooperation that the leader will get from his or her team.

There are five specific kinds of behavioral keys that any team leader should engage him or herself in; these actions have been tested and are proven to be create effectiveness in various working environment.

Key #1.) Monitoring & Feedback – Since ensuring that the team moves at a proper pace towards its goals and objectives are among some of the leader’s most important tasks, monitoring the team’s work effectively and giving positive feedback to motivate them further is crucial to success. Since problems will always arise in almost every given situation, the team leader should always monitor the reactions to the problems of each of his/her team members and push to find a solution by understanding the root cause of the problem and tackling it at the source.

Usually when a leader does not take the time to push past the immediate reactions of his/her team and find the answer by uncovering the real source of the problem, it can cause more headache simply because the blame may fall on someone who is honestly not at fault. It is your responsibility as a team leader to ensure that you understand the real problem and know the root cause, before you attempt to tackle it head on.

Key #2.) Backing The Team In Their Decisions And Actions – Many times, what causes a team to lose confidence in a leaders’ ability to manage them and help them fulfill their assignment, is lack of support for their decisions and actions. No matter how well planned, well thought out a team’s ideas and actions are, there is always the chance that something may not work.

Nothing is more disheartening to a team when they have together decided on a course of action together, and the leader disconnects him/herself from the process because things do not work out as plan. As long as the team is succeeding, the leader is behind their decisions and actions, but as soon as things do not work out, the leader backs away and pretends he/she had nothing to do with their failing actions.

No one wants to work with a leader who will only lead and support in the good times, but them “jump-ship” when things begin to go bad. Since his/her leadership can not be trusted, the team will lose all confidence in their ability to lead by navigating them through both the good and bad times. If you want to succeed as a great team leader, provide support to your team’s decision making and actions, this will cause them to connect with you on an even deeper level.

Key #3.) Share The Burdens – Many times during the process of successfully leading a team towards the completion of their goals, numerous stressful situations will arise that will put pressure on the entire team. A good team leader will always step in and help to ease the stressful situations for those working under him/her by doing whatever he/she can to make the process easier and simpler for the team – even if that means that he/she must roll up his/her sleeves and jump into the trenches to help out with menial tasks.

Key #4.) Give Private Of Public Praise – One of the leadership traits that make a leader stand out as a great one to work with is their ability to recognizes the good work of various individual in the team and knowing whether this should be praised privately or publicly in front of the entire team. Being honest and gracious with your praise for a job well done as a leader, will encourage your team to work even harder and you will succeed even faster than you thought possible.

Key #5.) Be Willing To Consults Team Members – Another good leadership trait of successful leader is that they take the time to consult their team about their work and even ask for clarity on certain issues that another team member may be more knowledgeable about. This is one of the mark of a secure leader. He/she is not intimidated by someone else having more information or knowledge about various things, and is not afraid to admit when he/she does not know the answers. Another thing that these leaders share is their openness to the ideas and opinions of each of their team members.

These leaders realize that sometimes so of the best ideas and answers come from the people whom them lead – and they are not afraid to ask for those ideas. This strengthens the bond even stronger between a leader and his/her team and the team will respect and respond to their leader with even greater measure.

A team’s interaction with one another is negative when the leader is engaged in the three kinds of On the same note, there are also 3 things that any team leader msut avoid if he/she will be a success. Any team leader who:

a.) ineffectively monitors the work and displays an inadequate comprehension of his team’s capabilities and provides negative and non-constructive feedback and delay on the checking of the status of work.

b.) fails to clarify objectives and roles by giving assignments that aren’t the responsibilities of a team member and

c.) ineffectively deals with problems at hand.

will always suffer from a uncooperative, unorganized, and unsuccessful team that will fail at every single turn; and if they do manage to scrape a shred of success, it will be quickly overcomed by frustration and a never-ending cycle of failure.

Therefore, a team leader must be on top of his game when it comes to the responsibilities of each team member. By being updated on the situation, he will have an easier time coming up with a solution when a problem arises. This makes it easier for the team and the leader as well.

A team leader must also be charismatic enough to be liked by his members. At the same time, he should show them that he isn’t one to be pushed. He should have authority but at the same time he should be able to put himself in his subordinates’ shoes.

Empathy is a key character of any team leader. By supporting each individual member, he will be able to reach out to them in ways that they would like from a leader. By sympathizing with each member, the team leader gets to know him and her on both a personal and professional level that will be beneficial to the team.

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Understanding Team Leadership

If you have served in a position of leadership in any way of form, from parenting to business, church, or even school leadership, you know and understand that leadership can be a very challenging task.

Many times as leaders we don’t always get the privilege to choose who is on our team. In fact in most cases a leader often inherits a team, of which most of the members have been there far longer than the leader, and may even know more about the work than the leader.

Whatever the present situation, one of the most important responsibilities of any leader is to motivate and encourage team members to all work together towards the common objective.

Okay, I admit it, just getting people to work together towards a simple goal can sometimes be a difficult challenge because of the diverse strengths, weaknesses, and work styles of members on the team; but it is from these team dynamics that a competent leader can pull great success.

You have probably seen in your own leadership roles that the team dynamics can also be complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts, yet as the leaders, you not only must work with this group of people, but also needs to achieve the results expected by those you answer to.

One of the things that can help you succeed as a leader which comes with great benefits is the ability to identify the types of personalities that make up your team. By getting a simple understanding of the basic personality types, you can use the individual strengths of your  members for the good of the team; you can also more accurately assign tasks that individual team member’s may naturally excel in – giving them an added personal advantage which decreases the stress levels and speeds up the success rate.

To be an effective leader, you will need to learn how to communicate in a way that is encouraging and motivating; a communication method that takes into account the needs, values and working preferences of the various team members that make up your group.

One of the fastest ways to see the really good results is by working with and utilizing the strengths and working style characteristics of the personalities on your team. Once you learn how to correctly positioning each individual team member according to their strengths while compensating for their weaknesses, your leadership will bring the team into a productive balance and harmony.

I want to share with you a simple brief overview of the different values and working styles of the four dominant personality types which will demonstrate to you the importance of adding this piece of knowledge to your successful leadership toolkit.

Okay, let’s begin. There are basically four types of personality we will use for this exercise which we will be described using the colors Gold, Blue, Green and Orange – to create a more vivid picture in your mind so that you can better absorb this concept.

The Solid Gold Member (The Contributor) – Let’s start of with the Solid Gold team member. This is usually the type of individual who take their work and responsibilities very seriously. The gold personality want to contribute in whatever way they can; they are true team players and show that they want the team to to be successful and productive. These types of people usually respond well to recognition, rewards and incentives.

However, gold team members need well defined responsibilities, they need things structured properly, they need firm expectations and time-lines as well as being reassured from authority that they are on the right track. Once you create a solid structure for them to function by and are willing to reassure them about their progress, they will work almost tirelessly with you

The Solid Blue Team Member (The Relator) – The next personality is the Blue team member. These types of persons usually need an open social atmosphere to be able work well. This is often the case simply because relationships are important to them and they need the freedom to be able to nurture relationships with coworkers, customers and employers..

The solid blue team member will usually abhor conflict and intense competition simply because their personality trait and possible life experiences would have taught them that these things destroy relationship instead of build them – and they prefer creating connections with others. You will find though that your strong Blue team member will thrive in a positive, creative, service orientated atmosphere.

The Solid Green Team Member (The Expert) – The next personality is the Green team member. This personality type is more noted for expertise, knowledge of the job, and their ability to focus on a task and produce expert results – they are not known for their people skills…and if you make the mistake of placing them in environments that demand they be personable and deal with clients and customers, you business will suffer for it.

These people excel at working with facts, data, research and analytical projects; they really shine in areas that place a demand on their abilities for designing, understanding complex systems, and strategizing. Facts and figures are usually really important for this group or persons, but they have a weakness for routine follow through and are somewhat huge disadvantage when it comes to their social interaction with others.

The Solid Orange Team Members (The Energetic) – The last group of persons can usually be discovered through their noticeable high energy levels, their skills and creativity. One of the key factors for this personality type is the freedom to be able to use their skills and abilities. If there is too much structure, or their boss is very dictatorial, these type of persons would not function too well because they would feel suffocated.

Another great quality that your orange team members will bring to the table is that they enjoy working with others and do well in a spirit of teamwork, competition and camaraderie. They are action orientated though, and can become impatient with prolonged talking and detailed administrative tasks, so move wisely in your dealings if you want to maximize their productivity.

As a good leader, by understanding the personality colors of your team, you can use this knowledge to effectively blend your team members into a strong, cohesive, well coordinated unit that is poised to win. Once you learn how to facilitate each team members’ function in their areas of natural strength and encourage them by communicating in unique ways that inspire harmony and team work, you will be well on your way to achieving extraordinary results along with your team.

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Tapping Into Your Superhero Leadership Trait

If you ever watched Spiderman and you were paying attention to all the various parts of the storyline, not just the action sequences, I’m sure you saw the scene where the wisdom and experience of an old man was passed down to the young Spiderman who was filled with youth and strength. There was a scene in the movie when Peter Parker’s grandfather looked at him and said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” and this rings true not just for those who have super powers, but all leaders in every aspect of life and work.

Just as the town people expected Spiderman, other comic book or movie superhero to be responsible for saving their city, or even the world, in some cases from evil because they had super powers, leaders are expected to fulfill thier roles of leadership and carry the weight of being responsible for those they lead. The same way Spiderman, or Superman had to make sure to be responsible in using their powers for the good of the people around them. all leader are responsible for using their influence and authority to positively impact the lives of those who are under their leadership.

So if you look at if from this simple angle, you will see that leadership is not that much different at all different from being a superhero. Well, you may not have super powers like Superman and Spiderman, but you do have the authority to lead other people towards success; and this is a much greater and stronger influence simply because it is a power that can be used by real people in this real world in a real way.

As a leader, you are required to possess a great sense of responsibility towards the people you lead; and this is something every successful leader strives to attain in every aspect of their leadership.

This power to lead people towards achieving a common vision, comes with responsibilities like making sure they are on the right track; being aware of each and everyone’s strengths, weaknesses, tasks and mistakes, and helping them find their way back on the right track when they get lost or confused. Who said it is easy to be a leader? Well, it is not…because it comes with tons of responsibilities—yet, true leaders are always willing to accept them all.

Of course there are many instances where sometimes it would just make us feel better to blame somebody or something else when things don’t work out according to plan, or when something goes wrong—that’s just our human side wanting to find the easiest way out. However, this should not be practiced, especially by a good leader!

As a good leader you should always take full responsibility for any task – because as much as you are responsible for your team’s success, you should also be willing to accept the responsibility for any failures. You represents the whole team so whatever happens to it, you are ultimately responsible.

It is important to note that making excuses and blaming others for failed jobs or mistakes is not a quality of a good leader and if you practice these actions, you soon won’t have anyone to lead. What should be done instead, is to accept the fact that something goes wrong with the organization, even if it is not your fault, you take responsibility to sort out the problem.

Now we all realize that it is indeed normal to make mistakes, as a matter of fact, making mistakes are as much a part of life as succeeding, and because of this fact, we understand that mistakes are often great opportunities to learn to do something better or to improve in some area for higher productivity the next time around. So ss a leader, it is also your responsibility to ensure that your team members learn from these mistakes so that these errors can be avoided next time.

Even though you may never have full control over others and you are not expected to have full control over their actions, what you do have full control over is your own reactions. Knowing what to do over unexpected and unpredictable situations will make you responsible, hence giving you true power as an effective leader.

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9 Steps To Improving Your Christian Leadership Skills

The church world today, is facing one of its toughest challenges. While is battles with living up to the moral, ethical, and Godly standards that Christ Jesus has set himself for this body of believers to live by, this challenge is one of a different kind.

It is no secret that the body of Christ is facing a huge leadership challenge; one that is literally trying to erode its very foundation and stability, and it is more important than ever before that if you are involved in church leadership of any kind, than you understand how to walk the path of true inspired leadership.

Here are 9 simple steps to help you along…

1) Ensure You Walk The Walk – One of the most important things you can do as a Christian leader is to ensure that you walk what you talk—this means that you live according to what you believe. If there is anything in your life, moral or ethical, which would not stand up to scrutiny if the entire world found out—you must eliminate it immediately.  Do not give anyone an occasion to think that you are a hypocrite.

2) Walk With Honesty – Work in a manner that ensures that every decision that you make is both honest and ethical.  It is difficult to lead anyone effectively, whether they are Christians or not, when the decisions and actions that you make cane be perceived as unfair, unscrupulous, and dishonest. Keep your decisions and action above-board

3) Tell The Truth – Even though this should be an integral part of every Christian leader, it requires being said. Commit to telling the truth no matter what.  As a Christian leader, when you lie or tell half-truths, people tend to feel that your entire faith is a scam.  In fact, if you are habitually lying and telling half-truths, your faith may indeed be a scam, and should seek God’s grace in this part of your life.

4) Remain A Learning Leader – Learning leaders, always tend to make the best ones to follow. It should be an honor for you to learn and understand everything you can about what you have been chose to do, even if it means rolling up your sleeves and working in the trenches for awhile.  No one likes to be led by someone who has never done what they are requiring to be done.  This doesn’t mean you have to become an expert, just participate in the menial work long enough to understand the frustrating aspects of the work.  Another benefit to this is, when you have actually done the work, you can more effectively brainstorm solutions to challenges when they arise.

5) Lead By Example – Let your leadership be an exemplary one. How can you expect your employees or secretaries to arrive on time for work, and well dressed, if you are always late and sloppy looking?  They will follow what they see you doing.  Oftentimes, too many leaders think that their positions has earned them the right to do as they please – without being accountable. This is wrong. The higher you get in leadership, the more accountable you must be, simply because you are now responsible for leading others in the right paths by your own example.

6) Stay Productive – Do not drop your productive involvement;  Even though you may feel you have earned the right to delegate away all the work, continue to be involved in productive tasks.  By doing some of the work, not only do you gain the respect of your people, but also you keep in touch with the flow of things.  As a leader, it is easy to become disengaged from the actual productive parts of your work, and start making decisions that look good on paper and sound good around the boardroom table; but beware of this tactic because this type of decision making process is makes for worthless decisions when the rubber meets the road.

7) Check Up On Yourself – It is important that you constantly reevaluate your own performance.  Often, you may spend so much time correcting the actions of others and solving crises you didn’t create, that you develop a sense that you are often without faults and weaknesses in your scope of work.  Track you own growth and progress as well, and ask for honest feedback from others; you may not recognize when you are falling into bad habits that also need to be corrected.  Be the first to recognize and correct your own short-falling.

8) Sidestep Pride – Many times in positions of leadership, especially if you are good at what you do, it becomes easy to begin feeling that you are invincible.  When these ideas start floating around in your head, you should be aware that this often makes you more vulnerable to pride, and may cause you to become more difficult to follow as a leader. This can have a devastating effect on those who follow you. There is a thin line between strong confidence and foolish pride – make sure you stay humble and do not cross that line.

9) Learn To Wisely Manage Your Time – When you are in a position of leadership and find yourself delegating away most of the time-consuming tasks, it is easy to lose control of your time.  Again, when your people see you wasting your time, they will tend to do the same.

Remember, true leadership is about more than telling people what to do and when to do it because you are in charge; it is about helping other ro grow and thrive because of the valuable examples that you are setting in your position of authority.

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