6 Pointers for Up-and-Coming Team Leaders

We’ve included more details regarding managing teams and working remotely in 2024 to our revised list of advice for aspiring team leaders. These pointers will assist you in creating and sustaining a cooperative, successful team while enhancing your leadership abilities.

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As A New Team Leader, You May Have a Lot on Your Plate.

It might be intimidating to manage a team for the first time, whether you’re starting from scratch or taking over an established one. Personal experience is not a solid foundation upon which to build. If you’re a new team leader, you’re undoubtedly excited about the opportunity to lead or thinking about leaving—or maybe a little bit of both. Additionally, a growing number of teams are adopting a hybrid model of in-office and at-home work, or working remotely. Today’s new leaders have a lot more work ahead of them.

1. Give yourself enough time to lead

Team leaders must put in time into their roles in order to be effective. All too frequently, this duty is only added to someone’s already extensive to-do list, setting up the new leader for failure.

Being present and willing to assist the team is essential for a team leader. Your new leadership position includes the responsibility of cultivating a positive workplace and community. You won’t be able to help your team as much if you’re too busy doing important, hands-on work for yourself. Thus, before assuming a leadership position in the first place, make sure to analyze and renegotiate your workload.

2. Learn About Your Group

The core of leadership is persuading others to accomplish goals. If you don’t get to know your team members and what motivates them, you’ll struggle with this. Even while it might be tempting to dive right in and make bold decisions right away, keep in mind that your goal is not to show off your ego.

Spend time getting to know your team members; learn about their concerns and goals; exchange ideas; and pinpoint potential advantages and disadvantages. Then and only then can you create a leadership strategy that has a possibility of working. The first step to building a strong relationship with the team and earning their respect and trust is getting to know the people you work with. Here, the proverb “listen twice as much as you speak” is still applicable.

Talk to your team, particularly the members who might be having difficulties. It works well for new team leaders to have quick check-ins, lasting ten to fifteen minutes, once or twice a week. You may also set up times on your calendar for “office-hours,” when people can come to you for support or just to talk.

3. Keep communicating. Keep communicating.

Maintaining communication is essential for developing connections, evaluating progress, and identifying risks and difficulties after your team is up and running. When leading remote teams, where workers may get isolated in their own small work bubbles, this is very useful. New team leaders frequently see increased team engagement when they communicate clearly and frequently. This is a result of their witnessing your time investment in them and your interest in their pursuits.

Maintaining constant contact can also improve the nature of your team’s discussions. You have greater power, for example, to clearly define roles and duties so that everyone is aware of what has to be done, why, and by when. Though it may seem apparent, don’t assume that everyone is as knowledgeable about the project as you are.

Encourage and accept novel concepts. Your team will be delighted the more they can contribute to the project. When members of your team do well, let them know that you appreciate what they’ve done. Your team will respond more quickly, be happier, be more productive, and feel more empowered to take the lead on tasks and projects in the future.

The process of interacting with your team requires careful consideration and balance. New team managers may find it easy to overcompensate for the remote work environment or to check in too often, which can breed distrust and reduce team output. Provide honest and sincere help.

4. Set a Good Example

Consider the kinds of actions you anticipate and desire from your team members. Make sure you embody such qualities. As the team’s leader, you serve as an example, and the attitudes and work habits of the group will be influenced by what you say and do. Having said that, it’s critical to be authentic and have confidence in oneself. Faking it can quickly reveal your true identity and cause you to lose credibility and trust.

Be sincere, forthright, and fervent. If you treat every member of the team equally, respectfully, and without preference, you’ll get the same in return. Show the remaining members of the organization the same politeness. Never belittle or disparage other people or departments in front of the group. Make it obvious that everyone is there to work for the same objectives and overall success.

5. Give Thanks for the Good and Take Note of the Bad (And Ugly)

Acknowledge and reward excellent work when it is due. Even while you might not be able to give your staff promotions or salary increases, verbal appreciation can still go a long way toward letting them know you recognize and value their accomplishments.

Address concerns related to subpar performance with the same promptness. The harder it will be to mend them, the longer you leave them. See the good in everyone and accept that errors will occur. When they occur, take lessons from them and look for ways to avoid them in the future. And in all that you do, avoid assigning blame.

Have difficult conversations in private if necessary; avoid humiliating others in front of others during meetings, conference calls, or group emails. Don’t attempt to win a popularity contest either. Your job and ethics will suffer if you focus more on being everyone’s buddy than on being a great leader, even if not everyone will appreciate all of your ideas and feedback.

6. Assign

Have faith in the work of your staff. Being a team leader does not include micromanaging every move or performing other people’s tasks for them. Let them know exactly what is expected of them and let them to proceed. Assisting your team members to attain self-sufficiency allows them to enhance their position within your company according to their preferences. Don’t add every new problem to your personal to-do list; instead, empower the team to discover a solution on their own with your assistance when challenges or opportunities occur.