While achieving a management title is a noteworthy accomplishment, what’s even more noteworthy is becoming a leader who inspires the passion and loyalty of a team.
The latter is far less simple and noticeably less common. Understanding how leadership and team building works is critical to the success of both a manager and a company. The following tips will help improve an organization’s team from top to bottom.
Avoid Micromanagement
New managers often make this major misstep, forgetting that they’ve been equipped with an array of very capable people. Allowing those valuable resources to do their work without hovering over them will reduce much of the friction in building a new team. Micromanagement is very rarely an effective tool.
Team and Leadership Bonds Take Time
Rome wasn’t built in a day—and neither are cohesive teams. The strength of a team is built up slowly by developing trust and cooperation between members. Bonding that team to a leader is even more challenging. Being a manager is not enough to inspire good work out of a team. Leadership is the key. Authority figures must pave the way for collaboration, interaction, and communication.
Would You Work For You?
From leaders who are just starting out to those who have been in position for decades, this simple question should be asked of oneself on a regular basis. If the answer is no, then some introspection is necessary. The goal is to make some positive changes in management methods or behaviors.
Not Everyone Should Lead or Manage
Understanding the motivation and desires of each individual team member is a must for a great leader. Not all team members aspire to be management greats, nor are they equipped to be. In most cases, higher compensation in a field is often tied to the management path, luring team members into an ill-fitting job title that is not often a successful experience. As a leader, consider compensating quality team members with other factors they find valuable (flexible work arrangements, stretch assignments, bonus opportunities) instead of pointing them down the wrong career path.
Using Objective Performance Indicators
One of the most frustrating situations as a contributing team member can be a reward system that is felt to be unfair, weighted, or unattainable. Balance the scales of evaluation by establishing success criteria. Quantitative performance objectives are an easy way for employees to understand success or failure, and they are less likely to cause conflict and turnover.
Form Strong Partnerships
Viewing everyone as a customer, whether internal or external, is a great way to build an excellent relationship. Take ownership of problems and give credit to others for successes. In doing so, trust is magnified and a gleaming reputation is earned. Show compassion and thoughtfulness whenever possible; these qualities will result in strong interpersonal bonds.
Don’t Disregard the Needs of the Business
In IT, the lure towards the shiny and new is very strong. However, in the pursuit of the latest and greatest, the needs of current customers often fall by the wayside and are forgotten. The result may be a dissatisfied customer base or failure to capitalize on small pieces of work effort that could gain loyalty and ultimately revenue. Listen to those doing the work, as they often hear about the result.
Leaders inspire, motivate, and nurture their teams and business, allowing organic growth into an unstoppable innovation machine. By acting as a guide, mentor, and partner rather than a regulator, the rewards will be easy to reap.