Paula,
Drawing on past experiences is important. Especially for young managers, leading by example is crucial to earning respect of the more experienced employees. There is one piece of advice I always give to young managers. Don’t be afraid to ask your experienced team members for guidance. A manager does not need to know everything. Sometimes, new managers feel that asking their employees questions makes them look weak. In reality, it shows that you are comfortable in your role and have respect for all opinions.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Such great advice. I will try this. Thank you.
Paula,
Wonderful! Best of luck to you.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Unfortunately I do not think everyone can be a true team leader. I think anyone can work in a Managerial position but to be a true team leader that takes so much more than skill:) To encompass all the levels of being a team leader is special.
In a team setting I believe that you will have people that are natural leaders and others that are satisfied with being the support. There are certain people that have the ability to influence others and attract attention in a group setting. As to the question "Do you believe that anybody can be trained to be a Team Leader? I think leaders can be trained, but true leaders have learned how to managed people through years of experience, witnessing the results after making decisions on a project, and dealing with many personalities throughout their career.
Beth,
There are two schools of thought – one that says leaders are born and one that says that leaders are made. Regardless of your opinion, I agree with your assessment that being a team leader is special. There is a great quote by Russell Ewing that sums it up. “A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions.â€
Dr. Jamie Morley
Edward,
Very insightful response! I agree that experience is a great teacher. One of my favorite books is called “Flight of the Buffalo.†The book compares the leadership strategies of Buffalo and Geese. Buffalo herds have one leader and when the herd is in danger the buffalos surround the leader. Unfortunately, if the leader gets killed, the herd scatters and is decimated because none of the other buffalo were ever trained to be the leader. Geese fly in a V formation. Every goose is taught how to be at the front of the V and lead the flock. If the leader is hurt, injured, or tired, another goose takes the lead role. Organizations are very similar. As you suggest, having people observe and participate in other roles before becoming the leader is excellent training for the job.
Dr. Jamie Morley
My answer to the question is that anyone can be trained to be a team leader, but only if they have the desire to be team leader.
I disagree, anyone who wants to become a leader, and means it, is capable. They have to want it and take the steps to become it.
You dont need to encompass all the skills for being a leader, you need to have the confidence to surround yourself with others who possess skills that you may not have.
Alexander,
There are two schools of thought – one that says leaders are born and one that says that leaders are made. Regardless of your opinion, I agree with your assessment that you need to be capable to be a leader. If you wanted to be a leader, what steps would you recommend to help somebody achieve that goal?
Dr. Jamie Morley
Alexander,
Interesting perspective! I agree with you that people can receive training to bring out or strengthen their leadership qualities. People can also be taught the fundamentals of management and supervision, as well as how to follow and implement policies and procedures. What training do you think would be required to create a great leader that would inspire his or her team members?
Dr. Jamie Morley
Alexander,
You are right! Having confidence and surrounding yourself with capable people are keys to success. A good manager or team leader needs to be able to help channel or compartmentalize great ideas into actionable ones and then motivate the team to want to accomplish something. It is wonderful when team members have complimenting skill sets. However, sometimes you don't get to pick your team. If you were a manager and you had a team of motivated folks who had similar skill sets and all wanted their ideas to be utilized, how would you motivate and manage them?
Dr. Jamie Morley
I recommend reading books on leadership (21 Irrefutable Laws is great) and overall begin the process of working on yourself. Begin by not blaming others for your failures but by owning up to them, establishing your personal baseline if you will and creating your own leadership plan. Further, I recommend considering work, and other situations in your life as opportunities for your to develop your leadership now.
I like that you use the word inspire. I think in a nutshell that is what leadership really is. If given a choice, people tend to follow a leader stronger than them and the strongest leader in the room. Usually this person is effective at inspiring people - helping them believe in a vision and more importantly to believe in themselves.
I would motivate them by encouraging their creativity and ideas, create a space for all of us as a team to discuss and sift through the ideas, decide on the ideas that are the best based on that conversation(s), and then implement asap. Each team member - a leader in their own right - would be given the flexibility and freedom to implement their portion and as they grow and improve, they would be given more and more responsability.
Alexander,
I love your idea about creating a place for collaboration. Drop Box and icloud are great free resources to do that. I have found that the brainstorming sessions do need to be monitored by somebody to ensure they stay on point. Sometimes, requiring a manager or team leader to post a question or upload a document to the page reminds them to check the health of the conversations.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Alexander,
Interesting perspective! There are all types of different leaders. Some have a commanding presence and others do not. Take, for example, the difference in leadership qualities of Gandhi versus Martin Luther King or President Reagan. All made a huge difference, but one did so in a “tear down this wall†forceful way, MLK advocated peaceful protests and Gandhi through just peace. All three men were leaders and had a presence about them, but would not have necessarily been considered the strongest person in the room. It comes down to inspiring others to follow.
Dr. Jamie Morley
Alexander,
I will read your recommendation since I have not heard of it before. two of my favorite leadership books are "Servant Leadership" and "Flight of the Buffalo." In the latter, the book compares the leadership strategies of Buffalo and Geese. Buffalo herds have one leader and when the herd is in danger the buffalos surround the leader. Unfortunately, if the leader gets killed, the herd scatters and is decimated because none of the other buffalo were ever trained to be the leader. Geese fly in a V formation. Every goose is taught how to be at the front of the V and lead the flock. If the leader is hurt, injured, or tired, another goose takes the lead role. Organizations are very similar. The best managers and leaders should always be “training their replacement†as opposed to guarding information.
Thanks for sharing!
Dr. Jamie Morley
I think the qualities and roles of team leaders must be somewhere inside of the person already in order to be a successful team leader. Because of that my answer would be no. I did a lot of thinking about this question as I was recently promoted to Program Director. Initially, I was unsure if I could fulfill the needs of the other 6 members in my department. I decided to have a department meeting before taking on the position and ask the others what they thought the challenges with my changing role would be. The overall response was "you are a natural born leader!" They also stated that they would never want to take on that role because I do not have the ability to handle the situations and struggles that may arise. I have to say I love coaching and being an initiator and well as staying positive and collaborating with our team.
We have encountered many challenges together but the rewards are great. Every week or two I review our trials and tribulations and send out an email thanking them and telling them how grateful I am to have such a cohesive, hardworking team. I ask myself how could any of this without my amazing team?
