Effective Team Leaders are pivotal to the success of any organization. It is the Team Leader that ensures the Team is focused on achieving organizational goals, that they are performing at a high level and that they are successful.
The role of Team Leader is a complex one involving high levels of interpersonal skills, people management competencies, process management and personal effectiveness – to name but a few. 80% of these are people centered competencies and these are very new to the beginner Team Leader. The skills must be learnt very quickly.
It is not just the quantity of these new skills that makes this learning challenging, but the very nature of people centered competencies complicates everything. We are talking about the way that person looks, the way he or she is perceived by others, the way their behaviour impacts on others. Talking about these areas in public threatens our self image and even how we view our world.
Theoretical learning in a public training group can teach us some of the framework of Leadership. However, in a public classroom style environment, it is almost impossible to remove the blocks created by that self image barrier. Few internalize the learning and apply it in the workplace.
A tailored in-house training program, where good trainer can create a coaching style learning environment, is the ideal training ground for a group of Team Leaders. A well designed customized program will be set entirely in the real environment of that group of Leaders, using their internal organizational processes, values and context.
Here they can gain the theory, and they can also practice their leadership skills in a safe and non threatening environment. They can role-play holding team meetings, giving motivational team talks and holding one-to-one coaching sessions with their Team members. They can receive coaching and feedback initially from the Trainer, but as their skills develop, the Team Leaders can apply their skills by coaching each other.
By the end of their Team Leader training program they not only have learnt, practiced and improved their skills, but they have bonded as a highly effective ‘Team’ of Team Leaders. They have a shared focus which is aligned to that organization’s purpose and goals, and they have a shared understanding of the Leadership role in that particular Company.
Working together after the in-house program, they are encourage and challenge each other to apply the learning in the workplace. They are comfortable giving feedback to each other, and this will stimulate and motivate each to improve their people skills and Leadership qualities.
They hit the ground running, and with supporters to cheer them on.
Kate Tammemagi specializes in designing and running fully customized Training Courses. She has extensive experience designing and delivering customized Team Leader Training and Supervisor Training Courses.