We often hear the term ‘team leaders’ at work, in school, and even in our communities, but only a handful of people really understand their importance. Some see them as those who are given the most number of responsibilities, while others think of them as the people who get to do the least work in a group as they usually delegate the tasks to their members. Whatever the case may be, team leaders are a unique group of people with a special role to play and functions to perform. Though the role of team leaders varies greatly from one setting to another, they are undoubtedly the drivers of success of any group.

What are team leaders?

Team leaders, or team leads as some people call it, are those who mobilise their members to ensure that the team attains its objectives, and provide strategic direction and guidance in the course of its project. It goes without saying that the team lead role is crucial as it heavily influences the outcome of the group’s undertaking. Team leaders, therefore, should be able to clearly define the project goals and map out strategies to realise the same. It is equally important for them to know how to capitalize on the expertise of each of their members and to effectively manage their key action items.

Team leader skills

To help them carry out their functions, team leaders need to be strategic planners, knowing exactly what they want to accomplish and when and how things should be done. They should be able to see the big picture and how their team fits into this. A good team leader is also able to anticipate what can go wrong in an undertaking, and develop contingency plans to ensure that the team still attains its objectives. In addition, team leaders need to have effective people management and communication skills to be able to orchestrate the day-to-day operations of the group.

Team leader training

Team leadership is not for everyone, and certainly not everyone is born with effective leadership skills. Because of this, new or even experienced team leaders should continuously immerse themselves in well-managed leadership training and development programs. Such programs may take different forms – they may be basic and theoretical leadership lectures, or those that involve case studies and analysis of scenarios. The best type of training, however, is for a newcomer to shadow or be an understudy of a more seasoned team leader.