[Closed] What makes a good Team Leader? Possible new job

Best friend, worst enemy.

Cracking norks.

You have to be a prize pr*** in my experience.

Nail that and you're a shoe-in.

Couple of ideas from something I'm looking into at the moment:

- Openly addressing the Brutal facts
- Acting on suggestions
- Involving team members
- Team leader embracing critical feedback
- Inspiration
- Coach to improve performance
- Agreed goals for development

Hope it helps

Being able to explain how pretty much everything is like making love to a beautiful woman.

being able to use a shit load of metaphors

I was reading this earlier and quite liked some of it:

My Mrs works in the NHS. She's not a team leader, but from what I hear the main talent required is a willingness to put up with constant whining and moaning from the staff without having any power or capability to deal with whatever it is they're moaning about.

treat any request for guidance as an admission of gross misconduct.

go bat shit mental when diary entries are made in the wrong colour.

keep count of how many pens your minions have on their desk - if that exceeds 3, go bat shit mental.

Always blame someone else, even if everything is going fine.

All you have to do is follow three simple rules.

One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary. And three, be nice.

On a more serious note...

Taking on part of the management overhead so that the team is more able to focus on their core tasks. Throw in something about boosting the team to become more than the sum of its parts (possibly by enabling synergies or changing paradigms) and you have a winner.

Watch back episodesof the Apprentice and think do i really want to be labeled team leader, or foreman /supervisor as it used to be called, more power and more respect as a supervisor.

From experience of the nhs, nobody seems to be a leader only on the name badge, and when stuff goes wrong off go their badges

You sit between management and the shop floor and are in the firing line from both. You need to develop the skin of a rhino with the repellent properties of a ducks back. I did it for years and loved it but its not for the timid. Well not in manufacturing anyway.

Say goodbye to workplace friendships.

Remember: the only thing you have to fake is sincerity, manage that, and you've got it made.

And you, having no knowledge of what it entails, have been asked to explain it.

What makes a good team leader depends on the team, it's personnel, it's function and it's responsibilities with whatever skills all those things entail.

There is not one "Team Leader" model or type that will fit every situation. You wouldn't, for instance, put a Mathematician in charge of a restaurant kitchen, or a "Delegative Type" Manager in charge of a team that needed micro-managing.

And so on. I think it's bizarre that your prospective firm expects you to provide coverage of a complicated subject normally the domain of Occupational Psychologists and other consultants of that ilk...

Mr Woppit - Member
What makes a good team leader depends on the team, it's personnel, it's function and it's responsibilities with whatever skills all those things entail.

^^^ ... and The maturity of the people you are leading.

Can you play the guitar?

ahwiles - Member

treat any request for guidance as an admission of gross misconduct.

go bat shit mental when diary entries are made in the wrong colour.

keep count of how many pens your minions have on their desk - if that exceeds 3, go bat shit mental.

You forgot;

- hold brainstorming meetings and then steal all the good ideas as your own to present to management.

The ability to manage upwards instead of just down.

The ability to walk into any room with your leg cocked and your tongue out. Because you'll always need to be ready to either kick arse or lick arse.

(apologies to Tibor Fischer for that one)

Some good suggestions, some I may just keep to myself 😕

Mr Woppit - Member
And you, having no knowledge of what it entails, have been asked to explain it.

There is not one "Team Leader" model or type that will fit every situation. You wouldn't, for instance, put a Mathematician in charge of a restaurant kitchen, or a "Delegative Type" Manager in charge of a team that needed micro-managing.

My view of managing:

You have a responsibility to your managers above you, and to achieve the objectives placed on the team. Its your job to ensure your team meets their demands. Those are the company rules, make sure your team understands that this is a primary aspect of your job.

The other aspect of you job is to provide the Team with everything it needs to succeed in the above, whether thats pay, time, skills, tools, help, advice, motivation, time off, telling off, removal of bad apples, promotion or employment of new staff.

Just becuase you are Team Leader, does not necessarily make you superior to them. There is nothing wrong in managing or creating a Team superior to your abilities - be humble about that, its a big success to have achieved that - build the best team you possibly can - then move onward & upward and do it again.

You balance the two, and sometimes meeting the requirements of one wil grate on the other - its up to you to decide which is more acceptable at that point in time.

"Skills in relation to a Podiatry Team Leader"

Aha!

Just don't say anything corny.

"Skills in relation to a Podiatry Team Leader"

A podiatry team leader has to earn their corn. They must encourage their team to stand on their own two feet. Errant members of staff must be brought to heel. They have to be the life and sole of staff get-togethers. Whinging underlings must be told to put a sock in it. If you trot all of these out, you should nail it, no bother.

It's a shoe-in.

Height.

As Mrs Binners always says.... tits and teeth

Think you asked the wrong board.

Communication
Delegation
Problem Solving Skills
Presentational Skills
Team building skills
Integrity
Enthusiasm

Explain your understanding of each in a work environment and give examples to reinforce what you've just said.
This task isnt unique to this company it's a standard interview format.

via @dezh willingness to put up with constant whining and moaning from the staff without having any power or capability to deal with whatever it is they're moaning about.

and

via @ravey davey You sit between management and the shop floor and are in the firing line from both. You need to develop the skin of a rhino with the repellent properties of a ducks back.

pretty much sums up my fairly crap 2 years in an IT team leader role in a horrendously dysfunctional org.

This was outdoors, and a long way from the NHS. When you get a quiet five minutes, take a tray of teas and coffees (there's a list, right) around your crew, just saying hello and taking the opportunity to see what's happening, or not.

I have an interview for an NHS team leader role this week, all the advice I've had is around escalation, as in knowing when/how/ why without doing it unnecessarily. Also it helps if you know everyone else jobs better than they do.

If I can at all help it, I'll never manage anyone again.

But ....
You need to quickly learn which team members need a cuddle and which need a kick up the arse to get them moving where you want them.
You also have to very quickly spot those that have got it in for you and make sure you never say anything to them that you don't want other to know about.

cynical, hell yes.

Brown nose and incompetency are the skills for what I've seen.

Only twice have I encountered visionary or inspirational leadership.

The rest use a mix of misinformation, blame and divide and rule.

I can tell you but you'll need to attend my seminar. £500 over two days.

[quote=windydave13 ]Couple of ideas from something I'm looking into at the moment:
- Openly addressing the Brutal facts ---Blame everyone else
- Acting on suggestions --- Take the credit
- Involving team members --- Look for scapegoats
- Team leader embracing critical feedback --- See above ,It was wasn't my idea
- Inspiration --- Steal others ideas and pass them off as yours
- Coach to improve performance --- Shout at minions
- Agreed goals for development --- Set unrealistic targets
Hope it helps

😉

critical analysis replace with reflective analysis
ability to understand the core functions of staffs roles, their skills and abilities
understand the management strategy and business plans
bring the above two together, so everyone understands their roles and are responsible for their actions, use a shared language that all understand no power words and so on
organised and flexible,
listening
empathy
challenge where necessary
supervise by listening and action planning and then sharing the notes and records with the staff
do not be afraid to move up through the organisations disciplinary route if required, but give folk chance to change
stop whingeing by making them responsible and by pushing their skill levels, make challenges that they can succeed and then develop on in.
reflect on what you can do better on,
do not physically cuddle anyone...........it will inevitably lead to a grievance

Know what everyone in the team does inside out. If you don't know already then learn, ideally from them to show you value what they do.

Know the difference between doing the right thing and what is the right thing to do.

If I can at all help it, I'll never manage anyone again.

agreed

The ability to manage upwards instead of just down.

You manage upwards and dictate downwards, There is no need to listen to anyone below you, they are the corpses upon which your path to greatness is built - or something like that, I was asleep in the leadership seminar.

Dont accept management offloading problem employees onto you from other teams!!!!

Loads of answers there - depends on the business and the team.

The answer you should give to the question if you want the job however, is what the organisation, and the people interviewing you, think makes a good team leader, which should all be in the competencies and job description/role profile, whatever you call it.

Don't go on a " bonding with your team" night out ,get pissed and take a shed load of drugs,waking up the next day not really sure where you are but recognising the person next to you as someone from work....
Monday morning was awkward.

you have to ensure that your staff have used the correct cover on their tps report

it is far safer to be feared than loved if you cannot be both

- Machiavelli

You've still got time to read "Leadership and Self-Deception" and "Fish".

As has already been said up there^^^ - you don't have to be the smartest person in the room.

Surely if you are going for a leadership position, you should have your own take on it!? Even if you have not done the role before, you have worked under a leader before...

Some great replies here.

I'd say being a good team leader is one of the hardest things about being a manager. Managing the department is dead easy, doing al the technical stuff is a doddle. What's really tricky is leading people. My take...

Give people as much responsibility as you can without giving them too much autonomy
Listen. A lot. People ask for help all the time without actually asking for help.
Let them know what the objectives are. Repeat the objectives. Do it again.
Explain why you've made the decisions you've made. Make sure everyone understands otherwise they'll think you're stupid and incompetent.
Don't be afraid to explain why political decisions are more important than tactical ones. People often find it much harder to understand the former and focus on the latter.
Have regular 121's. People tell you different things when they're alone.
Say thanks for jobs well done. Always give credit to the right people. If you have good staff, they'll keep making you look good, cherish them and support them.
Knock conflicts amongst the team on the head, sharpish. They won't go away without you making it happen.
If someone has a problem, they need extra help so make sure you give it.

And enjoy. It's really hard doing it right but suddenly you'll look at your team working together like a well oiled machine and while it may appear to others that it just happened, it's invariably a result of good management.

Interesting thread, as a business we work and have worked extensively in the NHS so here's an outsiders view of jobs/promotion in the NHS
1. If you are very good at your existing job you are not likely to be promoted-
2. If you are crap at your job you will be moved this may include promotion -
3. Don't suggest any form of clever or radical changes during your presentation -
4. Focus on continual improvement of your team to be -
5. Infer (do not tell) you would look to identify performance improvements and create an example that may be possible -
6. Try and get to the next level as quickly as possible - treat it as a stepping stone -

The real question is will the rewards give you a better quality of life or more hassle?

Kill a few of the weaker ones on your first day to set an example. Make one of them cry at least daily and never let them speak to anyone without you being in earshot making throat cutting gestures and gurgling. Never turn your back on a minion. Always keep a machete in your desk drawer.

Right. Yes, no, so that's all good. Very strong.

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The ability to take it from both ends and look like you're enjoying it.

Which is a transferable skill as it happens.