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Mary Walker

Every Team Needs a Leader
May 27, 2008

When a group of people come together with a common interest to form a team, the first question that becomes evident is, “Who is the leader of this team?” Now it is easy if the company has already appointed a leader, however if it is up to the group to decide, this might be a problem.

But every team needs a leader – someone to help the group work together, provide structure, and facilitate discussion. However team leaders differ from the old authoritarian leaders in several ways.

            Authoritarian leaders - 

·         Control everything

·         Make all of the decisions

·         Discourage communication

·         Tell people what to do

·         Punish mistakes

·         Discourage growth

Authoritarian leaders put themselves first, They have very little confidence in the abilities of their followers and do not feel any obligation or desire to help followers become better individuals personally or professionally.

This is not a team leader. You must be cautious when choosing your leader. Leaders of teams have a different approach. With an attitude of service, they are less concerned about their own power or ego and more focused on goals and team members. They offer their own knowledge and skills to help others. They want to see team members challenge themselves and grow as they work to accomplish the team goals.

This type of leader has several characteristics.

            Team Leaders

·         Encourage participation

·         Facilitate communication

·         Facilitate problem solving

·         Tolerate mistakes

·         Help team members grow

·         Persuade

Teams have numerous benefits.

Working in teams can

·         Improve quality of work life

·         Increase Productivity

·         Reduce Costs

·         Enhance product or service quality

·         Improve the quality of the company or community

Beware of the person that enters the room and dominates the conversation. That starts giving orders on what to do. If this is a company team, you probably already have formed opinions of some of your group. Consider what you know about a person before you put them in a role of leadership. Not everyone is a good leader!

Posted by Mary Walker on May 27, 2008 | Comments (2)