Leading a team takes tact. To become a good manager, you have to be capable of leading a team, delegating tasks, and knowing how to guide your staff — and, when needed, set them back on course.
What does leading a team actually mean?
Managers face enormous pressure inside their company and outside it too (from clients and partners). They have to:
- make important decisions that commit the reputation of the company they work for, as well as their own credibility as a professional
- plan, organise, set objectives and share out tasks between themselves and their staff
- meet everyone’s expectations and demands
For the job to succeed, a manager must know how to perform well and how to inspire the same in their staff. They must push the members of their team to pull in the same direction, so that the agreed objectives are met. The tougher the company’s economic situation, the higher the targets to be reached.
Leading a team: a user’s guide
Leading a team calls for efficient personal organisation to work effectively with the members of your team. It takes a certain amount of professional experience. Good team management requires exchange, dialogue and listening. That is where the secret of success lies. But these three conditions are necessary and not sufficient. They also have to take account of the company’s DNA, its culture, its habits and its methods.
To work in a healthy environment and a calm atmosphere, a good manager will need to:
- manage conflicts and avoid confrontations
- calm tempers and handle them with care
- motivate their staff
- take stock with them regularly: to discuss how the work is progressing
Leading a team: knowing your staff
The members of a team are people in their own right. Each one has their own story, their own path. A manager has to know them. They need to know how long their staff have been with the company, their levels of competence, their working methods, the way they operate, the synergy that binds them to one another. This information allows the manager to grasp the dynamics of the group, to understand how the work is organised and to step in where necessary, seeking to innovate and to show creativity.
Leading a team: what not to do
To manage a team properly, avoid certain common mistakes:
- divide and rule sows discord within the group and creates a tense, even unhealthy atmosphere
- being tyrannical: a manager must know how to be firm and, at times, make the call when complicated and difficult decisions come up. But they must also know how to listen to their staff’s views and stay open to their suggestions. Nor should a manager inflict their permanent bad mood on the team. They should likewise avoid constantly criticising their staff’s work when they are unaware of the ins and outs of it.
| Good practices | Pitfalls to avoid |
|---|---|
| Manage conflicts, calm tempers, motivate your staff, take stock with them regularly | Divide and rule |
| Listen to your staff’s views and stay open to their suggestions | Being tyrannical: inflicting your bad mood, criticising without knowing the ins and outs |
