Leading A Team

I started leading a small team recently, and in order to do so, I did my research before embarking on the journey. I learned a couple of things during my research, during my time as a lead, and I would love to share it with you.

If you are reading this, there is a chance that you are also about to embark on this journey, but fear not because you will be fine.

We all know how tedious it is to lead a team. However, I would be giving some tips on how to get this done successfully.

Know your team goals/objectives:

To lead a team successfully, you need to know the goal of the team first: where it is coming from, where it is at the moment, where it needs to be.

Knowing the team’s objectives and goals will help you think holistically when making decisions that concern the team.

Draft out a plan:

No matter what you are/will be doing, you need to have a concrete plan. Having a plan is very important because it helps you think about how to achieve all your (team or individual) goals and objectives.

You need to develop a plan that will help you lead the team to success.

Delegate work to people:

Decision-making is one of the hardest things to do when leading a team because you need to know how your decisions affect the team.

“If 80% of people around you can do almost everything you can do, you need to delegate some tasks to them.” You must not do everything.

Regular meeting with the team:

It is important you meet with the team regularly to know how far the team has come, get important updates from the team and also update the team.

This will help you track the team’s progress, learn the strength and weaknesses of the team.

Now that you know the team’s strengths and weaknesses, you need to close the gaps and help the team grow.

You can be either be a mentor to the team or set up something that will enhance the learning of each individual on the team.

Observe the team and revisit the plan drafted:

Remember, you will not come up with the best plan the first time, and if you did, you are a genius and you deserve some accolades!!!

You need to observe and learn from the development process and update the plan that was drafted in the beginning.

Learn, grow, and learn:

To be a leader, you must be competent and show some level of expertise in what you are doing.

You need to learn, grow and keep on learning.

You are not alone:

Remember, you are not alone because you are not the first to lead a team.

If you feel overwhelmed, stressed out, all you need to do is pause for a moment, identify your stressors and fix them.

You need to be in the loop: connect with others doing the same thing you are doing and learn from them.

Be the team’s man:

You need to be the middleman between the team and the stakeholders:

Shield the team from pressure: You need to be the first to feel the pressure when it is coming and not the team.

That does not mean you should make the team lazy, but do not make them feel the pressure first.

Keep the team in the loop: You need to ensure the team has all the necessary information. Always keep the team up to date.

Celebrate small victory:

Celebrating small victories will keep the team’s morale high, and it will also keep the positive energy flowing. When this is happening the team would be happy and success is guaranteed.

Hangout with your team:

“The recipe for burnout is all work no play.” It is important you have fun with your team, build a professional relationship with members of the team and get to know them.

The team can go see a movie together, go to the beach, or on a tour. They are a lot of fun activities out there, all you have to do is pick one and have fun!!!