Responsibilities of a team leader
Team leaders are more than managers (which they still are). In addition to overseeing daily operations, they also ensure their members have everything to succeed.
Team leaders should:
- Supervise project progress
- Plan and distribute the workload
- Motivate and engage team members
- Help team members grow individually
- Provide help and recourses for a project’s success
The responsibility list would vary from company, department, and position. In some cases, team leaders may be experts of senior levels that guide their younger counterparts. In other, that could be product and project managers who oversee professionals of all kinds.
What skills does a team leader have?
Developing leadership skills is essential to move the project and the team forward. And there is always room for growth! However, these are absolute must-haves.
Project management
It’s an umbrella term that covers essential elements of leading a project: planning the workflow, setting goals, identifying objectives, communicating them to your subordinates, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
Also, it may include some management techniques such as Lean startup or Agile.
Delegating
The ‘nobody can do better than I can’ mentality doesn’t get you anywhere. You would have to learn how to delegate.
That includes setting clear objectives and being okay with other people’s styles and standards of working (while helping them improve!).
Communication
You would become a team representative for the management or client and a management representative for your team. You would be the one to negotiate promotions, team growth, and resources while motivating your team to pursue goals and overcome challenges.
Being persuasive, engaging, and transparent is essential for a smooth flow and a healthy atmosphere in a team.
Entrepreneurship
It’s a mindset necessary for business owners and everyone who wants to manage a team. Especially in the startup world!
It includes a growth mindset, the ability to navigate uncertainty, and other soft skills. You can check your entrepreneurial mindset level and establish growth areas.
Feedback
The ability to give and receive constructive feedback is integral for synergetic teamwork.
Personal or task-based, it ensures that your members clearly understand what is required of them and how to improve their work. We recommend learning several techniques, such as the 30-60-90 framework.
Coaching
As a leader, you would be responsible for your team members’ well-being, growth, and productivity. You would have to find ways to motivate them and give direction.
So, ensure you develop your empathy and learn a couple of coaching techniques.
Five signs you are ready to be a leader
If you want to leave a mark, leadership can be a way to do it. Through mentoring and sharing your expertise, you can shape and define careers.
You would have a more significant impact on the business and people. Therefore, look for these telltales to know if it’s time.
- You are ready to share your knowledge with younger professionals
- You can see things from other people’s perspectives
- You see ways to improve business processes
- You want more responsibilities
- You want to take the next step in your career
Is a leading position in your career path?
Leadership may not be your cup of tea, even if you possess all the necessary skills. Not everyone enjoys managing people and the associated challenges.
Leadership role comes with their tradeoffs. If you particularly enjoy your craft, managing a team can drastically decrease the time you can spend doing the work independently.
Also, it involves significant emotional involvement and a great deal of empathy. Finally, it comes with a fair share of responsibility and stress.
Suppose you are not ready to give up the perks of being in your current position; that’s fine!
You can still grow on your career journey without moving into management, for example, by becoming a high-level expert in your field and consulting on your area of expertise.
How to become a team leader?
Ready to start on the leadership career path? Amazing!
We suggest gathering feedback from your colleagues (the 360-degree framework may be handy for this) and creating a list of leadership skills to improve.
Talk to your manager about your possibilities within the company. Together you can plan a smooth transition for you. For example, you could oversee a project without fully transferring into a new position with the supervision of your team lead.
If you find that there are no possibilities for growth within the company or are ready to take the next step, you can always look through team-lead jobs in startups.
