Basic Guidelines for a Team Lead

Since my husband and I are both workaholics and in marketing, we are constantly pulled in many directions and very busy all the time. That is why we have made a habit of making every Friday night a standing date night so that we can enjoy a relaxing dinner, have a nice glass of wine (or two), a great meal, share our current projects and talk over what’s happened during the week. We bounce ideas off of each other while getting each other’s opinions and perspectives.

My husband, being a director of the marketing research center for a large, privately-held company who specializes in marketing programs for their clients, has a wealth of knowledge and business experience and I really respect his opinion. So it made me feel very good this past Friday night when, while sharing a bottle of Ruffino Chianti, he told me that he was very proud of how I handled everything this past week and for being named team lead for my marketing team. We started discussing what exactly we thought the function of a team lead was and I told him that in my opinion it wasn't managerial, but rather that of a mentor and communicator to the rest of the organization and teams.

He agreed with my overall vision and told me that a team lead should respect all of the member’s opinions, have the team’s back in supporting the final decisions that are made and implemented and never think that they are above the rest of the members. Everyone on a team is equally important and a good team leader should empower, encourage and motive the other team members to do their best. That got me thinking that it would be a great idea to give everyone a chance to be a team lead and thereby have something extra to look forward to and work towards.

When the team is successful, every member is successful. Individual members also feel that they're part of the bigger picture and not working in silos, but sharing ideas and goals. When the team is not successful everyone should come together and discuss what went wrong so that they can correct course and implement best practices.

Because of this discussion, I decided to put together a list of functions that may be able to help guide myself and future team leaders.

In today’s ultra-competitive business environment, all team members often have varying degrees of leadership skills and training. One of the best ways a team’s ideas can be represented and communicated is by appointing a team leader on a rotating basis. By having a rotation system, each member feels more like a vital part and strives to set an example while at the same time working together to make the team successful during their appointment. In addition, each member would be able to share their past and current knowledge, get the opportunity to lead the team and learn from the experience.

The idea is to build on specific strengths and integrate key leadership responsibilities by providing the team with structured guidelines for understanding and utilizing the role of a team lead. This can result in helping to resolve conflicts, improve employee performance and lead to success not only for the individual team member but for the entire organization. A team lead should not be considered as a managerial role, in charge of the others, but rather as a key communicator and voice for the entire team.

The 7 points below can be used as guidelines to follow:

1.      Lead by Example

This is one of the most important leadership skills that a team leader should keep in mind. If you demonstrate a strong work ethic, your members will respect the effort and tend to follow. As the team leader, you have an opportunity to guide the other members, to inspire enthusiasm and stimulate their interests. Make sure you always ask for their input, consider the opinions and look out for their best interests and they will be appreciative of your efforts and strive to be more productive while maintaining the high organizational standards that are set.

2.      Motivate and Engage

The team leader alone should not set the goals, suggestions should be invited from one and all and issues must be discussed in an open forum. The lead must make the other team members well aware of their roles and responsibilities and understand each team member’s job functions as well. Never assume you know what challenges or problems they may be currently facing, don’t impose things on them, or create communications without first getting their input and talking things over to come to an agreement. If a team lead shares information outside the team without first passing it by everyone for input it's like blindsiding the team which can create bad feelings and mistrust. Motivate them so that they perform even better the next time. Avoid criticizing anyone. Never make fun of anyone’s mistakes, instead correct him in a polite way.

3.      Maintain Integrity
Much like leading by example, you always want to keep operations above board. Don’t conduct any business in secret or behind your team member’s backs that may directly affect them. Share ideas openly and be candid about processes or issues that you know do not follow ethical standards. While speaking up takes a great deal of courage, keeping silent can negatively affect your reputation and that of your team’s as well.

4.      Be a Mentor

The “Hitler approach” doesn’t work in the team scenario. Team members should be able to gain from the team leader’s talent and mentorship. He must stand by his team always. When a team performs well, the credit goes to the entire team, similarly at times when the team fails to perform as per the expectations of others, don’t try to play it safe. A leader should own his mistakes as well as his team member’s. Don’t play blame games or point fingers at others. Nobody will respect you this way. Just as comparing team members or different activity results to each other, is never a good idea. It’s much better to point out the positive and build on that, than focus on the negative and have bad feelings.

5.      Ask Tough Questions
Part of your role as the team lead is to ask the tough questions in order to help the entire team. Direct questions such as, “Is this in the budget?” or “Is this the best approach?” can not only get everyone thinking of other cost-saving approaches, but can also develop into a new best practice or alternate plan which may turn out to have better overall results.

6.      Be Committed
Who cares? You do! By demonstrating commitment to the sales team you support, as well as to your team members, your profession and your industry, others will be inspired to be enthusiastic about their roles and contributions. If you demonstrate any sort of negativity or become disengaged, others may soon follow and problems will arise which can result in a poor work ethic and a breakdown of morale.

7.      Be Available to Help Each Other

Problems may arise at any time and the team leader must be easily available to other members. They should feel comfortable to reach out at any time with questions or for guidance and be able to fall back on their leader anytime without the fear of getting rebuked.

A good team leader is one who focuses on: 

-        Taking the time to share their experience and knowledge.

-        Elevating the team's confidence by recognizing each member’s contributions.
-        Assisting in guiding team members through difficult decisions.
-        Making sure each team member achieves their goals.

Remember if you yourself do not adhere to these basic guidelines, you can’t expect your team members to do so. Be disciplined and expect the same from them. In order to be a good team leader, you should be willing to listen to new ideas, set an example for others, be available to help each member to be as successful as possible and always have their backs. They will respect you more if you do.