Dick Wulf, MSW,
LCSW
THE
MOST ESSENTIAL
TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILL:
LEADING THE TEAM AS A GROUP!
©
1997, Dick Wulf
Note: The following
is meant to help. However, unless I actually consult with you, I cannot be sure
that the following absolutely applies to your situation. Hopefully it is right
on target or fairly close.
Probably the biggest mistake made
in team leadership, supervision or project management is not leading the team
as a group. What passes for team leadership these days is not really leading the
team. When you lead individuals in a team setting, you do not get a team. If you
will keep reading, it will soon be clear.
EXAMPLES
Consider this difference. There are two teams, Team A and Team Z. The same
two problems exist in both teams. The first problem is that one member is very
irregular in attendance. The second problem is that each team has a person who
dominates the discussion. The leader of Team A believes he is leading the team,
but he is not. The leader of Team Z is truly leading the team.
EXAMPLE
1: TEAM MEMBER IRREGULAR IN ATTENDANCE
In Team A, the leader
calls the member whose attendance is irregular, asks if there is a problem, gives
advice, and encourages the person to become more regular in attendance. The person
becomes perfect in attendance.
In Team Z, the leader asks the team what
it wants to do about the irregular attendance of the problem member. Team members
discuss their reaction to the problem, decide that it is annoying and come to
the conclusion that they need the person at most team meetings to get his input.
Then the leader of Team Z asks the team what it is going to do about it. They
decide to talk it over with the person the next time he comes to a meeting. And
they do. His attendance becomes perfect. By the time the team process is completed
concerning this problem, the team has learned how to work as a unit to solve a
problem, how to constructively confront as a team, and that problems are the team's
to solve. Members learn they are very capable as a team, as well as individually.
EXAMPLE 2: TEAM MEMBERS TALKS TOO MUCH
The Team A leader also meets
individually with the too-talkative person and explains that others are not getting
enough time to talk and he needs the individual to talk less and maybe help out
in asking others questions. The person stops talking some, but is still too dominant
in the team discussion and process.
In Team Z, the leader sees the dominance
of the one team member during meetings. He eventually asks the team if it is satisfied
with how the team is going. The leader explains that it is their team and their
success is in their own hands. Many team members are unhappy, a few are angry,
and the domineering person is totally confused by the question. A silence follows
that seems to last forever (even though it is only two minutes), while the team
members get up the nerve to talk and figure out how to say in a constructive way
what is on each of their minds.
Then, finally, one of the team members
speaks and says that she wishes she had more time to talk. Another mentions his
frustration at not getting to speak very often. A few other comments are made.
Then the over-talkative individual asks why they don't feel they can talk. There
is another silence.
The team leader stays quiet, since there is no sign
yet that the team will not be able to solve this team problem. Eventually an angry
member blurts out that Jim (what we'll call him) talks too much. It is tense for
a moment.
The team seems stuck, so after a minute of silence the team
leader asks the team if others agree that Jim is talking too much. Another person
adds that she does think that Jim is talking too much, but that he is not doing
it out of malice. Jim responds and explains that he often talks out of discomfort
at the silences between comments.
Tom brings up that he needs a silence
of about 30 seconds to know that he is not interrupting. Linda says that she needs
to formulate what she wants to say in her mind before she will start speaking;
she is not good at spontaneous talking, and she feels foolish if she doesn't say
things correctly. Jim, the over-talkative member, says that he will try to not
talk so much, but that he just gets so restless when there is a silence. The others
reassure him that they understand. Then a few members suggest ways he might deal
with the situation, like doodling, taking notes, or acting as a scribe for the
team by taking down notes and getting them printed and distributed at each meeting.
The Team process continues until the team is confident that enough understanding
has taken place. They decide to go ahead and give the team another try to see
if some people will talk more and the one person will talk less. If the over-talkative
person's feelings were hurt or he felt threatened, the team reassured him of their
acceptance and need for his contributions - just not so many of them.
In Team Z, some of the benefits of this kind of team leadership are easy to see;
others are more subtle. Clearly, after the team is through with this process (which
was engineered by the leader), the team will have a great deal of confidence in
its ability to solve problems. It will know that whenever any member brings a
problem to the team, the team working together can make a good try at solving
the problem. The team also greatly values the leader who is vital to seeing that
the team does all that it can do to be successful. The team members are grateful
that the leader let them take leadership and did not do anything that they could
do for themselves. The team leader is quite impressed with the good job the team
did and feels privileged to have had a part in helping the team discover its abilities
and go on to victory.
There are also less obvious benefits. For example,
the team learned that one of its members is quite critical of herself and is probably
intimidated by any situation in her life that requires spontaneous communication.
The team may want to help her over this inhibition so that she can be more successful
on the job and in all areas of her life. The team also helped the over-talkative
person realize that criticism is not necessarily rejection.
COMMENTARY
Do you see the tremendous benefit of the team process that comes when the
team leader leads the Team?
But, unfortunately, I have to say that there
is actual harm done in Team A where the leader did not lead the team, but, instead,
led the individuals in the team. The team might be thankful that he met with the
over-talkative guy and brought the other member into regular attendance, but it
will also unconsciously know that the leader did not think the team and its members
capable of dealing with the situations. Here is the tragedy that occurs in many
organizations by the usual style of "team" leadership: confidence is
undermined and dependency upon leaders and leadership is bred and proliferated.
As a result, the team as well as the organization is made weak by such a leadership
style.
It is absolutely critical, therefore, that teams be led as teams.
The most basic, first essential skill in leading teams is leading the team as
a group. Leading individuals in a team setting does not accomplish things - it
destroys the power of the team and the organization.
WHAT
RESULTS DO WE WANT?
Do we want capable people on the organization's
teams? They are probably already capable. Do we want confident people? We can
help them grow in confidence when they can see their own contributions in their
teams. When leaders help teams struggle and shine by staying out of the action
whenever possible, we will have an organization full of confident people, each
doing his or her own part.
Do you want teams of people going out to accomplish
more than individuals can do on their own? Then relate to people as a team, not
as individuals or a collection of individuals. Recognize the synergism possible
as people work together, building upon one another's contributions. Point out
if someone does not understand. Ask another person to rephrase what was said.
Bring people into the action. Help them see right in front of their eyes the power
of working as a group.
LEADING A
TEAM IS MUCH EASIER
This leadership of a team is actually simpler
and easier than leading individuals. It is less burdensome on the team leader,
supervisor or project manager. The team has greater abilities because of its expanded
resources in many different personalities, its greater number of life experiences,
and the varied talents of its members. If the leader does a good job of leading
the team, the team members will be excellently and thoroughly helped, led, and
taken care of by the team itself.
Is there a place for the leader to
contribute as an individual member? Yes, but only after all has been extracted
from the team and its members. It is far better for the leader not to be a full-fledged
member of the team, at least not until the team has reached a certain high level
of maturity. At that point, almost all leadership functions will be done by the
team itself. Only then will the team leader not need so much objectivity and be
able to be a full member of the team.
THE
TEAM LEADER DOES NOT THINK LIKE A TEAM MEMBER
Let's take a closer look at the different perspectives of a team leader and
a team member.
The team members should have their primary focus on the
team objectives rather than on their own needs. The usual style of leadership
focuses an individual team member's attention only on himself or herself and his
or her piece of the action. It is important for the team leader to help the team
combat this type of seemingly harmless self-focus, for it is far too short-sighted
for maximum team performance.
The team leader should have primary focus
on the team and its functioning, noticing dysfunction that needs attention. The
secondary focus is on the team members and whether or not they need the help of
the team. Eventually the team itself will do this secondary function.
For example, with respect to a need in the team for encouragement, the team leader
should be thinking, "Which team members have experienced something that would
be of encouragement in this instance? Is the team seeking or going to seek their
contributions?" The team leader would also be thinking, "How can I help
the team (not "how can I") get those people
involved in the process of encouragement?"
The team leader really
feels important, not because of accolades he or she receives from the team, but
because of the success he has helped the team achieve. He or she has helped the
team help every single team member to do his and her part to produce a superior
result.
Dick
Wulf, MSW, LCSW
Colorado Springs,
Colorado
(719)
520-8191