1The job of a team leader
Learning objectives
On completion of this chapter you will be able to:
• describe the term ‘team leader’
• describe the key managerial tasks that make up the job of a team leader
• appreciate the importance of setting smart objectives
• describe the organizational hierarchy of objectives and plans
• differentiate between different types of plans
• explain the planning cycle
• describe the benefits of planning
• describe the stages in organizing
• understand the importance of monitoring and controlling plans.
Introduction
As a team leader you will have first line responsibility for people within your organization. Many of you will not only be responsible for leading your team but also be involved in day-to-day operations, so you are not only involved in managing the team but also in making the product or delivering the service. Your role as a team leader means that you are part of the management team and so there are many managerial aspects to your job. You are at the front line of management and have a major responsibility for seeing that work is done by others. Team leaders are involved in supervisory management; you are the link between more senior managers and the operatives that work in the organization. You will probably have noticed that there are fewer layers of management in organizations these days. As this process of reducing the number of management levels has taken place, the team leader has taken on more responsibility. In this chapter we will examine the management elements of a team leader's role.
What team leaders do
As a team leader you are concerned with making sure the work is done. Your manager will give you the information you need about what you have to achieve and your job is to get the team organized to produce the work.
Activity 1 | | What do you think are the main activities of a team leader? Compare your answers to the key managerial functions shown in Figure 1.1. |
Like all managers at every level within the organization you need to carry out key managerial functions. These are illustrated in Figure 1.1.
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Figure 1.1 Managerial Function | |
Figure 1.2 gives more detail on each of the managerial functions as they apply to a team leader.
Figure 1.2 Managerial functions and the job of a team leader
Activity 2 | | Consider your job as a team leader and complete the table below. |
| Managerial element | Example of an activity carried out by me, in my role as a team leader in my organization, that demonstrates that this is part of a team leader's role |
| 1 Setting objectives | |
| 2 Planning | |
| 3 Organizing and coordinating | |
| 4 Motivating | |
| 5 Communicating | |
| 6 Monitoring and controlling | |
| 7 Evaluating | |
We will now look at each one of these key functions in more detail.
Setting objectives
You need to obtain clear objectives from your line manager. If your team is to perform well, you will need to agree and set objectives with your workteam. Setting objectives involves three main stages:
• clarifying the overall purpose of the team
• identifying the objectives that will have to be achieved by the team in order to achieve the overall purpose
• deciding what tasks will have to be completed to achieve the team objectives and purpose.
Your job is to is to clarify the team purpose and set clear objectives. You will need to keep a record of performance against the objectives which will help you to monitor the situation and keep your team and your line manager informed of progress.
Good objectives are SMART:
• Specific – everybody needs to know what has to be achieved. It is better if each objective consists of a single idea.
• Measurable – you need to consider how to measure the objective so that you will know how successful you have been.
• Achievable – objectives should stretch and develop the team members and yet be achievable.
• Realistic – the objective needs to be realistic; you can ensure this by using information to assess what has been achieved in the past and to predict what is realistic for the future.
• Timed – you need to be clear about the timescale within which the objective should be achieved.
(See Activities Management, Chapter 2, for more details.)
Planning
Objectives are where we want to get to; plans are the means of getting there. Plans show how you are going to turn the objectives into reality. Planning will help to ensure that the organizational and team objectives are achieved. Good planning means that everybody knows what they have to do to achieve the objectives. Good planning is essential for personal and organizational effectiveness. Planning is the most basic and probably the most important management function. Organizing, monitoring and controlling are linked to good planning. Organization and coordination turn plans into action, and monitoring and controlling keep plans on course.
Planning is about designing future action to cope with forecast situations. Planning sets down ...