Team Development & Leadership | L7438 A01
There are many different types of leaders, such as; internal (members of the team that are given leadership responsibilities or are designated to be leaders), and external (managers, supervisors, an external consultant, or even a coach) leaders that are assigned to a team (Day, Hock-Peng, and Chen, 2004). An important focus of leadership is to understand team members and help to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Having a clear understanding of members allows leaders to be able to capitalize on the strengths and skills of members, allocate tasks and responsibilities, and attempt to understand how different leadership approaches may affect members (Day, Hock-Peng, and Chen, 2004). A leader that understands his team can work to create an environment of constant success, utilizing the following steps:
Be transparent
Build relationships
Invest time in understanding members
Build relationships
Set clear expectations/goals
Identify how the goals align with organization
Allocate responsibilities/tasks according to strengths and skills
Monitor and provide feedback
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A transparent leader may allow members to relate to their leader, be able to communicate more honestly, and build better relationships (Marcketti and Kozar, 2007). Investing time into members can not only allow the leader to better understand the strengths and opportunities of members, but it could also help the team member feel more appreciated and valuable within the team. Clearly identifying goals, and their importance in meeting organizational goals, allows the leader to create a level of expectancy and accountability. Promoting team members into leadership opportunities and assigning responsibilities can not only assist members in building confidence in themselves, but also building their investment into the organization (Day, Hock-Peng, and Chen,