I have recently participated in the ILM Level 2 Award Leadership & Team Skills programme, run by the Edinburgh University Learning and Development team. As part of this we were asked about the qualities needed to be a good team leader. We were also asked to gather feedback from others on our own performance as a team leader, interpret the feedback, give a summary and then use this feedback to list areas for improvement.

I have to say that gathering and reading the feedback was probably one of the most daunting parts of the course. Everyone likes to think that they are good at their job, but what if your team don’t agree with that?!

A happy team

I’m going to share that feedback here and then list the skills I think a good team leader should have.

My manager identified that the main area I need to work on is being interested in and valuing team members. He indicated that I should work on wanting to know about team members’ attitudes and values, feelings and emotions as well treating all team members equally. No-one in the team thought that they weren’t treated equally. I do feel that I should work on allowing team members equal opportunity for improvement.

My manager and some of the team members indicated that although I generally have good communication skills, and am good at explaining things, I sometimes have tendency to talk over people and I should work on listening more. Some of the team also felt that I should ask them for help more.

Most people that were asked for feedback indicated that I was good at inspiring trust and respect, especially in relation to being open and honest about my expectations and goals. However three members of the team felt that I could be better at being more open about my attitudes and values, feelings and emotions.

Everyone indicated that I was good at understanding what motivates different people. My manager and one team member felt that I perhaps utilise “a one-size fits all approach to motivating the team”. My manager indicated that I was learning that people can be motivated in different ways. The other team members felt that I did recognise that the different team members do not respond to the same type of motivation and so try to modify my approach accordingly.

Everyone that was asked for feedback indicated that I was very good at recognising problems and troubleshooting to find a solution, but that I should perhaps involve the team more in the process. The also felt that I was good at identifying which knowledge and skills are needed for different tasks.

All in all, the feedback was mostly positive and I found the process very interesting. We don’t really have a process for getting feedback, so I thought this was a very useful exercise. I am also glad the team felt that they could be honest in the feedback that they provided.

From the feedback I received, I have identified the following as the areas that I need to work on in order to improve as a team leader.

• Improving listening skills.
• Building personal connections with colleagues.
• Allow team members equal opportunity for improvement.

What else have I learned?  Well, here is a list of the 5 things I think you need to master in order to be a good team leader.

1. Communicate effectively up and down the chain. This helps to ensure that the team is well informed about what is going on and knows what is expected of them. The team leader should recognise the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication cues.
2. Be approachable and available for discussions with team members. This helps to ensure that the team is well informed about what is going on and knows what is expected of them and also ensures that the team don’t feel isolated from those in management positions. You should be the person your team members look to for guidance, advice, support and inspiration. Work alongside your team, not at a distance from them.
3. Be impartial and open. Good leaders don’t have favourites in the team. In order to help build trust within the team, the team leader should take an interest in the team members and see them as individuals as well as assets.
4. Be confident and knowledgeable. You should use your skills and experience to help develop and coach the team, so that they can more effectively solve problems on their own.
5. Effectively delegate tasks and monitor performance. Effective leaders know what responsibilities to delegate to allow themselves time to plan, to collaborate with others in the organisation, and to monitor the performance of their employees, making sure to give them adequate feedback and development opportunities. The ability to delegate also shows that you trust your team.

Angie Fawkes is Deputy Lab Manager of the Genetics Core and has a particular interest in NGS and new technologies. She loves travel, skiing and Italy. Angie can be contacted on @Angie_Fawkes.

Reposted from https://edinburghcrf.wordpress.com/