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Thursday, April 27, 2006
Toral: Team leadership
By Janette Toral
Digital Filipino
I recently received an inquiry from a systems analyst and developer who got the privilege of being promoted as a team leader or project manager. Of course, this person is very happy about it. However, the promotion gave the individual a lot of worries, knowing that being a good technical person does not necessarily make someone an excellent team leader or project manager.
I believe that more than the necessary technical skills, an aspiring or appointed team leader must have leadership qualities within him or her. Without these, his or her appointment may result in chaos that may be hard to handle; worse, it can lead to losses. This situation can be evident in an organization with high turnover or consistent revenue losses.
How do you know if you are good enough to become a team leader? Of course, it matters what you know or what you are now.
But it is also important for you to ask the question, are you willing to change or improve to become a leader? If you say yes, then you definitely have the potential to become a good one. This is because leadership calls for sacrifice and there are a lot of things that you have to change in your attitude, relationship, habits and lifestyle, among others. It is no longer about being yourself, but becoming the person worth following and respecting by the people you lead and deal with.
As John Maxwell would say, leadership is all about influence. This is carried out and demonstrated with the people we deal, either as subordinates, peers or external contacts in the organization. Getting what you want done relies heavily on your influence, which is usually earned rather than acquired or imposed by the title you have in the organization. You have to work hard and prove yourself to be credible, trustworthy and worth relying on.
Putting leadership into action is also about solving tough problems in the organization. A leader must assure that the problems are solved and the solutions must support the values, mission, vision and goals of the organization.
More often than not, these big picture terms are highly misunderstood and some are even unaware of them. As a result, team members or even managers only treat their work as a source of income rather than a great purpose that they ought to serve.
A team leader needs to swallow his or her pride as egos need to be suppressed so that the best solution that will benefit the organization and the customers will prevail.
Becoming a team leader also means looking beyond one’s self and to consider the growth of the people. Instead of putting them down because of their weaknesses, the team leader must find ways to improve his or her people.
In the long run, one must develop potential leaders to whom one can delegate critical tasks without worries. Becoming this determined person requires a makeover of attitude and mindset.
So are you ready to become a team leader? You know yourself more than anyone. Get mentors who can advise you on how to handle difficult situations. Meet with that person at least once a month and exchange notes. Read, learn, reflect and assess how you are doing. Good luck!
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 27, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
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