Leading a team is like leading a family. The only difference is that blood relations will not play the role for you.
When asked about some of the qualities that build up an efficient and effective leader, ‘staying grounded’ is what first comes to a reputed entrepreneur, Shubh Agrawal.
While leading a team of colleagues, one must always remain grounded to not exert one’s authority and instead be another fellow team member. Teamwork can be hard yet interesting yet a leader can do magic with his good qualities that are crucial for the betterment of the team as a whole. Counting oneself as one among others, practising humility and politeness while conducting oneself are the key to staying grounded. Least of all, one should remember to stay empathetic and never forget that one could have been in the other person’s place. This will surely help them to behave wisely.
Another good quality can be that of preferring ‘consent more than coercion’. This is because one should always be accommodative of others’ opinions before putting out one’s opinions. Especially, a leader must be very efficient and cooperative at hearing people’s voices rather than forcing them to do work. That is why consent should always be preferred over coercion. Although there might be occasions when a leader will have to choose coercion and forcefully ask the team members to complete their respective tasks, there must always be room for consent and opinionated discussion, suggests Shubh.
While leading a team, one should always play the most important role, of a communicator. Any relationship is built over the strengths and virtues of communication. Moreover, teamwork is also a relationship where the leader must always remember that ‘communication is the key’. Any task cannot be completed without communication. Thereby communicating the best version of the substance and involving clarity in one’s speech and verbal deliveries must be the core concern that ultimately makes one a better leader, emphasises Shubh.
The best thing about leading a team can be ordering the people over and over again and interrogating them when things go wrong. While the same happens with the leader putting the blame game on his/her team, one should always learn to be accountable to be effective in power. Thus, ‘appropriate accountability’ is a basic principle that can always make a leader a better one, affirms a leader him/herself, Shubh Agrawal. Being accountable also includes standing up for own mistakes, apologizing to fellow teammates, and rectifying what went wrong.
Lastly, teamwork is determined by the efforts of a team as a whole. To become an effective leader, one has to build an effective team. Having said that, one should always aim to create a positive environment where happiness, harmony, and healthy relations prevail. Always keep in mind that ‘plants grow well in the best soil’!
Hence, an effective leader has to start with his/her team to achieve good skills and better work accomplishments. Only then will the individual be able to lead in a better manner, he concludes.