Attributes of Great Team Leaders
Who comes to your mind when you think of leadership greatness? Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Mahatma Gandhi, and George Washington? They each possessed skills and personality traits that left a mark on history. How about you? Do you have the skill and personality to leave a positive mark on your project team? Read on and see how you stack up against the attributes of Great Team Leaders
1 -Treats Others with Respect
Your team needs to have respect for whomever they follow. It’s hard to respect someone that you know doesn’t respect you. Members of your team may not be as experienced or accomplished as you, but never behave condescendingly towards them.
2 – Leads by Example
Great team leaders know that actions speak louder than words. You can describe how you want your team to operate, or simply show them by your actions. Regardless of what is important to you, such as timeliness, quality, or thoroughness, your actions in these areas must be congruent with your words.
3 – Keeps the Negative Out
There’s no room for negativity or complaining on a project team. Great project team leaders track down where negativity is originating from and resolve the issue at the source. Not everything goes perfectly on a project, and leaders are fully aware that focusing on the negative side of a situation can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you say something long enough you’ll find a way for it to come true, even if it’s not good.
4 – Is Easy to Access
Great team leaders are accessible by the troops. They don’t hole themselves up in an office somewhere and speak through intermediaries. They are on the front line with their team members and understand both their triumphs and failures.
5 – Maintains High Standards
Another trait of a great team leader is non-compromising standards. There is always much resistance on the path to complete a project, which exerts pressure to take shortcuts, bypass approvals, or leave something out of the project plan. An exceptional team leader resists these influences and always takes the high road.
6 – Makes Decisions
A great team leader understands that nothing can move forward until a decision has been made. Rather than bring a project to a standstill with paralysis by analysis, a team leader will focus on making lots of good decisions quickly rather than just a few great decisions slowly.
