6 Essential Leadership Responsibilities That Build Effective Teams - TLNT

6 Essential Leadership Responsibilities that Build Effective Teams – TLNT 6/16/21, 14:56
Talent Management & HR
TRAINING CONFERENCES WEBINARS RESEARCH JOBS
6 Essential Popular
Leadership 1 Your People Are About to Leave You
Responsibilities that This Company Ditched Unlimited
Build E!ective Teams

2
PTO…for Mandatory PTO
By JEFF WOLF MARCH 3, 2015

If HR Execs Want More Power, They
3
Should Change The Way They Talk
The Over-Engineering of Leadership

4
Development
https://www.tlnt.com/6-essential-leadership-responsibilities-that-build-effective-teams/ Page 1 of 14
Why Your ‘Back to the O!ice’ Strategy

5
Could Fail
By Je! Wolf
Everybody in business, at one time or another,

and probably more than once, has witnessed the
results of poor leadership: listless and confused
employees leading to stagnating sales, excess
costs, and crumbling profits.
It happens at every level of the organization,

from frontline supervisors right through the top
echelons.
Teamwork is key, but it doesn’t happen

automatically.
To create a fully functional team, the leader

needs to exhibit six (6) leadership traits:
Don't Miss the latest articles from TLNT Subscribe now ×

1. Build trust
https://www.tlnt.com/6-essential-leadership-responsibilities-that-build-effective-teams/
Upcoming Webinars Page 2 of 14
Trust is a three-way street: Upcoming Webinars
A. You must be able to trust each member A Step-by-Step Playbook for a

of your team. Future-Focused Candidate
Experience
B. They, in turn, must be able to trust you.
JUNE 17TH | 2 PM ET
C. Team members need to trust one
LEARN MORE
another.
Trust is earned, so set the stage for success by How to Measure and Benchmark
creating regular and ongoing team-building Recruitment Marketing E!orts
JUNE 23RD | 2 PM ET
opportunities. You can start with small projects
involving two- and three-person teams. In due LEARN MORE
course, you‘ll want to expand team size and the

scope of assigned projects.
Never compromise your team‘s trust in you by

assigning a task that is well beyond their skills
Never Miss Another
level. This managerial mistake sets them up for Post From TLNT
failure, and it can irreparably damage your Subscribe to our daily
relationship. newsletter.
In their book Leadership Styles: A Powerful Model,

professors Pierre Casse (Moscow School of SUBSCRIBE
Management), and Paul Claudel (IAE University)

advise leaders to ask these questions before
assigning a team project:
Are my team members prepared to
complete the task?

Am I sure they have the required skills and
experience?
Do they understand the stated goal, as well

as how it fits into our departmental or
company mission?
Are they reliable and committed?
Will they perform ethically? “The leader will have

to make sure that team members want to be
empowered and take the corresponding risks,”
write Casse and Claudel. “According to how much
competence the team member demonstrates
and how much the leader can trust him, di!erent
degrees of empowerment will be devolved.”
2. Communicate
Watch any police drama on television, from TNT‘s
gritty Southland to NBC‘s wildly successful Law &
Order franchise, and you will notice how law-
enforcement o!icers remain in constant
communication during tactical operations. Their
lives depend on it.
You can’t expect your team to understand and

execute a task without clearly communicating
your goals and objectives. In some cases, you will
be a hands-on leader, participating in the task

and o!ering close supervision. In other instances,
you may assign a team leader, who will be
charged with keeping you up to date on the task’s
progress.
This may sound easy, but communication

remains one of the greatest challenges in
leadership as Dan Carrison wrote in his book,
From Bureau to the Boardroom. Communication
must flow in several directions: How you
articulate your message. How others hear your
words. How well you listen to and hear what
team members say.
Any glitch in these communication channels can

lead to a major disconnect, even project failure.
And if you rush through communication e!orts,
rattling o! details without ensuring clear
messaging or ending a meeting with “Got it? OK,
let’s do it,” you discourage team members from
asking crucial questions that may make or break
their endeavor.
As Carrison explains: When an FBI supervisor

parts company with one of his or her street
agents a#er discussing an upcoming operation,
the supervisor does not walk away wondering if
“Jones gets it,” nor does Agent Jones ask himself,

“What was I supposed to do?” Both the
supervisor and the agent are of one mind.
This is included in both the formal

communication that is generated by the cast
communications department of the Disney
University as well as the informal communication
delivered by line management. A weekly
newsletter called Eyes & Ears is produced in-
house to keep the 36,000 cast members informed
of business updates. There are also divisional
newsletters specific to the di!erent work units to
keep cast members informed about their
location.
Communication goes beyond formal needs. Line

managers keep the front-line cast members
informed of new happenings, changes to
schedules, and key events by holding informal
talks before the shi# starts at each location.
Front-line managers take the log from the
previous shi#, check the sta!ing schedules, then
get out in the area and manage by walking
around. In fact, up to 75 percent of their day is
spent out in the areas. This allows immediate
attention to concerns around the parks and
resorts and accessibility of cast members to
management representatives.
3. O!er su!icient resources and

autonomy
Teams fail when members lack the time and
resources required to complete their assignment.
Perform a reality check.
Ask yourself how much time and how many

tangible resources you would need to fulfill the
project‘s demands. Next, determine whether
your team, based on members’ experience levels,
requires more, less or the same amount of time.
Seek input from team members, asking them to
honestly assess how long specific components of
the task will take. Your goal is to develop an
accurate, realistic timeline.
If you have chosen a team captain to lead a task,

allow this person to delegate responsibilities as
he or she sees fit. Make sure the captain knows
the di!erence between delegation and
abdication. The team captain’s job is to set the
vision, delineate strategies (o#en with the help of
other team members), and provide the
conditions and support needed for success.
As for autonomy, don‘t micromanage your team
(or team captain). Give members an attainable

goal and enough autonomy to complete it.
Monitor progress, but avoid being overly
intrusive. You’re a manager—not a babysitter. Let
team members feel empowered enough to
embrace responsibilities and enjoy a sense of
ownership. Remind the team that you are
available if anyone needs a consultation.
Recognition programs exist at all di!erent

locations at the Walt Disney World Resort. They
are there to recognize those cast members who
go above and beyond what is expected to help
the company exceed guests’ expectations. Guest
comments and letters sent in o#en are used in
recognizing this exemplary service.
Cast members recognized for their exemplary

service can receive anything from lunch with
their boss to a stay in a Walt Disney World Resort
hotel with their family. While these awards are
appreciated, o#en favorite rewards include a
reserved parking space close to the cast
member’s work location for a month, or an
“Applause-O-Gram” posted on an area bulletin
board describing exemplary performance.
Disney rewards long-term cast members with
promotions from within. They typically look

internally to fill promotional opportunities before
going outside to hire. Beginning with their 10-
year anniversary, cast members are recognized
every five years at a lavish service awards
activity. In addition to a social event which
includes bringing a guest, cast members also
receive a plaque, a gold ring, or other
distinctively Disney recognition awards for their
longevity.
Disney has found that if they cast correctly for the

role in the show, provide initial orientation and
on-the-job training, communicate e!ectively,
and take care of their cast members, it helps
maintain the corporate culture that continues to
lead to pride in the organization. This is why so
many cast members smile and say, “I am proud
to work for Walt Disney World Co.” This is what
leads their guests to say excitedly, “I am going to
The Walt Disney World Resort!”
4. Build self-e!icacy
Team members must know that you have
confidence in their abilities to complete a task.
They, in turn, must feel secure in meeting your
goal.
If an employee feels uneasy about his role on the

team, consider pairing him with a high-
performing peer. This strategy can help boost the
self-assurance of an employee who has not yet
achieved self-e!icacy — an individual’s judgment
of his or her ability to successfully complete a
chosen task. Team members’ self-e!icacy will
a!ect the choices they make when working on a
task, as well as their doggedness when setbacks
occur.
It‘s your job as leader to uncover employees‘

fears and barriers to success and alleviate their
concerns, including shyness, self-consciousness,
poor communication skills, fear of conflict,
impatience with, or dislike of, other members of
the team, and bias (gender, racial, ethnic).
5. Hold team members accountable

Every team member should be held to the same
standard of excellence, regardless of training or
years of experience on the job.
While each person‘s precise task will vary, all

team members’ commitment to completing the
job should be unwavering.
6. Conduct routine debriefings
FBI agents always debrief a#er a mission,

Carrison notes, but the corporate world o#en
reserves critiques for negative outcomes (fault-
finding sessions). Small mistakes in an otherwise
successful project may go overlooked, which
tacitly implies they can be repeated in the future.
Wildly successful e!orts may be greeted with a
mere “Nice job. Here‘s your next task…” a true
motivation killer.
Debriefings should focus on high and low points

during the project‘s run. When you review your
team’s completed work, note individual
performance and provide meaningful praise.
Team members should be rewarded when they
cooperate, coordinate, and share knowledge
with co-workers.
And when a team member fails to cooperate or

complete his task, speak with him in your o!ice.
The meeting should be private, but team
members should know that it is taking place —
and that there are consequences for failing to
pull one’s weight or working well with others.
Before ending a debriefing, ask each team

member to share thoughts on improving
performance in the future: What would they
change? Which steps could have been

streamlined? Were any of the steps unnecessary?
Were any steps overlooked? Are any procedures
archaic … performed simply because they’ve
always done it that way? Is a technology update
in order? Was there any overlap or redundancy
among team members’ jobs?
You may be surprised at the constructive

feedback you receive. Employees also appreciate
that you value their opinions and suggestions,
and that you’re willing to make changes that
solidify future team e!orts.
Adapted from Seven Disciplines of a Leader by

Je! Wolf (Wiley, 2014). Wolf is founder and
president of Wolf Management Consultants, LLC, a
premier global consulting firm that specializes in
helping people, teams and organizations achieve
maximum e!ectiveness.
Je! Wolf
Je! Wolf is the author
of Seven Disciplines of a
Leader and founder and
president of Wolf
Management
Consultants, LLC, a
premier global
consulting firm that
specializes in helping
people, teams and
organizations achieve
maximum
e!ectiveness. WMC
partners with clients to
deliver customized
solutions that resolve
their most significant
issues and create a
lasting competitive
advantage.
AUTHOR ARCHIVE
Topics
Best Practices Change Management
Culture Engagement
HR Management HR Trends
Leadership Talent Management
Teambuilding
ERE About ERE Media Advertise

Contact Terms of Service
SOURCECON
Privacy Policy Code of Conduct
TLNT Editorial Ethics ERE Foundation
© 2020 ERE Media. All Rights Reserved.

6 Essential Leadership Responsibilities That Build Effective Teams - TLNT

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

6 Essential Leadership Responsibilities That Build Effective Teams - TLNT

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

6 Essential Leadership Responsibilities that Build Effective Teams – TLNT 6/16/21, 14:56

Talent Management & HR

TRAINING CONFERENCES WEBINARS RESEARCH JOBS

Leadership 1 Your People Are About to Leave You

Responsibilities that This Company Ditched Unlimited

Build E!ective Teams

By JEFF WOLF MARCH 3, 2015

The Over-Engineering of Leadership

Why Your ‘Back to the O!ice’ Strategy

Everybody in business, at one time or another,

It happens at every level of the organization,

Teamwork is key, but it doesn’t happen

To create a fully functional team, the leader

Don't Miss the latest articles from TLNT Subscribe now ×

Trust is a three-way street: Upcoming Webinars

A. You must be able to trust each member A Step-by-Step Playbook for a

course, you‘ll want to expand team size and the

Never compromise your team‘s trust in you by

In their book Leadership Styles: A Powerful Model,

Management), and Paul Claudel (IAE University)

Are my team members prepared to

complete the task?

Do they understand the stated goal, as well

Will they perform ethically? “The leader will have

You can’t expect your team to understand and

be a hands-on leader, participating in the task

This may sound easy, but communication

Any glitch in these communication channels can

As Carrison explains: When an FBI supervisor

“Jones gets it,” nor does Agent Jones ask himself,

This is included in both the formal

Communication goes beyond formal needs. Line

3. O!er su!icient resources and

Ask yourself how much time and how many

If you have chosen a team captain to lead a task,

As for autonomy, don‘t micromanage your team

(or team captain). Give members an attainable

Recognition programs exist at all di!erent

Cast members recognized for their exemplary

Disney rewards long-term cast members with

promotions from within. They typically look

Disney has found that if they cast correctly for the

If an employee feels uneasy about his role on the

It‘s your job as leader to uncover employees‘

5. Hold team members accountable

While each person‘s precise task will vary, all

6. Conduct routine debriefings

FBI agents always debrief a#er a mission,

Debriefings should focus on high and low points

And when a team member fails to cooperate or

Before ending a debriefing, ask each team

change? Which steps could have been

You may be surprised at the constructive

Adapted from Seven Disciplines of a Leader by

Best Practices Change Management

Leadership Talent Management

ERE About ERE Media Advertise

© 2020 ERE Media. All Rights Reserved.

You might also like