Some of my friends are aspiring Team Leads in near times. Many of them say, “Ajay, what one should have, to be a good team leader?” And we discuss this over many times to bring out something. Of course, there is no one-fits-to-all solution to this quest, below is what I think is what makes a great leader great.
Experience and Expertise
I believe, a good leader has substantial amount of experience in the domain his team works. For experience unfolds the intricacies of the domain and brings an expertise in the person to be a leader.
Empathy
A true leader is always humble in nature. That brings authority automatically. His understanding of and care for his team creates a stronger bond within the team and brings a recognition for both, team and the leader, beyond that team itself.
Vision and Strategy
Being experienced, having seen ups and downs in the organization (which requires a longer commitment with the organization, in my opinion), a good leader has a clear vision and can define a robust strategy to guide his team towards a new horizon. A leader has the volition to decide upon what is good and what is not for the goals of the team.
Growth Oriented Optimism
A leader has that inherent characteristic of sensing an opportunity before anyone else does. And not stopping there, a good leader capitalizes the opportunity by walking hand in hand with each member of the team. This helps every individual grow. That’s what makes a great team great.
Motivation
For large and complex tasks at hand, a leader consistently instills motivation into his team members. That ensures that the work reaches the goal and the zeal with which the work started remains till the end.
Conflicts Resolution
Conflicts are bound to occur in a team which is diverse in nature (for diversity is very much required to have a creative environment. Monotony does not create or nourish ideas well). A good leader is very good at managing conflicts without downplaying the values of either of the parties in the fight. Nor he allows any compromise with a single aspect of the goal of the team. Experience and Expertise
I believe, a good leader has substantial amount of experience in the domain his team works. For experience unfolds the intricacies of the domain and brings an expertise in the person to be a leader.
Empathy
A true leader is always humble in nature. That brings authority automatically. His understanding of and care for his team creates a stronger bond within the team and brings a recognition for both, team and the leader, beyond that team itself.
Vision and Strategy
Being experienced, having seen ups and downs in the organization (which requires a longer commitment with the organization, in my opinion), a good leader has a clear vision and can define a robust strategy to guide his team towards a new horizon. A leader has the volition to decide upon what is good and what is not for the goals of the team.
Growth Oriented Optimism
A leader has that inherent characteristic of sensing an opportunity before anyone else does. And not stopping there, a good leader capitalizes the opportunity by walking hand in hand with each member of the team. This helps every individual grow. That’s what makes a great team great.
Motivation
For large and complex tasks at hand, a leader consistently instills motivation into his team members. That ensures that the work reaches the goal and the zeal with which the work started remains till the end.
Conflicts Resolution
