To be a good team lead

Congratulations! You have been promoted. You are now a team leader. I am sure your family is proud of you and your friends are happy for you. I am also sure that your colleagues are celebrating because of you but…wait, I am not sure about that. I am not sure that those who used to be your peers may now have to report to you would be happy for you as well.

First, you need to know what team leaders can and cannot do. Most team leaders do not have hiring and firing powers like their senior managers do. But it sure is no longer the same as being an individual contributor, either. Depending on the industry, company or department, as they all vary, here are some practical ideas that you may want to embrace in order to make you and your team successful:

1. Be charming but be fair

The biggest challenge for a newly-promoted team lead is the reaction and responses of peers who may have vied for the position or of those who would think that “once-we were-equal-and-now-you-are-above-me” feeling. It is hard to shake off this “high-school teenage-puberty” feeling, especially in a company where millennials comprise the majority of the population.

Be calm. Be charming. Reassure them that you are there to support them and you have their backs, but you need them to help you get things done. And make sure you exercise fairness in terms of dealing with your members. Your “best friend” of the “pre-promotions past” cannot claim the status anymore as performance counts more than personal relationships. You may be the person assigning tasks or setting schedules and you may like some of your team members, but you have to be so careful that you do not show preferences.

2. Take on the difficult tasks

Now that you are a team leader, it does not give you the license to pass on the difficult tasks to your members while you take on the easier ones. You will lose their respect. Pick up the task, solicit their help, and make them understand what “teamwork” really means.

3. Exercise leadership by example

This is the time when you need to exhibit your high sense of professionalism. Stay away from gossiping and do not slack off. Restrain yourself from all these activities thinking that you can lead them better by still being a “part-of-the-gang”, trying to please everyone so you can earn their favor. Never talk against somebody behind their backs. This will work against you. Exemplify excellence. Show them you are a professional and that you deserve the position given to you. Now, you set a bar for your people to aspire and that you may be in a great position to help them unleash their untapped talents that would work towards their favor in the long run.

4. Exercise wisdom and discernment

When team members come to you with a complaint (and they certainly would), you need to be wise and discerning in determining whether it is a legitimate complaint or just plain and simple whining. Learn to foster a culture of creativity within your group, and teach your members that they should not just come to you for complaints, but as well as for suggestions and for solutions.

5. Give just and fair recommendations

Team leaders may not have hire-fire decisions, but you can make very fair and just recommendations to the people who have the authority. Some team leads entertain the mistaken notion that his or her members should be defended at all costs even if the members are clearly in the wrong. If you are a team leader, you are not running a gang or sorority club. You are a professional and that should be clear. If you have to make the hard decision of recommending disciplinary action towards an erring member, then you will have to make this tough choice.

6. Show appreciation and recognition

Never EVER grab the credit away from your people. Recognize them and appreciate them for the work they did and the hard work they put into the project. And never EVER throw your members under the bus just to protect your own skin. Fix mistakes, do not fix the blame.

7. Follow the rules

Company rules and policies are there for a reason. You are not an exception to the rule and you should follow it. Occasionally, a situation may arise that would have to prompt you to make exceptions but at this stage in your career, do not offer any exceptions unless you have it cleared with your boss.

So, now that you are a team leader, congratulations! Be happy and exercise positivity. Believe me, your attitude has everything to do with your team’s motivation and success.

Learn these lessons, apply them and enjoy your leadership journey.

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