Be On The Team

IN business, as in sport, you are nowhere without the team. In some cases that might be as an individual with an entourage of people to help out.

Delegation is one key area of playing that team game well. Doing so will allow you to make maximum use of the resources available to you, for the benefit of the group. Different personalities can bring a lot of added value to the team and delegating a task can mean that person grows and learns new skills.

Thinking about who you will hand a particular task to is important. An urgent project might need someone who is quick, experienced and knows what they’re doing. A task that can take longer might be better suited to a person who has never had the opportunity to undertake that kind of work.

They need that string to their bow to allow them, and the company/team, to benefit. Short-term gain is vital – so to is the longer-term development of those around you.

Also, make sure you pass on interesting work and not just that you couldn’t be bothered to do yourself. Then, having given them the tools and the guidelines, such as time parameters, quality required etc, give that individual a free rein to get on with it, without interference, although make sure they know you are there to offer help if need be.

As a leader, look after your team’s interests, whether inside or outside the organisation. Get your staff what they need, and back them to the hilt. Otherwise they might become demotivated if they see others getting something they need but haven’t got themselves.

And give your people the credit if something goes well – while taking the blame yourself if the team mess up. Not much can generate more loyalty than a boss accepting responsibility for others actions.

This website uses cookies and asks your personal data to enhance your browsing experience.