Hello, Warriors! India has the largest voluntary army, fourth largest air force and seventh largest navy in the world. Each of these arms of the forces are the finest and the best among themselves. They are lead by a hierarchy of leaders or the officers. However, unlike in the corporate world, the meaning of a ‘leader’ is totally different in the armed forces. It means leading from the front with first step being that of yours and not being bossy.
An effective team leader possesses a variety of traits that encourage other warriors to perform well and doesn’t impose his decisions upon them, rather stimulates a healthy, constructive and positive ‘josh’ among them. Some of the characteristics of a good team leader comes naturally to an officer such as compassion, integrity, etc. while some of the traits are acquired or come through training and experience. Apart from the set OLQs, following are some of the traits of an effective team leader:
- Communication: Successful team leaders communicate clearly be it verbal or written so that there is no ambiguity or room for misconception among the team members. He/she even listens to the inputs of the members and makes necessary suggestions. Koi Shak?
- Confidence: An effective team leader is confident in his abilities, as well as keeps faith on the abilities of the team members. A confident team leader reassures team members of his authority within the organisation and feels responsible for the decisions he takes.
- Delegation: Effective team leaders know how to delegate certain tasks to trustworthy team members (sub officers).
- Fair: A quality team leader treats team members fairly. He is consistent with rewards and recognition, as well as disciplinary action. A fair leader ensures equality amongst his group.
- Facilitator: Effective team leaders are powerful facilitators as they help team members understand their goals. They also help in organizing an action plan to reach the objectives more efficiently.
- Influential: Influential leaders motivate team members to be highly committed and can bring in necessary changes in the workplace by gaining the confidence of fellow members through effective decision making and communication.
- Integrity: An effective team leader is honest and open with his team members. Leaders with integrity easily gain trust of the team members because they’ll keep their words and treat others the same way they want to be treated.
- Negotiation: Team leader utilize negotiation skills to achieve results to overcome conflicts. They are problem solvers, negotiate effectively and facilitate quick decision making.
- Organisation: Effective team leaders possess excellent organisational skills which help them in setting goals and planning strategies. They allow team members to perform optimally towards meeting the set goals and objectives.
- Respectful: An effective team leader is respectful of his team members and encourages them to put forth their valuable inputs without hesitation.
