What New Team Leaders Should Do First
What New Team Leaders Should Do First
To make a success of their new role, the first things a new team leader should do are:
- Learn the current set-up.
- Discover the team's goal.
- Find out what the current plan is.
- Integrate yourself into the team.
- Look for ways to improve the current set up.
- Make it your mission to continually improve upon the current situation.
1. Learn the current setup.
Don't try to impress everyone on your first day. Introduce yourself to other members of the team. Keep your eyes and ears open and take written notes.
Discover the current setup:
- Who is who?
- What do they do?
- What is working well and what is not so successful?
2. Discover the team's goal.
Organisations and teams exist to achieve goals.
Therefore, you must discover the goals of the organisation. What is it trying to achieve and why?
It is vital you learn this information.
Find the most influential people in the organisation and ask them those questions, write down and memorise their answers.
3. Find out what the current plan is.
Every goal needs a plan for its achievement.
You need to know how the organisation or team, currently intends to achieve its goals.
Ask the more senior members of the organisation to gain a detailed understanding of the plans, both strategic long range, and tactical short range.
Draw a sketch of the plan, and try to understand as much as you can.
4. Integrate yourself into the team.
When making acquaintance with the other members of the team, be friendly, inquisitive, and respectful to everyone and don't make waves.
Don't try to be funny.
Take in more information than you give out.
Don't brag about your past accomplishments.
Just integrate yourself into the current setup, with as little fuss and fanfare as possible.
5. Look for ways to improve upon the current set up.
When you feel fully absorbed into the team, then start to think about how you can improve upon the current working methods.
There must be things that you can see are not right, something not working as well as it could be.
Find out how they can be improved.
When you discover a fixable error, or an opportunity to improve the current working practice, put your plan in writing and present it to the team member who can benefit by the improvement.
6. Continually strive to improve upon the current setup.
The world changes by the hour, and what was working well last year, may be less efficient this year.
Never be satisfied with the current setup.
Assume the mantra: "Improvement is always possible."
Continually look for ways to improve upon the current situation.
Train yourself to be a better team-leader manager.
Develop your team to give your their best performance.
If you continually strive to make things better, then your future is assured.
About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
Blogs by Email
Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!
Further Reading in Leadership and Management
-
The Importance of Self-Control in Leadership
Do you have what it takes to be a good leader? Try our quick quiz to find out if you have the right qualities to be a leader.
Read Article > -
Solutions to Common Management Issues
Experienced management trainer Chris Farmer discusses solutions to common management issues in this short article. Read on for his insights.
Read Article > -
How to Best Communicate Your Message
During these unprecedented times, it is more vital than ever that Leaders communicate their message effectively. Organisations and their leaders have been known to fail because statements have been misconstrued. Make your communication effective.
Read Article > -
Management Problems
The three major reasons for management problems are: other people, poor systems and mother nature. In order to manage effectively, we need to develop our management skills.
Read Article > -
Successful Manager Skills
Learn the skills you need to master to become a successful manager. You can try our quiz to see how you measure up!
Read Article >
Looking for Leadership and Management Training?
If you're looking to develop your Leadership and Management Skills, you may find this Leadership and Management Training Course beneficial:
Open Training Course Pricing and Availability
Next Open Course Starts in 5 days, Online - Teams, places available