In his article, Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective,Caring Leaders (2010), Spears highlights characteristics of a group leader that focus mainly on interpersonal skills. The implication is that in order to achieve success with a task, the team itself must be successful with how it functions, as well as the growth and development of the members. My approach to team leadership includes many of these aspects.
When coordinating a group project, it is important to carefully construct a good team. First of all, if possible, a leader should choose people well suited to the task with a blend of personalities and skills represented. This will enable the team leader to rely on people’s strengths and for team members to learn and grow from others. It also enables the task to be completed well, as each member will be able to contribute their best skill to the job at hand. Sometimes, though, a team cannot be chosen. In such circumstances, there must be a collaborative piece at the beginning of the project to get to know one another and determine where each person will thrive. A leader is committed to the growth of the people (Spears, 2010, pg. 29)
Once a team is assembled, there must be some community building (Spears, 2010, pg. 29) in order for each person to get to know one another. This could be as simple as going around a circle saying their name and a leading question relevant to the group. Subsequently and throughout the project, each meeting should have some element of community such as someone bringing snacks, or starting each meeting with a “check in” with how everyone is doing. I like to use a really simply high and low check in – what was a high of your week, what was a low? These small acts of community go a long way to demonstrate to members that they are cared about for more than just their work on the task, and that others are there to support them through issues that may arise. Also planning larger community building events are important, such as group meals (breakfasts, weekend potlucks, games nights).
It is important for a leader to carefully and thoughtfully set the stage for the task. Information must be communicated about background issues that then introduces the problem to be solved or task to be accomplished. Giving this information is important for members to understand the “big picture” and therefore have buy-in to the project. This would be encompassed by Spears’ characteristics of persuasion and conceptualization (2010, pg. 28). With a goal clearly articulated, feedback can be gathered from team members with solutions they may have. After some collaborative discussion, assessing positive and negative impacts and approaches, a strategy can be outlined and roles assigned to different aspects.
With a plan in place, team members can then go to complete their portion of the task. During this phase the leader would be going around to check in with members, seeing how it’s going, providing ideas and support, and providing resources as needed (Northouse, 2019, pg. 378). There may be more team meetings necessary throughout the project to check in on projects, and trouble-shoot. In this way, a leader is demonstrating stewardship over his/her group (Spears, 2010, pg. 29). When the project is complete, there should be some form of community celebration and acknowledgement of the hard work each member has contributed.
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice. Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications.
Spears, Larry C. (2010.) Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective,caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.