You have probably developed your leadership skills over time. You know what a good team leader does:
- S/he makes certain that all members of the team understand the mission and vision of the organization
- S/he delegates tasks based upon strengths of individual members
- S/he holds regular team meetings and ensures that members feel comfortable voicing opinions and engaging in problem-solving endeavors
- S/he makes certain that all members have the resources they need to complete their task responsibilities
- S/he plans for training and development as needed
- S/he gets “on the field” with the players when needed, but
- Does not micromanage
- S/he ensures that every team member feels valued and needed
- S/he engages in those activities that will inspire team members
- The question is, however, are you also breeding sub-leaders, and why should you?
The Value of Breeding Sub-Leaders
A team of just 3-5 members in a small startup has a single leader, the founder. In these cases, all members are probably leaders of one (themselves), each with full responsibility for an aspect of the business. However, mid- to large-sized organizations will have teams that are larger, with complex and long-term tasks/projects. Developing sub-leaders becomes highly valuable, for the following reasons:
1. Large projects with an over-reaching goal are often divided into sub-goals, and team members must be divided accordingly. A single team leader can stretch himself very thin attempting to monitor and provide resources/services to all of these sub-groups. If, however, he has developed a sub-leader for each sub-team, then he can monitor progress effectively by meeting more often with those sub-leaders.
2. Within each large team, there are those who stand out as potential leaders. A good team leader recognizes these characteristics in certain individuals. When he does, he needs to foster that leadership through professional development and solid coaching. The serves to develop loyalty, and if and when the need should arise for sub-leaders, they are already in place and trained.
3. If a large team performs ongoing functions, as opposed to projects, all the more reason to have sub-leaders. Consider a marketing team for a large enterprise as an example. There will be sub-groups within that large team – those with creative writing skills who can produce great web copy; those with IT and data analysis skills who can track the success of campaigns, etc. The manager of that team may be skilled in one or two areas, but may not have great strength in another. That wise leader understands his own challenges and thus looks for sub-leaders who have the expertise he does not.
4. Sub-leaders can eliminate a lot of the stress that a team leader can experience during complex projects. Having a cadre of sub-leaders who are skilled and ready to assume management of sub-teams frees the project manager up to oversee and review progress.
5. Sub-leaders serve to strengthen the larger team and to provide for greater efficacy in meeting project goals and timelines. “Divide and conquer” is still a great adage.
6. Temporary needs for sub-teams will arise, and a sub-leader who is ready to go can easily assume leadership for that temporary need. Suppose there is a need for a software update. The entire IT team does not need to take on this task – that would be a waste of manpower, and there are ongoing functions that must continue. In this instance, a few team members will be assigned, with a sub-leader for that team in place to manage the project.
Team leadership is tricky business. And for busy teams that perform key functions of an organization, things must go well, deadlines must be met, and team members need to be emotionally invested in what they do. It takes time to develop a strong team, and personnel decisions often have to be made. Sometimes they involve difficult choices of letting some team members go. At other times, however, it means identifying those members who have leadership potential, coaching and developing them, and moving them into sub-leadership roles through training like online CPA courses. The wise leader anticipates what sub-leader roles are necessary right now and anticipates what may be needed in the future. At the end of the day, it is all about meeting organizational goals and contributing to profitability.
More Meetings, Less Micromanagement
Micromanaging your group can just prompt disappointment and dissatisfaction on the two sides. Give your group some elbowroom and trust their mastery in completing the work you distributed to them. Rather, center around making gatherings, collaborative working spaces and have open doors for your employees. Be available at whatever point they have questions, concerns, recommendations and different conclusions. Gatherings and basic working hours can be an extraordinary helper for individuals to complete work on time.
In Summation
Your colleagues will dependably be as profitable as you make them. As a sub-leader, your activity is to discover approaches to complete each task as indicated by your organization’s or customer’s needs. A due date probably won’t be an unchangeable reality, however, every customer anticipates that their work will be done in an opportune and proficient design. Remember that at whatever point you attempt to acquaint another route with propelling your associates to work harder.
