How To Handle Being A Team Lead For The First Time

The new year will come with promotions for so many people. How ready are you to lead a team? Are you too stern? Too friendly? Will you lead your team to achieve the best results?

Here are some handy tips for all you first-time team leads to help you get off to the right start:

Lead by example

Think about the behaviors you want and expect from your team members and be sure to exhibit those traits yourself.

Delegate

Trust your team to do its job. Being a team leader doesn’t mean you’re there to do other people’s work for them.

Don’t try to be everyone’s friend

Trying to be everybody’s friend at the same time as overseeing their work can eventually turn into problems and in some cases, be met with suspicion from your team, who’ll interpret your attempts to befriend them as insincere.

Have quality conversation with your team members

The quality of interactions affects how employees feel about themselves, their leader, and being part of the team.

Enjoy it!

Team leadership is often challenging but frequently rewarding. Heading up a team that’s working well and delivering results is a great feeling, so go do it!