What are the top qualities of an effective team leader?

You can see how good or bad a team leader is by its fruit. If you’re an effective team leader, people under your authority should be excelling, positively competitive, and have a hunger to meet goals without demoralizing anyone else. Another great quality to look out for is that an effective leader knows how to speak and listen. A team leader should not always have the first and last say. He/she should be open to suggestions, opinions, and corrections.

My 2 cents: 1. Consistency 2. Empathy 3. Motivator 4. Servant Attitude 5. Deep Worker 6. Respector of persons and NOT positions 7. Effective Communicators 8. They have a growth mindset 9. They're open to feedback 10. They celebrate and embrace failures 11. Problem solvers. They ACT and not react 12. Good in decision making. Innovative mindset 13. They're Simple and Humble ❤️

Integrity. Communication is important but integrity is the true foundation for all leadership. Integrity is the basis for trust and trust is necessary for all successful relationships, business or otherwise. Lead with your values, not your bottom line.

Communication is only as effective as its degree of authenticity and relevance. Transparency also plays a factor, but as a leader, you have to know when it makes sense to share info, and when it becomes “TMI” or a plain distraction.

Responsable d'exploitation, manager, entraineur de rugby, ces 3 fonctions ont, pour moi, toujours été complémentaires. Le but: accompagner chaque individu dans son développement, mètre par mètre, pas à pas, pour rendre le collectif le plus performant possible et trouver pour chacun la place qui lui permettra se s'épanouir et de donner le maximum. Le dialogue, le temps pris à écouter "l'autre", ne doit pas être pris comme une perte de temps, mais comme un investissement. Quand on veut mettre en place un lancement de jeu, une touche, il faut s'assurer que chacun des intervenants ait bien compris quelle est sa place dans le projet et quel en est le résultat attendu. Seuls l'échange et l'écoute, permettent la performance collective.

Psychological Safety at work is when employees feel like they can bring their whole selves to work. If they are struggling in their personal life for example, they want to come to work because it is a safe space for them when they are not at their best. Having emotional intelligence as a leader, and being able to recognize when an employee's behavior has changed and they could be in need of support, and having the courage and empathy to ask them if they are really okay, is one of the most valuable skills a leader can have.

I’ve often made a point of saying that Empathy is an Intelligence and I really mean it. As an educator I subscribe to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, as a leader I believe that understanding individual’s strengths is key to promoting a group’s success. Tapping into an understanding of my own capacity for emotional intelligence (empathy) is important to me.

Emotional intelligence is critical to leadership. You can have someone in a formal leadership position & if they have low EI they likely aren’t someone their team would choose to follow. Emotional Intelligence can be improved, but takes a conscious, intentional effort, & starts with self-awareness! How can you increase your self-awareness? The best piece of advice comes from Viktor Frankel: “Between the stimulus & response, there is a space. And in that space lies our freedom & power to choose our responses. In our response lies our growth & our freedom.” Experiencing emotion is GOOD! Acting on that emotion without intentionally choosing our response can get us in to trouble & that reactivity separates effective & ineffective leaders.

As a leader I have dedicated a lot of my training to be emotionally intelligent with my team and others. I would encourage all leaders to study the subject. It's more than being nice. It's focusing on your people beyond work. Asking about a sick parent, or kids college visit, or how a vacation was.

Consciously building a diverse team with the expectation of internal support and strong communication is step one. Being a leader of a team is an honor and a continuing responsibility. It would be best if you approached all work through the lens of this responsibility. "How will my team succeed as a whole?" "How will the individuals on my team thrive and grow?" "How do I advocate for my team and the work that they are producing?" "How do I align us for continuing opportunity and growth?" Provide the space for your team to do the work, get out of their way as much as possible, listen to to the team, give due credit and recognition, and continue to point in the direction of success through personal passion and hard work.

Talent identification, talent nurturing, talent deployment and succession planning! These are some important skills apart from Empathy etc

As a leader one may not have solutions to all the problems. One needs to have strong belief and respect in diversity. As a leader one needs to identify the strengths and weakness in all his team members and then use them as resource to solve the problems which come across. Depending on the kind of problem the issue can be given to smaller group in the team who has strength in that area and they can devise some probable solutions which as a team leader you can review and then put your knowledge as a team leader and give a solution to the given problem. At times if the problem is so critical that its not solvable in the team then involving stakeholders also helps in getting right solutions

Problem-solving starts with Defining problems as opportunities for improvement. With this mentality, obstacles and challenges can be handled.

Personal integrity or this discussion doesn’t even take off. Trust, personal and professional is built on the foundation of integrity.

Mistakes are inevitable. The most valuable thing an employer can do, is help an employee recognize the mistake, learn how to problem solve and improve results next time a similar situation presents itself, and ensure the same mistake doesn’t happen again. We have all grown from past mistakes. No one in a leadership position has gotten there without problem solving a difficult situation.

Leaders exist to make decisions. You certainly will not do well if you are indecisive. One particular view on decision-making comes from my observation of military leadership. Some officers may be tasked to lead an organization whose primary function is alien to them. They must depend on the expertise of their subordinates and their own wisdom and experience to make a sound decision. Leadership and making decisions comes with liability, whether it's as simple as the outcome of a small project, or the safety and security of others. Leaders must understand how their decisions will affect others and should always seek input from stakeholders.

Effective decision-making is critical for leaders. It requires one to objectively analyze situations, weigh their merits, and consider alternatives. Involving team members in decision-making brings additional perspectives and ensures their support through buy-in, enhancing the acceptance of decisions. Decisiveness is key; leaders must confidently make tough calls, stand by them, and be willing to admit when they make mistakes. Accountability for decisions, whether outcomes are positive or negative, builds trust. Reflecting on these decisions, learning from them, and adapting future actions are essential for continuous improvement in leadership. This approach ensures immediate results and fosters a culture of responsibility and adaptability.

Being able to make decisions and stand by them are key. You won’t get every decision right, but being able to communicate why you made them and adjust when needed are signs of a true leader.

To me effective leaders they are not supposed to be much Decision Oriented rather they should be Solution oriented. Many workplace's problem are originated from the decisions that ought to be solutions.

1. Be a good listener 2. Ask more questions than giving “orders.” 3. Strive to do the right things, at the right time, the right way and for the right reasons - and communicate this expectation to your team. 4. Own your mistakes. Learn to say ,”I’m sorry.”, and learn from your mistakes. 5. Let others fail, not so you can punish, but so they can learn. 6. Know there is a fine line between leading by example and doing someone elses job for them. If you want it done right, do it yourself is the worst thing a leader can do.

All leadership skills are needed at a given time (Situational Leadership), so it’s hard to pick just one. That said, well-oiled Coaching skills might encompass all leadership skills and potentially be the most impactful of all. Leadership in the end is a never-ending set of skills.

In my experience servant heart leadership and humility are the best examples of great leadership. Communication, problem solving, and coaching are also imperative traits in a well rounded leader.

I’m hugely passionate about coaching and believe that it’s the single greatest skill that any people focused individual can develop. Simply landing thought provoking questions and sitting back and listening to the response of the coachee is then most powerful tool. For me, the more the coachee has to think then the more impactful the coaching. Coaching can be so impactful and really helps an individual to think for themselves and grow.

It’s about listening to your team and supporting their efforts to improve not only their personal goals but alignment with the company objectives this is critical for success on both sides, also a bit of emotional intelligence for good will goes along way with to connect you with individuals and the team.

Coaching is topmost. Leading from the front in times of need & Being absolutely transparent/ available at time is what a team needs his leader to do. Specially if the team is spread across regions and can’t meet the manager frequently. Activity programs & Leadership development programs in times will keep the employee on self-introspection mode as well. Hence making the best out of the person.

During my time in an Ontarian organization, where English was the predominant language but French held importance, a team leader's actions stood out significantly. In a workplace where English prevailed and most leaders didn't engage in such practices, this leader, though not fully bilingual, made a genuine effort to communicate in French. It wasn't about fluency; it was about appreciating the diverse background of the team. This exemplifies that cultural competencies and humility are not abstract concepts but tangible actions that create an environment where every team member feels valued and heard. This leader's actions sent a powerful message that humility in leadership is not a weakness, but a strength.

Another important aspect that a Team Leader should hold is the sense of empathy. An empathetic team leader will be able to listen to the team members effectively and understand their requirements, challenges and help them achieve better results.

Being a leader comes naturally for some folks but can be taught to others. I’ve always been told if you want to lead, you can start today in your current role even if it isn’t a leadership role. My VP and I have had many conversations about how important it is for peers to help other peers if they find something that is working. Dress and act for the job you’d like to eventually have, not the one you have today.

Agency & Accountability are key attributes I look for in Leaders when I interview them. If you want to inspire a team to achieve great things, you need to lead by example and be prepared to own the losses and share the wins.

Empathy which of course is a part of Emotional intelligence but requires special mention. Influence which can be gained by the display of empathy. No one cares what you know until they know how much you care. Empathy will make the team willingly follow you. Fairness and non-discrimination. Respect for team members/followers, etc.