For anyone to lead a team effectively, there are certain functions that need to be undertaken and each requires particular skills in order for them to be executed to a high standard.
Some of these functions include:
Planning
Strategic planning through evaluation of company goals and creating a course of action allows for existing activities and targets to be analysed by leaders. Acting as problem solvers, leaders look at the bigger picture and identify specific factors affecting overall success.
Organising
Bringing resources together to achieve established goals; this includes materials, employees, and finances. By identifying necessary activities and assigning them to teams or specific team members, goals are more likely to be met. Tasks need to remain coordinated by leaders to allow for continuous efficient movement towards targets.
Highlighting and making use of talent
It is important to identify key positions and roles of staff to ensure specific duties are met by the correct talent. Once the correct structure is established, leaders need to stay on top of training and development as well as monitoring performance to truly make use of and build upon the abilities and skills within their team.
Guidance
Directing activities is a key function within leadership, letting a team know what needs to be done and providing a timescale for completion allows for efficient and more productive work. There is more to this than simply providing orders; leaders need to motivate staff to offer meaningful contributions and maintain consistently clear communication.
Controlling systems of success
By establishing performance standards and measuring them continuously, required adjustments can be made to policies and procedures within an organisation. Looking at poor performance as a development opportunity as opposed to a failure, required improvements can be made towards achieving desired results.
These are just a small collection of the many key functions we see within leadership roles; however, it cannot go unnoticed that just because these functions are important, it doesn’t mean that all leaders are skilled in every area.