Whether you work in a warehouse or a boardroom, the most important part of being a team leader is communication.
More projects fail because of poor communication rather than because of a bad plan. So if your career goals involve team projects, learn these four important aspects of team communication today for more success and less stress:
1. Set clear goals and expectations. It may sound like a no-brainer, but the only way to get your team to do what you want is to tell them exactly what you want. Explain to your team members how you want meetings to run or how to ask for help. Make it clear what the project’s goal is. You can hold big meetings or informal one-on-one chats, send emails, or set upconference calls—just make sure you’re communicating clearly.
2. Bring your team together. Get to know the members of your team and help them get to know one another. Talk about what you like to do outside of work. If possible, try getting the team together for a happy hour or coffee break. If your team members feel comfortable talking with one another socially, there may be fewer miscommunications when it comes to working ont he project.
3. Prepare to resolve conflicts. Personalities can sometimes clash at work. As the team leader, it may fall to you to smooth things out. You may be able to handle most situations by getting the parties together and talking through possible solutions. But it’s also helpful to know when outside help is needed to resolve a conflict—for example, when a problem keeps recurring or if legal issues arise.
4. Don’t be afraid to talk about failure. No project is going to go 100 percent smoothly all the time. At some point, you may find your plan isn’tworking as well as you thought it might. Learn to talk openly with your team about what may be going wrong—that way, you can identify any problems and, more important, find a good solution.
Article from the StayWell Company, LLC