In addition to building the team and ensuring effective task completion, the team leader must ensure they focus on individual team member development. The leader has a duty to help each individual align their requirements with the task and team goals.
To support the development of individuals, the team leader will need to:
- Recognise the talent and capabilities within the individuals in the team
- Personalise the individual’s development to enable it to benefit the function of the team goals
- Adopt different communication techniques to ensure that individual team members are supported appropriately in their job roles
- Ensure that the individual team members know exactly where their responsibilities lie
- Identify and feedback to each individual in the team, the part they play in achieving the task and how they contribute to the overall success of the organisation
- Praise and recognise the efforts of the team, for a job well done as it will make the team feel motivated and valued
- Acknowledge experience and potential for growth
- Acknowledge all members of the teams have different strengths and delegate roles accordingly
Dilts’ Levels of Learning
A well-known theory for team development is Robert Dilts’ Levels of Learning, in which he establishes different roles that a leader can adopt depending upon the individual’s need for development. The area that requires development from the team member can be known as an “issue”. There are six different issues that could occur:
1) Environment: this involves the external environment of the team member. For example, if a team member’s job role requires them to give a presentation and delivery of the presentation was poor, the team leader would need to consider ways of being able to incorporate presentations so next time they come to presenting something important, they will have had a lot of practice and be well prepared.
2) Behaviour: the actions of the team member is another potential issue. For example, they could have used poor body language and eye contact throughout their presentation.
3) Capability: this involves what the team member knows and understands about their role. In the example of a presentation, the team member may have made some incorrect statements about the company or the product their presentation was centered around.
4) Belief: this includes what the team member believes about what they are doing. For example, they may believe that they aren’t good at presenting and is generally a difficult skill to develop. If they believe this, they will never improve on their skills.
5) Identity: this involves what the team member believes about themselves. If they come from a family of individuals who aren’t good at presenting, this could lead them to think it is something they are never going to be good at.
The team leader will adopt a specific role depending on which area where the issue lies. Please see the table below:
| Issue | The Ream Leader’s Role |
|---|---|
| Environment | Guide – the team leader will need to guide their employees to ensure they receive the relevant training |
| Behaviour | Coach – in this situation, the team leader adopts the role of a coach as they will support them in their specific areas of development |
| Capability | Teacher – the team leader is required to teach the team member to improve this |
| Belief | Mentor – the team leader will provide positive support to change the team member’s belief system |
| Identity | Sponsor – the team leader will see the team member as something they do not believe they are (i.e. a good presenter) until the team member starts to see themselves that way |
It is important for the team leader to identify the issue before adopting a specific role. For example, trying to teach the team member facts about presenting or the product they are delivering a presentation on would prove futile if the team member is in an environment where they are unable to practice their skills. If the team member believes that presenting is difficult, guiding them to training will also prove unsuccessful without a change in this belief.