15 Strategies for Excellent Team Leadership

15 Strategies for Excellent Team Leadership

Last update: 08 May, 2018

Team leadership, especially in the workplace, is a highly coveted skill. It seems logical that any organization that wants to beat the competition would put qualified candidates in leadership positions. 

If we go back a few years (we don’t have to go back very far), our image of “the boss” was a strict, demanding person. However, these days the profile has changed dramatically in many businesses. What are human resources departments looking for these days in a potential leader? Keep reading and find out!

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

-Bill Gates-

Team leadership in work groups

The first key strategy for team leadership focuses on creating work groups. When you go to choose the members of a work group, a good leader is capable of considering both the employee’s abilities and the group’s objectives.

To do that, a good leader must be aware of whether employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their responsibilities. Another very important skill is being able to collaborate and cooperate with others.

First, the leader is clear about who is on the team. Then, they will have to focus on the second important strategy: defining the mission. Here, it is crucial that all the members of the group fully understand the job.

They also need to know what is expected of them. The latter is the third key strategy for great leadership. A great team leader sets expectations and goals for the group as well as each individual.

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.

– Max de Pree-

good team leadership

The importance of preparing the group for team leadership

Once all of the above is established, there is a fourth key point to keep in mind. That is the process of structuring and planning the work. The leader has to clarify the working methods. The leader must also define the roles of each member of the group as well as deadlines for specific goals.

After that, we come to the fifth point. A good leader shapes and develops the group members. A good leader is aware of continuing education and training resources that the business offers. They should encourage their employees to use these resources. One example is a mentoring program.

The sixth key strategy for excellent team leadership is for the leader to encourage a sense of “team,” identifying conflicts and helping resolve them.

In addition, it’s important that the planning process include periodic reviews. In these reviews, team members check to see if they’re meeting the goals of the project. In other words, a good leader knows how to monitor the group. That is the seventh key strategy for team leadership.

Team leadership after a project is finished

As the team carries out the project, the team leader should give performance-related feedback. Providing feedback is the eighth key strategy of team leadership.

It is also important for the leader to manage the relationship of the group with the rest of the business. Relationship management is the ninth key strategy.

working groups

The tenth strategy is for the leader to challenge and motivate their team. They also have to participate in the things that the group does. In other words, the eleventh strategy of a good leader is to work on the project themselves.

Along these lines, we find the twelfth point. A good leader is capable of providing information and resources (material, personal, and financial) to the group.

In addition, the leader should encourage independent work. They do that by motivating the team members to solve problems. Encourage them to figure out solutions to issues that come up. Encouraging self-management is the thirteenth important strategy. 

“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.”

-Colin Powell-

For this to be possible, the leader must deal with interpersonal issues in the group. Anything that happens between team members that affects their performance has to be managed. The fourteenth key strategy, in other words, is that a great leader fosters a good social environment.

Finally, we can’t forget the last key strategy. A good leader is able to identify problems in the group and find effective solutions to them.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.



This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.