Managing Teams

• What differences do you see between leading and managing teams?
• Management = getting results, achieving set targets while making the best use of all resources at your disposal - just like investing money - you want the best return.
• Leading a team refers to inspiring them to change direction - establishing new directions, not executing old ones.
• Could you be disempowering your team?

Common challenges managers face

• Making the transition from great ''doer'' to coach or facilitator.
• Getting the balance right between authority and empowerment.
• Doing versus managing
• You got promoted because of your professional knowledge.
• How do you let go of that, to some extent, to rely more on others?
• If you need to provide all the answers, how will your team grow?
• Can you shift your confidence from technical know how to facilitative skills?
• Think of team sports. You were once a great goal scorer, now you have to give that up and be the coach. Even if you are a playing coach you will disempower your team if you insist on scoring all the goals.
• Can you avoid reverting back to what you know best under pressure?
• Manage the expectations of your boss and other key stakeholders so they stop expecting you to be the expert you once were.
• Define your own success in future as team success - think ''we''.
• Learn to obtain more satisfaction from seeing others succeed.
• Draw technical solutions out of others instead of competing with them.

Balancing authority and empowerment

• What is the basis of your authority anyway?
• If it's the power to punish or fire people, then it's based on fear.
• Conversely, it could be based on the example you set, your commitment to live up to their expectations and to be a good coach.
• This means basing your authority on trust and respect, not fear.
• This means that you don't have to score all the goals to be respected.
• Win respect by showing it to others - making others feel good about themselves.
• Still, you have to retain the authority to make decisions about them, critical strategic decisions and the right to settle disputes.
• Empowerment is not inconsistent with that.
• In practical terms, it is simply a matter of being clear about boundaries - for example, allowing them precise spending limits.
• Vague boundaries can undermine confidence and trust on both sides.
• Don't confuse authority with control. You can empower without losing control by scheduling regular performance reviews to enable you to keep abreast of what your team is up to.