A Team Leader’s Two Primary Jobs

Abstract

We open this chapter by defining the two primary things that team leaders do—they shape the team’s goals, and they shape team processes and roles designed to achieve those goals. Still, understanding these two roles is only the first step. This chapter also provides concrete tools to help navigate the process of shaping goals, roles, and responsibilities. We differentiate between power and influence, considering the ways employing these concepts can be used to build trust and cooperation on a team rather than reinforce imbalances and resistance. In addition, we describe how leaders of high-performing teams appropriately balance challenging and supporting their team members as well as leading and taking following roles within their team.