Team Leadership Memo

SUMMARY:

Our Company has added a new department as part of the strategic plan for a particular market segment. Upon receiving the responsibility of being the new department’s lead manager, I have put together this team leadership plan that will evaluate the individuals, including myself, based on several measurable criteria. An evaluation of the current situation in regards to urgency, culture, and other factors is included in this memorandum. Additionally, my ideal leadership approaches, principles, and methodologies will also be included, as well as the theories, guidelines, and best practices I am using.

I like to request your full attention as I list the steps in my leadership plan. I will also request meetings and conferences with you and the new department in the very near future to analyze and critique my plan, as well as to brainstorm for new and more efficient ideas. The meetings will be crucial in successfully leading the new team and will help materialize the new goals and objectives of our organization.

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As we embark on new market segments, there needs to be proven practices, strategies, and ample management in place. Since our organization is venturing on an entirely new platform, we will need to effectively and carefully asses all areas so that we can achieve our objectives using our best performance but our performances are also correlated with team management. This memorandum will entail my blueprint on how to achieve just that. Moreover, each of our members, including me, will also be required to perform a self-personality assessment test.

The test results will be analyzed by our Human Resources Employee Assistance Team to give us an idea of where we are currently at in terms of personalities. A quick summary of what is included is outlined in the list below.

• Assess Team Members
• Define Team Member Roles
• Analysis of Situations
o Urgency
o Culture
o Other
• Leadership Approaches

Team Member Assessment

Our very own Human Resources (HR) department will help us conduct our self-personality assessment tests. HR will be used to reduce the anxiety usually present in these types of tests. This will also help in ensuring the validity and accuracy of the assessments because the HR will use accepted format and guidelines in designing the tests. This will also relieve the team leader of this responsibility and focus more on bigger objectives. The assessment tests will ask questions to the members regarding different areas such as timeliness, organization, stress management, conduct, and many more. The final analysis will be conducted by me, and the results will be shared and collaborated with the rest of the team. To preserve the privacy of the results and protect the organization, each individual who conducted the tests will be given a disclaimer form that needs to be signed. An example of the assessment test, derived from Human Metrics, can be seen in Figure 1 below (Human Metrics, 2013).

Figure 1 Personality Test (Human Metrics, 2013).

To initially validate and see if the assessment tests are indeed accurate, I have performed the test last Monday. My initial self-personality assessment test suggests that I am very well organized, which is accurate. This proves that the assessment tests designed by our HR team is credible and can be used further for the rest of our members. My personality assessment also indicated my sensitivity to deadlines and my keen eye on details. Both are correct because I always follow instructions and make sure quality of the deliverables are at their best.

Since I will be the team leader, I will be responsible for the quality of the deliverables, and this will improve accountability, not just for me, but also for the team members. I also perform extremely well because of my skills as a team leader and my experience, education, and training has taught me the principles of time management, which can be critical in meeting deadlines and setting priorities to objectives. My self-assessment test will highlight both my strengths and weaknesses and will also determine if I have the skills and personality expected from an ideal leader.

Team Member Roles

Collaborator, moderator, and controller are three major roles defined in this plan. The collaborator role will aid in the team members’ ability to adapt to the role that was assigned to them. It is noted that the personality test will show the strengths and weaknesses of the members but I cannot always guarantee that they will be assigned the roles they expect or desire. The collaborator will have the sensitivity and good judgment necessary to quickly assess an individual’s characteristics and respond in a timely manner to allow the members to voice out their concerns and intersect the said concerns with the business objectives (Nohria & Khurania, 2010). The collaborator also requires being a good communicator because this skill is used to keep the link between members and management at a constant and good standing. The leader will engage with the activities of the members and boost their morale and cater to their needs whenever necessary. It is my greatest hope that it is in each of our new department’s team member’s goal to be a collaborator.

The moderator will be the mediator between the team members and the management. The moderator ensures the voice of the team is heard and aids in resolving concerns. By doing this, the team is able to better allocate resources and stay in healthy relationship with the management (Chemers, 1997).

The controllers insist on disciplines and often seen policing other members. They adhere very strictly to the rules and policies which can cause team dynamics to collapse (North House, 2010). This is not an ideal role but it is very important that this role is clearly defined so that it can be avoided.

Situation Analysis

Our organization consists of individuals from different cultures, races, ethnicity, and parts of the world. We strive hard to keep our diversity in good shape and we embrace the idea of equality. Such diverse groups need a special kind of management, one that can accommodate the varying needs of its members. Each member is required to be at their politest, most respectful attitude and must be open-minded to accept the differences seen between individuals. Our official Code of Ethics document will be given to each member and a mandatory seminar will be conducted. An activity schedule will be designed so that each activity and down times are accounted for.

This will serve as a basis for what is expected from everyone at any given time and can be used to resolve conflicts. Every individual who is not doing their job can be questioned and sanctioned accordingly. Communication is key to maintaining a healthy team. Every concern, conflict, or complaints will be given equal attention and company regulated investigative procedures will be conducted. This approach ensures equality among members. As long as the members feel they are equal, competition is strong (which is good), anxiety is low, communication is open, and cultural differences are not ignored but recognized and accepted.

Leadership Approaches

One of the approaches I am following comes from Chemers 1997 An Integrative Theory of Leadershipbook. An individual is said to be a good leader if he is humble, approachable, trustworthy, respectable, a good communicator, and has excellent people and technical management skills (Chemers, 1997). Chemers believe that a leader must have both the characteristics of a king and a servant. This is absolutely true because a king has the ability to lead and a servant has the ability to serve.

A strong and effective leader must have the capacity to stand his ground to enforce a rule and yet able to kneel down low to aid another. The leader must set a good example so that others may follow. Respect should be at the top of priorities as respect is something that needs to be earned. There is a huge difference between fear and respect. Fear involves anger but respect involves integrity.

I am confident that my plan meets your expectations. I want to know your initial reaction and if you would lend me some of your time so I can organize a conference and present my plan to the board. I look forward to meeting with you in the on first Monday of next month to deliberate on the plan. Thank you for all of your support!

References

Chemers, M. M. (1997). An integrative theory of leadership.Erlbaum. Mahwah, NJ.

Human Metrics. (2013). Jung Typology Text. Personality Test Based on Jung Typology Test.

Nohria, N., & Khurana, R. (2010). Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An HBS

Centennial Colloquium on Advancing Leadership.Harvard Business Press. Boston, Mass.

Northouse, P. G. (2006). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage. Thousand Oaks, CA.

References

http://www.collegiateproject.com/articles/Project%20in%20Trouble.pdf. (2009). How to Determine if Your Project is in Trouble. Collegiate Project Services. Retrieved from http://www.collegiateproject.com/articles/Project%20in%20Trouble.pdf

http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/business-skills-training/time-management/. (2008). Time Management Training. Silicon Beach Training. Retrieved from http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk/business-skills-training/time-management/