The onus is on the leader to knit the team and the individuals into a cohesive unit. This requires him to take proactive measures, says SARVJEET SINGH

The objective of a successful leadership should be two dimensional. To reach the goal making optimum use of skill inventory available within the team and ensuring that each member not only has the satisfaction of giving his best but also experiences an elevation in skill and confidence level personally.

The exercise of goal setting, mid course review and accomplishment would need intense involvement of each team member. At each step each team member needs to feel encouraged and valued for their role and contribution and confidence in each other. One way to ensure that team performance is linked to the individual, self development is to carry the process of self development through the entire pursuit of objective.

This has to be done in the form of self development milestones to be recognised by individual at each milestone of goal accomplishment.

The four dimensions of self-development can be built into the individual review of self through the journey to achieve goal. These are:

Self insight: Self insight/self awareness is an important tool to equipt individual with knowledge of psychological triggers that guide behavior and attitude .

Self competence: This involves a realistic self-assessment of ones abilities and noting addition in them.

Self planning: Constant application of self improvement strategies related to skills set in demand in the team can lead to closer engagement with team objective both at mental and emotional level.

Self management: Based on the basis of self insight, self competence and self planning a comprehensive strategy to treat oneself as an asset to the team to be used in best possible ways individually in whatever role is assigned has to be formed.

Having addressed dimensions that recognise and value each individual of the team the leadership has to focus on the team as an effective result oriented unit working in perfect harmony.

The onus is on the leader to knit the team and each individual in it as a cohesive unit. And this requires him to take some proactive measures.

Putting team before self: Each team leader is as good as his team deserves to get higher importance from the leader than the leader.

Role clarity: Some of best intensive and suitably skilled endeavors fall due to lack of clarity. It is for this that Role clarity that should be there for each member of the team.

Batting for the Beleaguered vs Brick Bats: When situation does not work on expectant lines and results are not forthcoming, the pressure emitted from the same can further demoralise team members and demolish the prospects of the team. The act of leader who stands by his team in crisis determines whether the team emerges from the experience stronger and wiser or defeated.

A leader who is integral part of the team and is acknowledged and appreciated by all members for the same would be more successful when the situation requires him/her to apply authority he wields.

The writer is Assistant General Secretary, New Delhi, YMCA