Leader

Identify the position and role of a team leader in the public services including their responsibilities, qualities and skills. Leadership is a trait that is extremely valuable in any public service and none more-so than in the Army. Being a team leader in the Army demands a very versatile individual for the job who can essentially, among other things, effectively influence the actions of others. A team leader in the Army whether they are a commissioned (CO) or a non-commissioned officer (NCO), must both possess certain qualities and skills many of which are shared in other sectors of the public services.

It can be argued that the most important elements of a good leader are their personal qualities. Fundamentally, one’s qualities describe who a person is inside, and at the core of Army leaders are Army values. The leader is not merely wielding power, but appealing to the values of the follower. In this sense, values mean, “A principle, standard, or quality regarded as worthwhile or desirable. “1 The British Army has promoted seven values in particular extensively, those values are: ‘loyalty, duty, respect, selflessness, honour, integrity and courage.

These qualities, when related to a team leader in the Army, can be recognised in certain areas of their duties. A team leader is responsible not only for themselves but to the welfare of the soldiers under their command. They provide the guidance, assistance and supervision necessary for soldiers to excel and are ultimately responsible for the progression of their soldiers and their careers. “A team leader who can take care of his soldiers earns the confidence of both his men and his supervisors. “3 In order to attain the confidence and command the respect of their soldiers they must look to be an example for their soldiers.

When in combat the team leader must be the one a soldier looks to for an example of what to do and the one person they see to react first. The leader must exercise certain skills in demanding situations many of which are mental attributes. They are expected to hold a significant amount of intellectual ingenuity and use initiative and quick thinking to overcome certain obstacles under immense pressure with poise and grace. They must be able to problem solve and provide a variety of solutions with multiple outcomes. Again, through these skills they are helping their subordinates develop and are gaining their trust and confidence.

“Intellectual stimulation helps followers to question assumptions and to generate more creative solutions to problems. “4 As well as the desire and willingness to lead, individuals who assume leadership roles must possess certain skills away from the field. A large part of this falls under their ability to organise. They are expected to undertake plenty of paperwork including preparing reports and maintaining records of their activities be they accomplishments or failures. “The team leader not only sets the example, but he is also the grease on the axle that keeps the administrative wheels of the platoon rolling smoothly.

“5 There are times when they may be expected to deal with their subordinates wages or accommodation as well as recording any problems that their soldiers have whether they are complaints, (for which there are certain procedures) or personal problems. The team leader is the first person a soldier goes to for guidance therefore they must possess a significant amount of knowledge in order to be able to answer their queries. They must be able to meet deadlines and plan for certain objectives. For this they must possess the skills to research, learn and apply a wide range of methods to identify, assess and analyse a situation.

During their decision making process it essential for the team leader to be able to communicate effectively with their soldiers and to clearly state their objectives. They must possess the ability to determine the intentions of the mission and to convey that to their soldiers in a way that makes certain that everyone is on the same page. This in turn leaves less room for mistakes. “In the chaos of battle, it is essential to decentralize decision authority to the lowest practical level. “6 This statement underlines the need for strong initiative skills within the role of the NCO.

It is always a possibility that a team leader in the Army, especially in combat situations, becomes the NCO. Such team leaders must possess the skills to be ready to step into command positions and have the personal confidence and knowledge to lead in the absence of direction. As well as mental attributes the Army team leader must also possess physical attributes also. Operations in the field not only result in mental stress, requiring the leader to have considerable mental skills in the form of thinking clearly, but also physical weariness and exhaustion.

To some extent these go hand-in-hand as “a high-level of physical fitness prevents decision-making ability from being clouded in times of stress of exertion. “7 Primarily the team leader, regardless of which public sector they are in, must possess both a high level of personal qualities and certain skills applicable to that position in order to complete their respective duties successfully.

Bibliography

Bass, B. M. (1998), ‘Transformational leadership: Individual, military and educational impact’, Erlbaum, New Jersey.

In furthering environments where creativeness thrive, stronger overall concerns will emerge. However, the manner in which a director of employees can acquire optimal creativeness from his work force is non ever clear. Harmonizing to Peiperl ( 2002, 106 ) , making squads of people inspired by the spirit of creativeness will heighten overall public presentation within a concern. This survey intends to happen the common elements of managerial/ leading manners that promote employee creativeness and invention in the work environment.

Creativity and Invention

In many research surveies, the footings creativeness and invention are frequently used interchangeably, nevertheless, there are celebrated differences between the two. Mumford & A ; Gustafson ( 1988 ) contend that creativeness has to make with the production of novel and utile thoughts, and invention has to make with the production or acceptance of such utile thoughts every bit good as its execution ( Kanter, 1988 ; Van de Ven, 1986 ) . In any instance, organisations need both to be successful in the accomplishment of its ends.

Robinson ( 2011 ) contends that in order to keep a competitory border, creativeness and invention are necessary to bring forth new thoughts for merchandises and services. To develop these indispensable properties, flexibleness and adaptability to alter must be developed by people in their instruction and preparation.

Creative believing refers to how people come up with solutions to bing jobs ( Amabile, 1996, 1998 ) . It is the consequence of an person ‘s attempt to blend and fit existing, conventional thoughts together to make new attacks to work outing jobs. Such thought does non bring forth creativeness simply from an person ‘s rational attempts, but creativeness is an result of his accrued originative thought accomplishments and expertness based on his past experiences ( Amabile, 1998 ) . However, even if an person has adequate appropriate originative thought accomplishments and expertness, a high degree of creativeness will non be reached if he or she lacks the motive to mobilise attempts to utilize such capablenesss ( Jung, 2001 ) .

A common phrase used mentioning to creativeness is ‘thinking outside the box ” . Notar & A ; Padgett ( 2010 ) commented that really successful people ne’er appear to hold a “ box ” from which they ope rate. However, a box is something associated with something that confines one to a finite infinite. “ Thinking outside the box ” so means non believing in a finite infinite but opening the heads out to infinite infinite with eternal possibilities. Bernacki ( 2002 ) enumerates some properties related to “ believing outside the box as holding a willingness to take new positions to daily work. It besides entails openness to make different things and to make things otherwise. Creative persons focus on the value of happening new thoughts and moving on them. They strive to make value in new ways. Although they already have great thoughts in head, they still enjoy listening to others due to their perennial hunt for better thoughts.

Creative Cultures/Environments

Amabile ( 1998 ) suggests that for leaders to further creativeness among their subsidiaries, they must set up an organisational environment wherein subordinates feel safe lending their thoughts and seeking out advanced attacks without fright of penalty for failure. Transformational leaders stimulate their followings to believe ‘out of the box ‘ by heightening productive and explorative thought ( Sosik et al. , 1998 ) . Such leaders push their followings to courageously believe about old jobs in new ways, to oppugn their ain values, traditions and beliefs, every bit good as the leader ‘s beliefs and premises ( Bass, 1985 ; Hater & A ; Bass, 1988 ) . Diehl & A ; Stroebe ( 1991 ) illustrate that when group members brainstorm to bring forth advanced and originative attacks to work out jobs at manus, their leader ‘s intellectually stimulating behaviours, statements and attitudes can ease members to pass more clip bring forthing unconventional thoughts every bit good as assist them cut down the possible consequence of rating apprehensiveness, therefore heightening creativeness in groups.

When faced with undertakings that require originative thought, squads may either work good together towards a solution or work better separately, depending on their originative thought manners.

The sort of support the environment gives a individual besides reflects in the degree of creativeness he may develop. Torrance ( 1965, 1972 ) has found that a non-punitive schoolroom or work environment that focuses on the development and rating of apprehensions while fostering independent idea and geographic expedition tends to heighten thought coevals. This determination supports surveies of organisational clime and productiveness. Research indicates that a positive organisational clime that is supportive of originative attempts and encouraging of action tends to ease scientific productiveness. ( Taylor, 1963, 1972 ) . Pelz ( 1956 ) found that environments that encourage interaction, liberty and production of cognition led to originative accomplishment. On the other manus, environments characterized by misgiving, deficiency of communicating, limited liberty and equivocal ends inhibited scientific invention. ( Mumford & A ; Gustafson, 1988 )

Sternberg ( 2003 ) proposes several facets of interactions that might make or decrease the originative urge. Groups that compete against one another do much better than groups that compete within themselves. The squad construct is stronger than the endurance of the fittest construct of competition. As good, when an employee feels that he will be evaluated for his creativeness, the sum of invention appears to decrease. Many other surveies have been done on a scope of managerial actions that might act upon creativeness and invention in the workplace. Shalley & A ; Gilson ( 2004 ) pointed out the negative effects of close supervising and the value of support in their survey on social/ organisational influences on originative work. Reiter-Palmon and Illies ( 2003 ) focused on cognitive influences, observing the importance of managerial actions that increase information handiness and supply the clip needed to work through jobs.

With respect to motivation and honoring originative work, different places surface. One is that extrinsic wagess such as wage inducements, publicities, acknowledgment, etc. diminish creativeness ( Collins & A ; Amabile, 1999 ) while another place holds that extrinsic wagess can heighten creativeness ( Eisenberg & A ; Cameron, 1996 ) . Baer et Al ( 2003 ) suggest that occupation complexness and people ‘s originative job work outing manner, specifically adaptation versus invention, interact in finding the effects of wagess. Therefore, a leader should be able to supply a scope of wagess but more on making conditions likely to further intrinsic motive.

No affair how great a squad gets in footings of invention, originative civilizations maintain on oppugning things. They want to cognize how to make things even better and are low plenty to cognize that they are continuously turning and larning and ever in demand of feedback and new information ( Robinson, 2011 ) .

Empowering Leadership

The literature suggests that leaders have much to make in promoting creativeness in their employees. Mumford & A ; Licuanan ( 2004 ) have summarized conditions that shape the impact of leader behaviour on creativeness and invention. These include the creativeness of their followings ; work group processes guided by lucidity of aims, accent on quality, engagement and support for invention ; leader control of wagess ; occupation features such as occupation complexness and challenge ; and organisational clime and construction. Mumford, Connelly, & A ; Gaddis, ( 2003 ) place that leaders should possess significant proficient and professional expertness every bit good as significant originative thought accomplishments. These research workers argue that originative idea on the portion of leaders begin with rating of their followings ‘ thoughts. This rating stimulates brainstorming attempts of both leaders and followings where thought coevals becomes active. Followings ‘ thoughts are reshaped and reformed based on their leader ‘s expertness and professional experiences ( Mumford & A ; Licuanan, 2004 ) .

Invention can merely be possible if imaginativeness and creativeness have been cultivated in an organisation, and this needs to be initiated by organisational leaders. Leaderships should foster a civilization where everyone ‘s thoughts are valued and keep a balance of freedom to experiment and an in agreement system of rating. By and large, they facilitate a harmonious relationship between the external and internal civilizations, with the external civilization consisting of “ technological inventions, population alteration, new forms of trade, fluctuation in financial and pecuniary policies, planetary competition, the increasing strains on natural resources and the effects of all of these on how clients and clients are believing and experiencing ” ( Robinson, 2011, p. 98 ) . Internal civilization involves societal behaviors and patterns accepted in the organisation which gives it its typical feel. It can be said that it is how things are normally done in the organisation. The leader of the organisation has three chief functions in developing a civilization of creativeness viz. the personal, group and cultural functions. These functions feed into each other and may sometimes overlap in order to enrich creativeness ( Robinson, 2011 ) .

Robinson ( 2011 ) explains that the leader needs to be able to ease the originative abilities of every member of the organisation. Admiting that each member has originative potency, the leader should let them to take part in some maps that entail sharing of their thoughts, as some of these may be really helpful to the organisation. It will besides do them experience valued because they are given the chance to do a worthy part to the organisation. Aside from being participative, members are besides encouraged to larn more accomplishments that would non merely profit the organisation but their ain egos. Creative leaders advocate womb-to-tomb acquisition and create chances for their members to continuously and systematically prosecute in it. Fostering inventive heads leads to innovation which finally comes back to the company ( Robinson, 2011 ) .

Creative leaders do non hold prejudices against anyone and welcomes diverseness. They believe that each individual has something to take to the tabular array due to their diverse backgrounds. Hence, their openness attracts more people, irrespective of their background and skill degree, to fall in their originative squad. These people anticipate coaction with each other in order to come up with advanced schemes that will profit the organisation and convey it higher than its rivals. Creative leaders besides know that their squad members have assorted work penchants in order to unleash their creativeness and supply environments that encourage it. Leaderships should be cognizant of their followings ‘ preferable manner of processing of originative idea to be better able to pull off groups and incorporate the distinguishable processing manners that characterize the work of the many different people involved in real-world originative attempts ( Basaur, 2004 ) . This is why dynamism is consistent. Creative civilizations thrive on environments that are alive and free ( Robinson, 2011 ) .

Jaussi and Dionne ( 2003 ) indicated that unconventional behaviour of leaders expressed through function mold, articulation of a originative mission and the constitution of a originative group individuality wholly contributed to employee creativeness. Zhou and George ( 2003 ) besides argue that by determining the emotional responses of followings to the jobs and challenges posed by originative undertakings, leaders stimulate their followings ‘ problem-solving and intrinsic motive needed for originative work. This suggests that leaders of originative people should non merely possess societal and emotional intelligence and an ability for rapid accommodation of affect and affect framing should it be required, but besides cognize how to excite their followings intellectually. This establishes the originative individuality of their group.

Emotional Intelligence and the Creative Leader

Zhou & A ; George ( 2003 ) propose that the root of creativity-supportive leading is emotional intelligence. They argue that leaders play a important function in rousing and furthering creativeness in organisational members both through their ain behaviours and actions and through making a work environment that supports and encourages creativeness. In peculiar, emotional intelligence enables leaders to rouse, promote, and support creativeness among employees in organisations. Leaderships high on emotional intelligence cognize how to utilize emotion to assist their employees jumpstart the cognitive procedures that underlie job designation and chance acknowledgment. Zhou and George ( 2003 ) illustrate that when persons are in positive tempers, their optimistic temperaments surface and they feel more confident in confronting new chances or go dismissive of jobs. However, when they are in negative tempers, they tend to be more pessimistic yet more readily able to observe errors and mistakes and place jobs ( Bower, 1981 ; Salovey & A ; Birnbaum, 1989 ) . Emotionally intelligent leaders use their cognition of these effects of tempers to rouse their employees ‘ creativeness through affect timing and affect balance. Positive tempers can be taken advantage of by holding followings think up of possible chances and have adequate optimism to visualize betterment and success. On the other manus, negative tempers can be exploited by imparting it in the way of job acknowledgment and originative job resolution, finally heightening the person ‘s ego regard with the recognition of his part alternatively of gradual backdown from the workplace. Even defeat of a worker due to a job-related job, can be utilized by emotionally intelligent leaders. Both can convulse out the issues and causes of such negative emotion and finally assist the employee to go cognizant of the job and follow a more proactive demeanour in creatively work outing it ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) .

Conflicts are bound to originate in groups particularly when garnering information for originative undertakings. Different personalities and backgrounds, degree of creativeness accomplishments and cognition may ensue in dissensions on the criterions and boundaries of information to seek. Leaderships with high emotional intelligence are able to pull off followings ‘ emotions, and aid followings achieve a productive balance. More specifically, leaders with high emotional intelligence can accurately feel when followings are losing forbearance or going frustrated with non being able to obtain necessary resources, and when followings become happy and satisfied with their advancement prematurely. Because a leader with high emotional intelligence understands the causes and effects of emotions, he is likely to place the ground why his followings experience both positive and negative tempers. His accurate perceptual experiences enable him to pull off and equilibrate the negative and positive emotions and successfully nudge the employee to prevail in garnering information and remaining on-task.

Emotional intelligence will assist leaders in promoting their followings to be unfastened to new acquisition, and approach new undertakings with enthusiasm and optimism instead than with trepidation and apprehension. It may besides go on that followings can be excessively excited about new information that they remain in the information assemblage phase without any clear ends or attempts to utilize the information in originative enterprises. Leaderships high on emotional intelligence are able to pull off their followings ‘ tempers so they achieve a balance and concentrate alternatively of being carried off by their ain exuberance ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) .

Emotionally intelligent leaders are to the full cognizant that execution of originative thoughts may affect both positive and negative emotions throughout the procedure and employees may be on an ’emotional roller-coaster ‘ . These leaders provide their followings with the appropriate encouragement and flexibleness and a corporate sense of ownership. The demand to be flexible themselves should be addressed by leaders and they should be willing to abandon a program when a more superior and originative thought is born. In state of affairss when negative emotions associated with ownership issues in thought execution emerge, leaders should be able to pull off such emotions so that negative feelings will non adversely affect the thought execution procedure. Such leaders will hold the emotional know-how to steer their followings and themselves through this hard and ambitious procedure, all the piece being unfastened to the possibility of farther alterations and betterments and stressing corporate ownership for ultimate results ( Zhou & A ; George, 2003 ) .

“I would like to take a moment and make something clear to everyone. I do not expect, nor do I want, any of you to miss or sacrifice important family obligations for work… In fact, I will go so far as to say that if I find out that you are working with me while missing important family responsibilities, it will disappoint me greatly.”

These excerpts are from a 2014 internal memo () Vice President Joe Biden sent to his team members.

The language he chose is precise and particular. Biden warmed the heart by addressing the note to “My Wonderful Staff,” and signed off with a sincere “Thank you for all the hard work.” He stressed how important it is that his valued employees . And he owned this directive, by clearly stating how personally disappointed he will be to learn after the fact that an employee has missed a crucial family moment because of work.

Related:

He also included a very detailed list of what he considers “family obligations,” including birthdays, religious celebrations and graduations. This information was so valuable to his team — since most of us, especially when we’re swamped, will “grade” family obligations on a sliding scale from “critical” to “OMG I simply can’t take a day of just for that!”

Why language matters.

We know that spending too much time at work (or working at home) unproductive teams. But do we understand the impact of language? Poor choices of words, especially coming from company leaders, can affect employee morale, productivity and health.

Let’s take a look at a couple of scenarios, from the employee’s perspective, where poor word choices can have powerful effects:

Scenario 1: Heading into an important meeting you’ve spent weeks preparing for, your manager turns to you and says, “Let me do the talking. You can take notes.”

Result: You . It’s clear your manager doesn’t fully trust you, and in turn, you begin to doubt yourself.

Scenario 2: Your boss is annoyed because there was a simple error in one of your monthly reports. Mistakes happen. But, your boss expects perfection. “Why can’t you be more like Tony?” he says, “He would never allow something like this to slip through the cracks.”

Result: Aside from feeling hurt by this overreaction, your boss has now turned the tables on poor Tony as well. You are envious of him and resent the implication that he’s better than you. Your boss has created team divisions and you no longer work as well together.

Related:

Scenario 3: Work has been extremely stressful and you’re having issues with a coworker. You talk to your manager about it, hoping for a resolution. Instead, he trots out the old line “You know, with the economy the way it is, you should feel lucky to have a job. Try harder to work it out on your own.”

Result: When a manager doesn’t offer help and reminds you that you should be grateful to have a job, it essentially tells you that you’re not worthy. Communications like this erode corporate loyalty and build resentment.

Turn the negatives to positives.

. But leaders can use positive language to create an environment of trust, a place where employees feel safe and valued. Here are some tips to help you turn negatives into positives:

Be attentive and respectful. Be present when an employee requests a one-on-one with you. Don’t check email or text. Actively listen to what they’re saying and if you don’t agree with them, keep your emotions in check. Suggest a follow-up discussion and craft your response in a way that benefits you both.

No matter how stressed you are, don’t explode over every mistake. Your employees aren’t robots. Unless these errors are a running trend, mention it, but or make your teams fearful. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a resentful workforce without the self-confidence to help your organization grow.

Use positive language even in a negative situation. Have a less than stellar team member? Let them know that their behavior is unacceptable, but don’t take this opportunity to belittle and berate them. Be firm, but respectful. Instead of focusing on the negatives, highlight good things they do bring to the table. Never use insults, and allow them some time to have the floor to explain.

Related:

Vice President Biden’s memo made his team feel valued, trusted, and secure. By choosing your words carefully and bringing out the best in your teams, you will have a happy, healthy, loyal and productive workforce. 

Leaders are Made

Throughout history, the world has seen a number of great leaders including Alexander the Great, Mohandas Gandhi, Adolf Hitler and Martin Luther King Jr. These leaders possessed strong leadership characteristics that left an impact to the world’s history even after their era has passed. Contrary to the previous notions that their greatness has been born with them, in reality, their leadership skills and traits have been developed and harnessed by their rich experiences in life.

Made Leader

Leadership skills do not come in nature with a person. Rather, leadership is something that people learn through life, all of which largely influence one’s inner beliefs and traits. Such characteristics do not come in an instant, however, it is still not impossible for an individual to possess leadership skills even at an early age (Camiel, 2003, p.88). The process of learning how to lead is not as easy as it seems, because one has to be a learner and a follower before he or she can lead other people. Through this process, a person can be made a leader. A made leader connotes someone who has undergone training in order to improve his or her leadership skills and abilities. In addition, a made leader must be ready and open to gain more knowledge in order to further improve his or her skills (Adelekan, 2007, p.7). Other authors have also suggested that “most of what leaders have that enables them to lead is learned” (cited in Avolio, 2005, p.2).

Furthermore, the people who think they are inclined to become leaders because of inborn leadership traits are not preordained. This means that there are still many things that they have to learn in order to have that leadership potential (Avolio, 2005, p. 5). They have to experience a lot of things, which is the foundation in forming their beliefs and stand on important matters. Experience is not something that one has or gets when he or she is born. As one grows up, experience becomes a staple part of his or her personality that can affect leadership abilities.

This is the case with the great leaders within the world’s history. They have experienced oppression, inequality, and other events which contributed to their conquest of becoming great leaders. These leaders gained their experiences from observing the people and taking note of the events that created great impacts on how these leaders viewed the world. For instance, Gandhi was influenced by his mother. In fact, Gandhi’s mother was the “strongest formative influence” when he was still young. His technique of appealing to the mass through self-suffering is something that he got from his mother (Mahatma Gandhi, n.d.). Furthermore, Alexander the Great was also influenced by the people surrounding him, such as his mother and his mentors, notably Aristotle (Watkins, n.d.). In his case, the notion that leaders are born cannot be applied because Alexander also started from being an inexperienced person, especially when it comes to battles (Kets de Vries and Engellau, 2004).

Martin Luther King, on the other hand, was influenced by the inequality that was rampant when he was young. He could see how people from the white race treated the blacks. He grew up knowing that there are certain privileges that black people cannot have just because of their ethnicity and color (Eastern Illinois University, n.d.). Likewise, Hitler was influenced by the sad experiences he had during his childhood. Although Hitler could be viewed as a reincarnation of evil, he was a very powerful leader during his time (Wiesel, 1998). His experiences shaped his beliefs and hatred against the Jewish people (Think Quest, n.d.).

Except from Hitler and other powerful leaders that resorted to evil ways to achieve their goals, leaders possess positive emotions and qualities and personality traits that guided them through the rough times (Siegel, 2006, pp. 8-9). These qualities are not born with them, because people tend to be influenced by people or by incidents as they grow up. A certain person’s ideas about the world can be changed by events which caused him or her to accept the opposite of his or her initial beliefs. As an individual undergoes different experiences, it can change him or her and further establish and strengthen his or her leadership capabilities.

References

1. Adelekan, A.A. (2007). Essentials of church leadership and management: A must for all church workers and theological students. U.S.: AuthorHouse.
2. Avolio, B.J. (2005). Leadership development in balance: Made/born. U.S.: Routledge.
3. Camiel, R. (2003). Sweetness of the struggle. U.S.: iUniverse.
4. Eastern Illinois University. (n.d.). The childhood of Martin Luther King, Jr. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from http://www.eiu.edu/~amheroes/mlkchildhood.html
5. Kets de Vries, M.F.R., and Engellau, E. (2004). Are leaders born or are they made?: The Case of Alexander the Great. U.S.: Karnac Books.
6. Mahatma Gandhi. (n.d). Childhood. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from http://www.mkgandhi.org/biography/chldhood.htm
7. Siegel, L. (2006). Suite success. U.S.: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
8. Think Quest. (n.d). Adolf Hitler’s Childhood. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112264/Hitler1.html
9. Watkins, T. (n.d.). Alexander of Macedonia. San Jose State University. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/alexandergreat.htm
10. Wiesel, E. (1998). Adolf Hitler. Time Inc. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/hitler.html

This evaluation will focus on the job of team leader assembler for the can manufacturing firm. The major components, tasks and responsibilities required for this position include: good manual dexterity, the ability to assemble components, the ability to stand for extended periods of time, ability to operate various plant equipment including conveyers and counting machines, good manual dexterity, attention to detail, ability to engage in repetitive motions.

Independent judgment is required to inspect components and visual acuity is necessary to ensure that only the best quality products are passed through the assembly line. The team leader of the assembly unit is also responsible for coordinating communication and working relations with all team members. The team leader is also responsible for ensuring the safety of all members of the team, for tracking time cards, for ensuring that all team members are cross-trained in job functions and to ensure that productivity goals are met in a timely fashion.

Basic job description includes assembling and performing all steps vital to product production in accordance with specifications for product design. This position can cultivate a sense of intrinsic motivation by allowing the team leader a certain level of autonomy while supervising the work functions of other responsibilities. Team leaders are also responsible for scheduling employees, addressing minor disputes among employees and for the quality of work produced by their team.

For many the ability to lead and represent a unit of employees is in an of itself enough to encourage intrinsic motivation, depending on what factors motivate the individual team leader. The team leader position also offers more financial incentives than other positions, which contributes to motivating the employee in this role. Company wide rewards offered all employees include a comprehensive profit sharing plan that allows all employees to enjoy the rewards the company reaps when the company is doing well.

This type of award however, many not prove as motivating for a team leader, as profit sharing awards generally appeal to higher ups in the company who have more capital to invest and are often afforded more profit sharing opportunities within the company (Greider, Logue & Yates, 2001). Management for example, often enjoys many of the benefits associated with profit sharing in the company. Real employee ownership may come in other forms including allowing employees to participate in important decision-making processes within the organization (Greider, Logue & Yates, 2001; Schneier & Shaw, 1995).

Praise recognition does exist within the company, and is currently part of the performance review system. The current performance review system is provided employees once per annum to provide employees a critique of their performance during the year. The team leader clearly would receive much praise and encouragement for meeting the goals and expectations outlined by his or her supervisor and for ensuring that his or her team succeeds during the year.

The performance appraisal system currently reflects the accomplishments and achievements of the individual team leader, rather than reflect on the accomplishments of the team unit however. This may provide some level of motivation for the team leader, but ultimately does not provide as comprehensive a review as might a group performance review that reflects on the achievements of the team. Such a review might provide the team leader with more insight into how their actions affect the success and ability of the team, and the team’s contributions to the company as a whole.

It might also serve to improve communication more among team members. Goals are used in the company for this position in many ways. The team leader meets with his or her supervisor during the annual performance review, at which time goals are set for the year. These may include for example, ensuring that all parts and products are assembled in a timely fashion, ensuring that all team members come to work on time and that absenteeism is limited, and ensuring that group communication is amply facilitated within the organization.

The team leader also meets with team members once per month to discuss their team goals. This may include ensuring that all products assembled meet stringent quality guidelines or ensuring that zero defects are realized within the scope of products assembled by the team. Generally goals are used in the company as a motivator and as an educational tool, allowing each member of the organization to realize what the company’s aims and objectives are for the year, and helping individual employees realize what their place is in relation to the company’s goals and objectives.

The goal system is relatively effective for this position, though it may benefit with some targeted changes. The job redesign for the position of team leader will entail a strategic job redesign and assessment that includes contributions from employees. Job redesign can serve as a useful tool for increasing a job’s motivating potential “depending on the job categorizations” that result from job redesign (Kulik, 1989). For these job categorizations to be truly motivating and encourage greater intrinsic employee motivation they must encourage participation and feedback from the employee whose job is being redesigned.

Much research including that presented by social information processing theorists suggests that employees’ evaluation of their jobs motivating potential is influenced by multiple factors including clues provided by their social environment (Kulik, 1989). This suggests that an environment that supports a job as worthwhile and beneficial is more likely to encourage employees to remain motivated an interested. Thus a job redesign should consider factors that lead to social evaluation of the job, such as job title.

In this case the designation “team leader” suggests that the job incumbent has some level of authority, lending itself to a certain amount of respect and authority, and likely serving to increase employees intrinsic motivation. Other motivating factors are based solely on job content. Hence it may be important to evaluate the job’s content and determine whether additional responsibilities would add to motivation or decrease employee motivation.

Thus the content and responsibilities of the team leader must also be assessed as part of this redesign. Schippmann (1999) suggests redesign that focuses on the concept of “strategic job modeling” a job redesign process that focuses more on people working in jobs and encourages employers to collect information about the people working in their jobs to help guide efforts “to select, build or modify the components of a human resources system to achieve an organizationally relevant outcome” (3).

This theory suggests that more accurate information to help guide decisions regarding job redesign may be gathered when individuals working within a position are consulted about the job redesign process. Cronshaw (1999) along similar lings suggests that it is important to consult with employees as much as it is management to ensure that job redesign occurs in a functional manner and works to enhance employee motivation.

One important component of job redesign in the manufacturing environment includes providing a performance measurement and rewards system that supports the use of teams (Schneier & Shaw, 1995). The current performance review system adopted by the company still works too diligently to review the individual performance of the team leader rather than address the collaborative efforts of the team. There is much to be said however of measuring the performance of teams (Frohman, 1995).

For the position of team leader, the following recommendations are necessary to help promote intrinsic motivation and boost the productivity of the team leader and his or her underlings:

(1) the performance review process for team leader must be modified to reflect the contributions not only of the team leader but also of the team (2) the job should include cross training for the team leader with assemblers but also supervisors and managers within the assembly department to promote greater knowledge sharing and understanding of how other job roles influence the assembly line (3) the team leader should be provided an opportunity to participate in a rewards based program that promotes bonuses for achieving goals established at the annual performance review (4) the team leader should be provided the opportunity to engage team members more fully and participate more in their performance review processes and (5) the team leaders job should be benchmarked with other team leader or supervisory positions within other companies to ensure that the job content matches similar job descriptions, titles and pay within other industries.

Let’s examine each of these components more thoroughly. First, it is vital in a team-oriented situation that the performance review process reflects not only the achievements and accomplishments of the person assessed, but also the rest of the team. This will encourage the team leader to actively engage team members and participate more fully in communication efforts, knowledge sharing and strategic planning at the team level. It also encourages the team leader to be more accountable for the actions of the team as a whole.

If the team for example, performs poorly during the year despite good attendance and performance on the team leaders part, it is still important that the team’s performance is reflected in the performance appraisal process so recommendations for improvement may be made. Second, team leaders should be provided the opportunity to learn more about the inner operations and workings of the company as a whole. The best way to facilitate this process is through cross training, allowing the team leader a birds eye view of what other supervisors and front line employees do in the organization, how their work affects the assembly line, and remind the team leader of the importance of interpersonal communication and knowledge sharing among all levels of the organization. The team leader should also be provided more rewards incentives for work well done.

While a profit sharing program is beneficial to higher ups as discussed earlier, it provides little intrinsic motivation many times for front line employees (Frohman, 1995; Greider, Logue & Yates, 2001). A more appropriate rewards or incentives program may focus on providing the team leader with annual performance based bonuses. This can be achieved by establishing a set of goals or expectations that provide opportunities for bonuses when the team leader meets or exceeds expectations. Bonuses do not have to come in the way of financial compensation to be effective either (Cronshaw & Fine, 1999). The company may opt for example, to provide bonuses that include extra vacation days or paid time off to team leaders for meeting or exceeding their goal expectations.

Presently the team leader provides a brief summary or dialogue as part of the review process for team members. The team leader may realize more motivation and have more desire to participate in performance reviews if afforded the opportunity to actually sit in on performance appraisals or reviews with team members. This will allow team members more feedback from their lead and help them realize the authority and status as well as the common interests the team leader has with them. Lastly, it is vital the job content of team leader matches that of other jobs in similar industries. At minimum annually the company should reevaluate the job content so that it accurately reflects similar jobs in the industry.

On the same token it is important that the company elicit feedback from the incumbent so they can provide more detail regarding the job’s functions and responsibilities, and so that the job can be modified to reflect actual responsibilities more fully (Cronshaw & Fine, 1999). This type of analysis will allow greater participation from the team leader in the redesign process and will therefore serve to increase motivation and enthusiasm for the job (Kulic, 1989; Frohman, 1995; Schippmann, 1999). This helps promote employee ownership in job functions and encourages more intrinsic motivation because the employee recognizes that they are an active participant in the job redesign process. It also helps stimulate interest in the job redesign process and ensures that the company is redesigning the job in a way that meets the employees as well as the company’s needs, wants, goals and expectations.

A leader is like a guide; because others depend on him, he must be confident in his own abilities and be able to direct his followers towards their goal. While anyone can be a leader, a true leader is born, not made; although certain qualities can be taught, a natural-born leader possesses the intrinsic skill to command respect in a way a taught leader cannot. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus shows himself to be a true leader. He is a great king and leader, as shown through the eradication of the Sphinx and the cleansing of the city’s miasma.

While Oedipus is ultimately the source of the city’s woes, he still did all he could to find and purge the pollution from the city. Unlike Oedipus, Moses was not a natural-born leader. Moses did not possess faculty of commanding others; rather, his capacity for leadership was endowed upon him by God. Before his life changing encounter with God, he was a meek man, aware of the injustice of the world but incapable of doing anything about it. Thus, in comparison with Oedipus, Moses cannot be called a true leader. Their difference lies essentially in the source of their powers. Oedipus is born to be a leader; he is completely self-reliant.

No divine involvement bestows his abilities upon him. More than anything, the gods are against him. Since his father violated the sacred pact between the guest and host, he has been cursed and doomed to a tragic end. Despite this, Oedipus’ innate skills are still able to bring him to his high status. With his intellect, he correctly answers the Sphinx’s riddle that countless others failed to solve, thus saving Thebes from the Sphinx and becoming king. Oedipus also possesses great resourcefulness. With all of the problems plaguing Thebes, he is not foolish enough to try to do everything by himself.

He always knew the right people to ask for help. For example, he sends Creon to ask the Oracle of Delphi the reason behind the plagues. Also, after hitting a dead-end, he sends for the blind prophet, Tiresias, to aid in the investigation of Laius’ murder. Moses, on the other hand, is not a born leader. While Moses killed an Egyptian in defense of a Hebrew, he only wanted to pretend it never happened. He was incapable of leading the Hebrews in rebellion; the only thing he could lead was sheep. He even admits his inability, making excuses to God and imploring, “’O my Lord, please send someone else. ’(Ex. 4:13). It was only with God’s instruction that Moses was able to become a leader with the power to free the Hebrews. Compared to Oedipus, who relies on his own powers, Moses pales in comparison, as everything he does is reliant on God. God commands Moses to free the Hebrews; He allows Moses to perform miracles; He sends the ten plagues and parts the Red Sea. Moses just uses His words and power, essentially acting as His puppet and the bridge between Him and His people. The distinction in strength between the two leaders is apparent through their respective relationships with their followers.

Like a true leader, Oedipus has an overwhelming presence and commands the respect of his followers. When Oedipus says he will find and bring to justice Laius’ murderer, the citizens never waver or question him. Whether or not Oedipus has proof of god to support him does not matter to them; in fact, they even believe in Oedipus over Tiresias, saying, But that a mortal seer [Tiresias] knows more than I know–where Hath this been proven? Or how without sign assured, can I blame Him [Oedipus] who saved our State when the winged songstress came, Tested and tried in the light of us all, like gold assayed?

How can I now assent when a crime is on Oedipus laid? (Socrates) Although Moses is also a successful leader in that he reaches his goal, his relationship with his followers is frail. When Moses goes up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God, problems arise following his absence. Without his presence, his followers stray from the right path and begin worshipping a golden calf, which contradicts their covenant with God. Moses can not hold the complete faith of his followers like Oedipus can. While anyone has the potential to become a leader, a true leader is one that is born.

Without God, Moses would be nothing more than another of the Hebrews oppressed by the Egyptians. In reality, God could have chosen any of the other Hebrews and led them to the same result. Moses cannot be called a true leader because, although he leads the Hebrews, he is nothing more than an intermediary for God. The true leader is actually God. He is Moses’ guide and the perpetrator of the liberation of the Hebrews. Oedipus, on the other hand, proves himself to be a true leader. He achieves everything—defeating the Sphinx, becoming king, saving Thebes—through his own abilities and controls the complete respect of his followers.

Good leaders need to know how to work with a variety of people — even the ones they wish they could just fire. They have to be able to motivate underperformers, collaborate with annoying coworkers and overcome difficult employees. While this makes a leader’s job frustrating, aggravatingly incompetent team members are often inescapable.

And since firing or avoiding these people isn’t always an option, leaders need to learn ways to keep their cool and manage them professionally. After all, even if a team fails because of a subpar member, it reflects poorly on the leader.

Here are four tips on surviving as a leader when there are incompetent people on the team:

1. Communicate clearly and explicitly.

A lot can go wrong when there’s a lack of clear communication in a team. People have to guess — often incorrectly — about what they’re supposed to do. When an issue arises, everyone starts pointing fingers, causing tension and stress. Nothing gets done in such a toxic work environment. However, it’s more common than many leaders realize.

Related:

The from Wrike asked 1,464 professionals about how they get work accomplished. The top work stressor was missing information, with 52 percent of respondents naming it as an issue. Also high on the list were unclear leadership (44 percent) and unclear accountability (44 percent). It’s up to leaders to create an environment where everyone is on the same page, and there are no excuses for why something did not get done.

Establish a communication system that everyone is expected to follow. Provide examples about how the team will share information and discuss their progress. For instance, let employees know that after every meeting or important face-to-face conversation, there will be a written follow-up that provides a summary of what was discussed and next steps. That way, everyone can refer to the notes when they need information.

2. Document everything.

Sometimes there are difficult coworkers who always cause trouble. It doesn’t matter what a leader does, eventually something becomes a big problem. And rather than admitting their fault and working to find a solution, these employees turn the situation into a “he said, she said” argument.

Avoid the fallout of these confrontations by documenting everything. As soon as there are signs of trouble — whether it’s a team member not pulling their weight or someone making inappropriate comments — start recording the details. If there’s an argument, have both sides give their accounts.

If things ever get to the point where senior leadership gets involved, there will be clear documentation about what happened and who is at fault. Be as objective as possible in these situations. Remember, a calm approach will always appear more rational and prudent than someone screaming and placing blame.

Related:

3. Stay cool.

Everyone has their breaking point — that line where they can’t stand dealing with difficult coworkers any more, and they explode. However, great leaders should avoid ever crossing that line. Maintaining good mental health is essential to staying calm.

First, know when to take breaks. According to a 2015 published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, conflicts are more likely to break out in open offices. When tensions begin to rise in the shared workspace, walk away and find a place to de-stress. This provides time to stop and cool off before having to face an annoying team member again.

Another option is having an appropriate person to vent frustrations to. A friend who does not work in the office is a great option. Bounce ideas off them about ways to deal with particularly difficult issues. The can provide empathy or perspective depending on the situation.

4. Be prepared for the tough choices.

After having to deal with incompetent or difficult coworkers for a while, it’s tempting to just let them fall on their face. Instead of wasting time and energy pulling their weight, watching them fail seems easier. However, is that really what’s best for the team?

from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School found that deviant behavior from one team member causes others to work harder than if there wasn’t misconduct. So while it can be incredibly annoying to work with incompetent people, in the end, it can improve the rest of the team.

Related:

Always consider the needs of the organization before deciding to stop picking up someone else’s slack. Think about how important the success of a project is compared to the possible damage the individual can cause on their own. If the former outweighs the latter, it’s best to just continue working through the issues.

Nobody enjoys working with difficult coworkers, but it’s something every leader needs to do. More importantly, they need to be able to do it in a professional way. But by focusing on their actions rather than someone else’s, they can still successfully manage the team.