1 Introduction

Team development never stops. Ask any football team manager. If you are on a losing run, morale drops and you have to work hard to find ways of coping with the task in hand. Even if you are winning all your matches at the moment, it would be foolish to assume that your run of success will go on indefinitely. Unexpected problems are always emerging and you have to be prepared to deal with them. You must watch for any signs of complacency. The best teams, in fact, work harder at team development when they are winning.

Unlike a football manager, you may not be in the happy position of being able to pick the best players for your team. You perhaps have plenty of ideas people, but no 'striker' someone who can make sure you reach the goal. Or your team members may be reluctant to 'pass the ball' they may seem to want to keep things to themselves rather than co-operate.

In this session we will look at the ways a team can develop and grow, from the team leader's point of view. Among other aspects, we discuss trust and support, ways of dealing with personality problems, and cohesiveness.

2 Your Role as Team Leader

You may be called a manager, a supervisor, or a team leader. Whatever your title, it won't necessarily be obvious to an outsider what exactly your role is, or how you interface with the people who...