As a tech recruitment agency in Singapore, we define a leader as someone who inspires passion and motivation in followers. These are the people that we look up to at work and receive instructions from. A good team leader is someone with a vision and the path to realizing it. They should process knowledge, values, and assets to ensure that their team has the support and tools to achieve their goals. So what makes a good leader?
In the hybrid work environment, it is more difficult for team members to communicate with each other and leaders to monitor work progress. Team heads and managers have to make use of various tools and adjust their working style to increase work effectiveness. Choosing the right tools and developing the right traits are important as they can help the whole team ace together. This article will present some great online tools and good leadership traits to enhance teamwork.
Top Tools Leaders Should Have for Hybrid Work
A. Trello
Trello is a visual tool that empowers a team to manage any type of project, workflow, or task tracking. A hybrid team is able to customize a board to their own liking wherever and whenever. They can add files, checklists, tasks, and due dates on the board to visualize each other’s work progress. A team leader can see every team member’s workload and progress on one unified work board even when some members are not working in the office. This makes communication easier, and helps develop a quicker support system. For example, if a team member is stuck on a specific task for longer than needed, a leader can reach out to see if any extra help is needed.
B. Microsoft Teams
In a hybrid workspace, it is important to have a unified workspace to chat and conduct team meetings. Microsoft Teams is a persistent chat-based collaboration platform. It allows document sharing, online meetings, and activity tracking. These are extremely useful features for business communications especially when virtual communication is needed.
Having an excellent team space is key to being able to make creative decisions and collaborate with each other. An easy-to-use shared workspace software makes this much easier to achieve, especially if a particular team is based in a very large company, has many remote employees, or is made up of a significant number of team members.
C. Shared Calendar
Both Teams and Trello offer a shared calendar option for a team. As a team head at work, it is convenient to create calendars to share with people in your team. These are called group calendars. For example, one might want a shared group calendar for weekly work meetings, quick check in meetings, or even company holidays. This is a good way to visualize all of the meetings in a day and make sure not to miss anything.
Ideal Traits Good Leaders Should Have
A. Empathy
The hybrid work environment is new and may be difficult for some members in a team. Team members may feel stressed, confused and find it difficult to get work done. At this point in time, it is not a good idea to express annoyance or anger towards them. Instead, it is crucial for a good team leader to be able to think in their shoes and try to share their feelings. A good team leader can understand their point of view and provide timely mental support. Through support and time, the situation will gradually improve.
B. Approachable
When in a hybrid work-mode it is more difficult to see your face and personality than it is in person. Especially for new joiners to the team. It may be intimidating for them to reach out to a higher-level supervisor even if they are in need of help. This may cause delays in projects and even errors with serious consequences. It is crucial for a good leader to present an approachable front and always ensure your team members that they are more than welcome to reach out for help or even just support. When a leader is approachable and friendly, the team morale will likely increase and better work effectiveness.
C. Willingness to Communicate
Besides showing an approachable front, it is also important for a good leader to be willing to communicate and be responsive. As some team members can no longer just walk up to the manager’s desk to discuss issues, they have to resort to online communication tools. However, some team leaders may have their mobile devices on silent, or their online applications closed. This may cause them to not receive notifications, or respond in time to requests. Ultimately lowering their responsiveness and work efficiency. Thus, a good team leader should always be aware and ready to communicate during work times.
D. Trust the Team
When some members of the team are in the office while others are not, work progress is no longer reflected by the amount of time each team member spends at their desk. Team leaders cannot see what their subordinates are actually doing in their own time until they receive the final results. This may be difficult for some managers as they may start doubting their staff. However, a good leader should be able to trust their staff and believe that they are getting their tasks done. As mentioned before, a good leader can also utilize tools like Trello to monitor the team’s work progress to make sure that they are on schedule.
E. Delegation
Similar to trusting the team, it is important for a good leader to learn how to delegate tasks as well. Some managers may think that it is too much of a hassle to delegate simple tasks through online chat/ meetings. It might take less time to simply do it themselves. However, tasks build up and eventually managers will end up overworking themselves with tasks that could be done by their team members. It is crucial for them to learn to delegate tasks and work with the team. Ultimately lessening the burden on themselves and maximizing the value of the team.
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