If you are a team leader, there are two facts about you. You are busy. And you have followers.
To do your job well, keep your sanity, and develop your team, you have to provide them with some important things that ironically, will also ease your stress. Here are four of them.
Clear expectations. It is difficult to read someone’s mind. When you clearly share what needs to be done and what the priorities are, your team members can plan their work accordingly and may not have to ask as many questions later. When in doubt, spell it out. Warning: don’t be patronizing.
Time. Particularly if you are new leader, your team will need time to learn how you like to do things. Don’t expect them to adjust to your preferences overnight. Once they do, you’ll be saving time and stress. Warning: find a balance between being specific about your preferences, and being unyielding or fussy.
Space. Micromanaging doesn’t help anyone. Give your team members some authority over their projects. For example, allow reasonable freedom in writing and formatting documents. Allow them to suggest changes to a long standing task…you might find a much more efficient method to getting it done! Warning: even the most proactive team members need some guidance. Don’t throw them to the wolves, but don’t require them to report on every step they take, either.