This module will teach you the skills and knowledge to start in a leadership role. In a nutshell, these fall into the four(4) following skills:
- Plan team outcomes
- Coordinate the team and individuals
- Support the team
- Monitor the team's performance
We will be exploring these concepts through the fictitious business 'Aussie Tool Shed' and the latest employee, Dan.
Aussie Tool Shed is an Australian-owned hardware chain founded in 2010 by three tradespeople, Charlie an electrician, Jamie, a plumber, and Alex, a carpenter. They were frustrated with the quality of products and level of service they received from other hardware stores and believed there was a market for a better alternative. They knew they were willing to pay a bit more to obtain quality products and services and thought that many others, tradies and DIYers, would be too. The vision was of a hardware chain offering Australian-made products (where possible) and genuine service by qualified tradespeople. Today, Charlie, Jamie and Alex run Aussie Tool Shed from its headquarters in Sydney.
The organisation has rapidly expanded and now has stores in each state in Australia and a solid online presence. They have a distinct differentiation point:
- employing qualified trade staff
- stocking Australian-made products
- DIY tutorials and Q & As accessible from a web browser
- dedicated DIY and trades advice hotlines.
The Aussie tool shed company is planning to expand its operations and open stores across multiple locations.
Dan is a newly appointed project team lead at Aussie Tool Shed. Dan is responsible for overseeing the expansion project and managing a small team of staff members who need to be upskilled and trained to meet the project requirements.
Dan’s responsibilities as a project lead at Aussie Tool Shed are:
- Leading a team to achieve project goals
- Setting goals, accountability and allocating tasks
- Having a contingency plan
- Communicating goals to the team
- Creating an environment of communication and collaboration
- Coaching and mentoring team by Identifying learning and development opportunities
- Resolving conflict and providing feedback in a positive way
This module will teach Dan the skills and knowledge that enable him to perform his role as a project team lead. There will be opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills throughout the module to prepare you for your assessments. This includes looking at Aussie Tool Shed policies and procedures to lead and facilitate a team.
To begin, let's have a chat with Dan about his role.
Discussion about leadership
In your opinion, what are some of the skills required to effectively lead and facilitate a team?
"In my opinion, some of the key skills required to lead and facilitate a team is building a cohesive and sound relationship in the workplace and with team members, always establishing clear and consistent communication through active listening and using verbal, nonverbal and written communication techniques, motivating the team and building their self-esteem and recognizing and acknowledging the hard work of the team, managing conflicts effectively, delegating the work effectively, providing clear feedback to the team members and mentoring them when required."
How would you delegate responsibilities to your team?
"Firstly, I will make sure that I review the task's requirements and the time frame for completing the tasks. I would then choose the right person from the team to delegate the tasks to; I would explain to the person the reason for delegating the tasks and provide the correct instructions, resources, and tools to them. I will support them if any conflict arises and provide feedback as and when required, and after the tasks are done, I will acknowledge the hard work put in by the team member."
What skills are essential for training and coaching team members?
"I believe the most important skills for training and coaching are to work together with employees to develop ideas and implement plans collaboratively, know the strengths of the team members and consistently build on their work from those strengths, carefully manage the reactions of the team members to stressful situations, demonstrate genuine concern for employees’ wellbeing and life outside of work. By recognising a hardworking employee’s efforts, that employee will get the opportunity to feel valued and appreciated."
