A two-day workshop
Technical teams need leaders to help extract the real potential that exists within the team. Whilst technical teams carry technical competency, leaders really need to understand how to get the best out of the team. Many leaders of technical teams have ‘risen through the ranks’ and may well have considerable technical expertise. Knowing how to lead a team of technical staff requires a very different skillset. This workshop is packed with practical activities which will provide a rich and lasting learning experience.
This programme enables leaders to:
Understand team dynamics
Utilise ‘soft skills’ within technical contexts
Generate a real sense of teamwork and team identity
Concentrate on leading, rather than doing
Empower, build trust and delegate effectively
Craft a team that learns, develops and grows
- Appreciate the differences between groups and teams
- Understand the phases of team development and how to progress team performance
- Understand the characteristics of ‘performing’ teams
- Understand how behaviours, personality and preferences influence team practice
- Understand the need for differing team roles
- Spot the real issues which need addressing within the team
- Develop and clarify the team’s ‘purpose’
- Be able to hold honest conversations
- Build trust and deepen relationships within the team
- Develop enhanced communication skills
- Be able to adopt an appropriate leadership style in specific situations
Expert trainer
Miles is a multi-accredited project and change management trainer, coach and consultant with a wealth of experience and expertise working in the UK and overseas.
Session outline
1. Understanding teams and teamwork
- What is a group and what is a team?
- The role of the leader
- The role of the team
- Types of team
- What does ‘good teamwork’ look like?
- The challenges of leading technical teams
- The specific characteristics and make-up of performing teams
2. Personality and team preferences
- Emotionally intelligent leadership, and its relation to effective teamwork
- Managing yourself – how to cope under pressure, become more resilient and be a more confident leader
- Understanding each other – personality types and traits
- Task versus people – how to find the right balance when leading technical staff
- How to help team members find their best role within the team
3. Communication and collaboration
- Goal and objective setting
- The dangers of silo-working
- The merits of collaborative working
- Empathic listening
- Effective communication approaches and how to sustain them
- Holding candid conversations
- Using curiosity and effective questioning approaches
4. Leadership approaches and models
- Situational leadership – adopting appropriate leadership styles in specific contexts
- Delegating effectively
- Empowering the team
- Holding the team to account
- Dealing with difficult behaviours
- Effective decision-making
- Potential – how much have you got, and how much does the team have?
- Leader as ‘multiplier’ – tapping into the team’s potential and creating tomorrow’s leaders
- Leadership agility – when to ‘step in’ and when to ‘step back’
5. Team relationship development
- Diagnosing issues within the team
- How to build trust
- Getting comfortable with challenge
- Encouraging the team to ‘step up’ and take responsibility
- Dealing with crises
- Neuroscience, change and team-based learning
- Developing a growth mindset
- Walking the talk – role modelling desired behaviours
- Fundamentals of feedback – how to give it and how to receive it
- Developing empathy within the team
- Handling conflict effectively
- Engaging effectively with stakeholders
6. Pulling it all together
- Group feedback
- Personal action-planning
- Personal learning summary
