TEAM LEADER

For a team to work well, it needs an able person leading it. The best team player is not always the best leader, and the best leader need not to be the best player on a team

Know and understand your own strengths and weaknesses: Once you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, you can build the best possible teams around you.

Know and understand your objectives and how to achieve them: You must know what the team has been formed for. Accordingly, you can plan how to go about achieving that goal.

Build a well-balanced team: To fulfill the team's goal each member must complement each other. You need different members who are strong in different things.

Get the best out of each team member: You must be able to motivate your members and encourage them to try their best.

Make each member in the team feel equally important. Every member on a team is important. He or she has a specific role to play in the team and what he or she does is equally important towards achieving the goal.

Imbibe positive energy in all: If you think positively, your team will think positively. When given a task, don't see what you cannot do; work according to what you can do. It is positive energy that helpedIndia win the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in 2007. They believed they could win and they ­went out on to the pitch to win ... and they did!

Communicate with all: You cannot be a leader if you do not mix with others. You must always be ready to talk with others in your team.

Lead by example: If the leader does not follow the rules that he or she sets for the team, the team will never be motivated. When your team members see you putting in your 100 per cent they too will follow.

Praise loudly, blame softly: This famous quote describes a very important quality. When the team succeeds, a good leader will always praise the team, and when it fails, the leader will take responsibility. Those who perform exceptionally well should be congratulated in front of all. If someone in the team is under-performing, you should take the person aside and talk with the member.

Take decisions bravely and boldly: A good leader will take bold decisions and stick by them.

Sometimes, they may not work, but most often they will be good decisions.

Admit you are wrong: Humility is a very important quality. If, as a leader, you have made a wrong decision, don't feel bad to admit it. We all make mistakes sometimes.

Encourage your members to enjoy themselves: The team should enjoy what it is doing. If someone in your team is not comfortable, find out what the problem is. Sometimes, all you need to do is change the member's responsibilities.

To be a good leader, you must have the confidence of your team members. Your team members must look up to you and rely on you to steer them to success. Remember, good leaders are followed by chiefly because people trust and respect them, rather than the technical skills they possess. Jesus Christ, Prophet Muhammad, Gautam Buddha and Mahavira were excellent leaders because their followers had full confidence in their leadership qualities.