effective leadership in team building

EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADERSHIP

Jesca N. MbakaAWARD Fellow 2008-2010Mentor: Dr Lusike Wasilwa

Presented in the KARI-Thika Seminar Series 15th May 2009

Background

• A current fellow in the African Women in Agriculture Research and Development (AWARD)

• Competitive selection of Post Bsc, Msc, PhD women in Agriculture from 10 African countries

• 960 applicants in 2008• 60 selected on basis of potential for leadership &

• Potential to impact on rural livelihoods of especially women and children

African Women Leadership and management course

• Designed and conducted by the Training Resource group (TRG) of USA (http:/www.trg.inc.com)

• Attended from 24th January-1st February 2009 at Safari Park Hotel

• 360 feed back on leadership skills was done prior to this

• Appreciation to all who took their time to do it for me

• To identify & communicate core values and principles that guide organizational behavior and decision making

• To ensure re-enforcement of the reward system • monetary and non monetary( inclusion and access)

• Should recognize and promote desirable behavior

• Should punish undesirable behavior

Responsibilities of a leader

What leaders are

• Usually visionary

• Effective communicators & decision makers• Intelligent

• They respect and value individuals and their dignity

• They have total honesty and integrity• They are kind

• They often see themselves as “Teacher’

Difference between Leadership and Management

Controlling and problem solving

Motivating and inspiring

Organizing and staffingAligning people

Planning and budgetingEstablishing Direction

ManagementLeadership

Emotional intelligence in leadership

Emotional intelligence is:• Being aware of yours and others’ feelings

• Being smart with your emotions

• Using your passions to motivate yourself and others

• Knowing how to keep your distressing emotions under control

Emotional Competence FrameworkSelf Awareness• Knowing what drives us and what we are

passionate about. This leads to;

• Jobs that make us happy, where we will be more productive

• Relationships, both working and personal, where we will be more constructive and positive

• Lives that are more honest which will make us more satisfied

Emotional Competence Framework…..Self Regulation• Monitor your self talk (don’t feel like a victim,accept

responsibility and take appropriate action- FMR report!!!)

• Accept responsibility of your emotional responses at the workplace

• Anticipate emotional triggers and prepare to manage them (Ample time, soothing music, body workouts)

• Reframe an irritating situation into a problem solving exercise ( no chairs in the dining hall? What should be done?)

Emotional Competence Framework…..

Self Regulation• Use Humor (give upset people something to

laugh about to boost your mood and make you less critical)

• Never under-estimate the power of taking deep breaths (increasing the level of oxygen in the brain eases tension, relaxes your psyche and body)

• Remove your self from the situation and keep moving (redirect your energy to new areas-clearing desks, checking e-mail, a walk around the building)


Self- Motivation• Be aware of how to explain setbacks to your self

realize you can control and choose what you are thinking and feeling (my own on KARI promotions and salaries)

• Connect your goals with your values to get energized

Tie your work to something that has meaning to you Keep your eyes to the goal and follow throughEnjoy the satisfaction of completing whatever project you began


Self- Motivation• Strive for reaching a flow state while working on projects

Be completely consumed in the moment

Being so focused on the task at hand that your mind isoblivious of everything else

It leads to performance in the best ability


Self- Motivation• Visualize

Create a vision of the challenge you will be facing experience the feelings as you are already going through itThis helps prepare and calm you for the real eventStirs up your enthusiasm and instills confidence

• Keep learningPursuit of knowledge will build on your areas of strengthIncreases your value and versatility


Empathy-Being able to see in another person’s perspective

• Look for non verbal cues as well as listening for verbal ones

• Share and be honest about your feelings

• Be consistent so that your spoken and unspoken messages match

• Take the kinder road whenever possible

• Try to see from the other person’s perspective

Leadership in effective teams

A team• people with different views and perspectives coming

together

• putting aside their narrow self-interests

• and discussing issues openly and supportively

• in an attempt to solve a larger problem or achieve a broader goal

Functions of a team leader

Establishing direction• Development and communication of vision

Aligning People• Getting people to understand and believe the vision

• Communicating the vision repeatedly to all involved

Functions of a team leader….

Motivating and Inspiring• To energize people to overcome major

obstacles towards achieving a vision and producing change by;

Communicating Involving others Supporting through feedback, coaching,

modeling and enthusiasmRecognizing and rewarding all successes

Team member’s Actions/Attitudes

Core competency• Having sufficient experience to do the job

well

• Having the necessary problem solving ability to overcome those obstacles that invariably arise on the team’s path to its goal

Openness• Being able to say what is on one’s mind• Listen and talk to each other about behaviors

and attitudes that hinder team work

Team member’s Actions/Attitudes…

Supportiveness ‘Getting the best out of others’• Encouraging someone whose confidence is

wavering• Helping others overcome obstacles• Its not passive acceptance of whatever might be

going on but• Active attention to what needs to be done for the

team to be successful• Team members appreciate and acknowledge the

contribution that others are making to the team’s success


Action orientation• Makes deliberate effort to make something

happen• Willingness to prod, suggest courses of action• Willingness to experiment, try something

different• Encourage others to take action• Not waiting for others to do something about the

problem or opportunity at hand


Positive Personal Style• Energetic, optimistic, engaging, confident and

fun to work with

• There are people who take the heart out of you and those who put it back

• something you might not even remember saying may have a devastating impact on someone looking to you for guidance and approval

Principles to follow when wanting to take team conversations and actions to deeper realm

• Acknowledge one another as equals

• Stay curious about each other• Recognize that we need each

other’s help to become better listeners

• Slow down so we have time to think and reflect

• Remember that conversation is the natural way humans think together

• Expect it to be messy at times

Strategic considerations in team building

Agreement and Trust (Dimensions of influence)• Level of agreement on

Goals

Direction

Issues

Strategic considerations in team building…

• Level of Trust (Behavior)

Credibility ( can you trust what they say?)

Predictability ( will they behave the same way?)

Reliability ( can they be counted on to do what they say?)

Strategic influencing

Strategic considerations in team building…

Categories of peopleAlly ( High agreement/High trust)

• Satisfied clients, colleagues, staff• supportive• trust them to talk honestly about vision, goals

etc.• can get advice from them to guide your decisions• can do for you what you can’t do for yourself

(deal with adversary)

Categories of people…

Bedfellow (High agreement/low trust)Hidden agenda• Will agree with you, but may not be able to

commit for political reasons

• Never sure whether she/he will follow through

• Tend to say yes without checking to make sure they can deliver on promise


Fence sitter )?Agreement ? Trust)

• Never sure where he or she stands

• riddled with doubt

• No evident agenda-yet they won’t commit


Opponent: Low agreement/low trustBrings the best in us

• helps provide honesty to problem solving

• dialogue with those who trust us but don’t agree with us


Adversaries: Low agreement/low trustNot to be confused for opponents. They just hate

you• When negotiations and attempts to influence

them have failed

Strategic influencing ApproachesAllies• seek their support in dealing with adversaries• Share your plans, doubts, fears and needs with them• Ask for their adviceOpponents• Tell them you value them as they will tell you the truth• Recognize where you disagree• State your intention to work together and reach

agreements• Ask them what it would take them to agree and support

your goals

Strategic influencing Approaches….

Bedfellows• Identify shared goals• Acknowledge the strain in your relationship and the luck

of trust without going to details

• Tell your hopes of an improved working relationship and any changes you plan to make in your behaviour/actions

• Ask them what they think would establish a better working relationship


Fence sitters• Tell them your position and ask where they stand• State what you want in the way of support from them• If they continue to be non-committal, express

disappointment about not knowing where they stand• Ask them what it would take for them to support your

ideas


Adversaries• Acknowledge the strain in the relationship and the lack

of trust• Tell your concern about what is going on and invite

them to do the same• Tell them if you have contributed to the problem• Express your hopes for an improved relationship• Make no demands on them; do not try to change them• If you have plans to pursue your agenda despite their

opposition, say so

Parting Short‘All of us have a God in us, and that God is the spirit that unites all life, everything that is on this planet. It must be this voice that is telling me to do something, and I am sure it’s the same voice that is speaking to everybody who seems to be concerned about the fate of the world, the fate of this planet’

Wangari Maathai

Nobel Prize Winner 2004

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