Team Leadership Training

Team Leadership Training for High-Performance Teams 

Training is key to team member success at all levels of the organization. However, some companies tend to focus only on training newly hired, entry-level team members. As current employees advance within the organization to higher-level positions, they can also benefit from training to gain the knowledge and confidence to succeed in their roles.  

Training is especially helpful when employees transition to becoming managers for the first time. Unless someone has studied management or leadership as a major in college, not many managers are taught how to lead their teams. They might have the hard skills and the content knowledge needed to perform the job, yet may lack soft skills, the personal habits, and qualities that help create a positive work environment.

While managers are training their employees, who are training the managers? This is where organizations can benefit from management consulting agencies that provide a neutral setting where managers can learn how to become inspiring leaders. 

At Cooper Consulting Group, we offer many different team leadership training and development programs. Please call us today to find out more information at (888) 614-9709.

How to deliver leadership training: 

All effective leadership training begins with the organization’s needs in mind. Some teams have already identified the areas that need improvements, such as reducing stress, managing change and building resilience, and lack of productive conflict or communication, which may be causing some tension between employees. Other teams may take a more proactive approach by providing training from the start. 

Here is one suggested format how for delivering impactful leadership training. 

Assessment Tools

Utilizing research-based assessments is a great way of providing a starting point for participants in training workshops. Assessments are not “tests” because a test implies that there are right or wrong answers. Self-assessments are one way to learn more about yourself, such as your preferences and tendencies in the workplace.

While no single assessment is meant to be the answer to all problems, they are a valuable tool to help gain self-awareness, which is crucial to personal and professional development. Assessments provide a common language where employees and teams can understand and work on issues together in a non-threatening environment. 
 

Live Workshop Sessions

Assessments can be used as stand-alone tools, however, when not accompanied by a guided workshop, participants may feel a little lost on how to interpret their results. This is where organizations can take advantage of certified facilitators who are experienced in delivering real-time, engaging, and interactive sessions.

They dive into the assessment results and help participants understand themselves in relation to others. Having a neutral person lead these sessions helps navigate team dynamics and facilitates conversations that benefit the growth of the team or leader. When delivered effectively, these live workshop sessions allow participants to gain a-ha moments that can help further their learning. 
 

Post-Workshop Implementation

Once leaders and teams attend training, it’s important that they understand how to implement the knowledge and tools they learned from the session in their workplace. Becoming a highly skilled professional or leader requires a continuous and conscious effort that can be developed over time.

Some assessments allow access to online platforms where participants can go back and access tools to further their learning. Facilitators can also assign participants with “homework” to help apply the knowledge and hold each other accountable. Organizations should consider regularly scheduled trainings that cover different topics to help further enhance the employee’s developmental journey. 

Invest In Team Leader Training 

Leadership training may seem like a chore for the organization, especially when employees have a heavy workload and an endless list of tasks to accomplish. However, stepping away from work to attend high-impact leadership training is an investment that can lead to increased productivity in the workplace.

There is an abundant amount of research and articles that show the negative effects of failing to provide employee training at all levels. For example, lack of training can lead to high employee turnover, a decrease in morale across teams, and loss of business. Organizations that are genuinely committed to their employees will invest in leadership training programs that teach managers how to delegate, motivate their teams, and help them understand their full potential. 

What makes a good leader? 

There are many different qualities and characteristics that good leaders possess. Let’s take a deeper dive into a few ideas that we think are crucial to leading high-performance teams. 

Good Communication

Leaders should be able to clearly communicate their vision and expectations to their teams. Without this, employees are left confused and frustrated and may even experience a loss of motivation. Good communication also involves providing strategic feedback to employees while also being receptive to their employees’ concerns. Through these conversations, leaders can ensure that their employees have the resources they need to be both effective and successful in their roles.

While these verbal conversations are crucial, leaders must also be mindful of their non-verbal communication. Roughly 70-93% of all communication is nonverbal. This includes body language, eye contact, and tone of voice. What you’re saying is important, but how you say it will leave a lasting impact. This may be a bit more challenging to consistently be aware of, but with practice and self-monitoring, leaders can ensure that they are communicating genuinely in all aspects. 
 

Life-long Learning

To become a good leader, one must be open to the idea of their own personal growth and development. While managers are knowledgeable, leaders are insightful. This requires critical thinking and understanding that learning and unlearning are part of the growth process. Think of the takeaways from the day-to-day conversations with teams and clients. Leaders can gain valuable perspectives from these encounters with an open mind and growth mindset.

Encouraging employees to strive for innovation requires a safe learning environment where creative ideas are welcomed. So, leaders must take the steps necessary to step up and be the example of a lifelong learners for their teams. Don’t be a stagnant leader! Stagnant leaders are often resistant to change and aren’t open to the idea of learning. This can keep the organization from thriving. 
 

Emotional and Social Intelligence

Think back to a manager you had that left you feeling encouraged and who motivated you to be your best. While some people may have been fortunate enough to experience an inspiring manager, others can think of a leader who is not so inspiring, or perhaps even a “nightmare” boss. Unfortunately, destructive leadership threatens the entire organization simply by treating people negatively. To keep employees happy and retention rates high, leaders must learn how to be emotionally and socially intelligent. Emotional intelligence (EQ) refers to the ability to understand, regulate, and respond to emotions. It plays an important role in leadership and starts with understanding one’s own EQ score.

Through assessments and workshops, leaders will not only discover their own EQ score but also learn how to recognize the emotions of others. Think of social intelligence as how we understand the dos and don’ts in social settings. Knowing how to “read the room” is a skill that has immense power when leading teams.

If you approach a meeting and realize that your team is still feeling down after a lost sale or negative customer interaction, try giving them the time and space to process what they are feeling. Although work must get done, the health and well-being of the people in your organization must come first to see long-lasting success. 
 

Trust

Effective leadership begins with trust. It is defined as the vulnerability one has with another party Author Patrick Lencioni identified five behaviors of a cohesive team: Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results. Work environments based on trust are built when leaders and teams are genuinely open and transparent with one another.

Leaders can begin to gain trust with their employees by being candid and showing what their intentions are behind certain decisions. As much time as employees spend in the workplace, they need to be able to trust their leaders and colleagues. Without trust, the work may get done, but it will be a lot more difficult throughout the process. 

Leadership training programs are designed to help facilitate meaningful conversations and promote the importance of employee development. However, the key to development is ongoing practice and commitment. With a conscious effort, managers can lead by example and inspire their teams to become their best. 

Scroll to Top