A team leader is a professional who offers high-level vision, guidance, inspiration, and values to the group of people they supervise. They do not necessarily oversee a company’s day-to-day operations (that role usually falls to a team manager). Instead, team leadership roles focus on [team building](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-build-a-strong-team), establishing interpersonal relationships, mentoring, and uniting a successful team toward a common purpose. An effective leader of a team plays an important role within the broader structure of an organization.

Effective team leaders take on a great number of duties within their job description.

1. __Establishing culture__: Effective leadership starts with setting expectations, naming [company values](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/company-values), and holding all parties to account. Team leaders establish a team culture or an overall company culture to set a template for all who work there.
2. __Promoting teamwork__: Team leaders unite stakeholders toward common goals. Great leaders balance team performance with the needs of the team’s individual members.
3. __High-level decision-making__: Companies task their leaders with tackling big issues. Together with top management, team leaders [set goals](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-business-goals) and confront high-order problem-solving
4. __Delegating work to others__: An effective team leader must [delegate](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/delegating-explained) tasks to their direct reports, trusting them to use their best judgment as they pursue team goals.
5. __Communicating__: Team leaders [communicate](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-communication-skills) with all of their direct reports, whether one-on-one or via intermediaries. They host team meetings where they lay out objectives, report on success metrics like profitability and growth, and solicit feedback from their employees. Some team leaders hold these meetings on a daily basis.
6. __Facilitating employee performance__: Effective team leadership requires leaders to recognize how specific employees’ core competencies can positively impact organizational goals and initiatives. Ineffective leaders do not make proper use of their workers’ skill sets, which can slow the company and frustrate the employees. By noting, and making use of, workers’ true competencies, great leaders can advance their company and improve working relationships.
7. __Helping others grow__: Self-confident team leaders also assist other workers’ own [leadership development.](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/leadership-development) They seek to train new generations of talent who can help their organization grow and thrive.
Successful team leaders possess an impressive array of leadership skills. They include:

1. __Communication__: Excellent [communication skills](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-communicate-better) are a hallmark of great leaders. Employees like to know where they stand within a company, and they like to track the progress of the company at large. A good team leader keeps them apprised of such matters. This style of leadership establishes sharing information as a company value. That, in turn, can promote greater trust and stronger team dynamics.
2. __Emotional intelligence__: Great team leaders respect their direct reports as human beings with their own needs and their own ambitions. [Emotional intelligence](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-your-emotional-intelligence) allows them to balance individual needs with team performance to make stakeholders feel heard but to also keep them on task. This leadership approach can boost employee engagement as well as the company’s employee retention.
3. __Deescalation skills__: Team leaders are often masters of [conflict resolution](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-successful-conflict-resolution-skills). By combining their own constructive, empathetic qualities with help from a human resources department, they can make employees feel heard, stave off conflict, and promote a harmonious workplace.
4. __Time management skills__: Many team leaders face enormous demands over the course of their workday and workweek. These competing interests will call upon the leader’s [time management skills](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-manage-your-time-better). Leaders must balance their meeting schedule, their check-ins, and their own personal productivity as they seek to steer their department or organization.
The role of a team leader is not quite the same as that of a team manager. Here are the key differences:

- __Team managers oversee day-to-day operations__. A manager interacts with employees on a near-daily basis. They keep track of operations throughout their department, they make employee work schedules, they manage budgets, and they use strategic planning to work toward their company’s high-level goals.
- __Team leaders focus more on the big picture__. If a team manager delves more into the granular details of daily operations, a team leader steers more toward broad objectives, long term goal-setting, team inspiration, and employee empowerment. In smaller organizations, a team leader may double as a manager. Later, if the company is fortunate enough to grow, it may hire a manager to help actualize the leader’s strategic vision.
Get the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com) for exclusive access to video lessons taught by business luminaries, including Bob Iger, Chris Voss, Robin Roberts, Sara Blakely, Daniel Pink, Howard Schultz, Anna Wintour, and more.
Team leaders set the guiding principles and goals of their work environments, using emotional intelligence and communication skills to inspire team members. Learn how effective team leaders can align a group of people toward a common purpose.

Team leaders set the guiding principles and goals of their work environments, using emotional intelligence and communication skills to inspire team members. Learn how effective team leaders can align a group of people toward a common purpose.

Team Leadership: How to Be an Effective Team Leader

A team leader is a professional who offers high-level vision, guidance, inspiration, and values to the group of people they supervise. They do not necessarily oversee a company’s day-to-day operations (that role usually falls to a team manager). Instead, team leadership roles focus on <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-build-a-strong-team' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-build-a-strong-team","linkCopy":"team building","category":null}'>team building</a>, establishing interpersonal relationships, mentoring, and uniting a successful team toward a common purpose. An effective leader of a team plays an important role within the broader structure of an organization.

What Is a Team Leader? 

Effective team leaders take on a great number of duties within their job description.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Establishing culture: Effective leadership starts with setting expectations, naming <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/company-values' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/company-values","linkCopy":"company values","category":null}'>company values</a>, and holding all parties to account. Team leaders establish a team culture or an overall company culture to set a template for all who work there. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Promoting teamwork: Team leaders unite stakeholders toward common goals. Great leaders balance team performance with the needs of the team’s individual members. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. High-level decision-making: Companies task their leaders with tackling big issues. Together with top management, team leaders <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-business-goals' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-business-goals","linkCopy":"set goals","category":null}'>set goals</a> and confront high-order problem-solving </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Delegating work to others: An effective team leader must <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/delegating-explained' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/delegating-explained","linkCopy":"delegate","category":null}'>delegate</a> tasks to their direct reports, trusting them to use their best judgment as they pursue team goals. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Communicating: Team leaders <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-communication-skills' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-communication-skills","linkCopy":"communicate","category":null}'>communicate</a> with all of their direct reports, whether one-on-one or via intermediaries. They host team meetings where they lay out objectives, report on success metrics like profitability and growth, and solicit feedback from their employees. Some team leaders hold these meetings on a daily basis. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 6. Facilitating employee performance: Effective team leadership requires leaders to recognize how specific employees’ core competencies can positively impact organizational goals and initiatives. Ineffective leaders do not make proper use of their workers’ skill sets, which can slow the company and frustrate the employees. By noting, and making use of, workers’ true competencies, great leaders can advance their company and improve working relationships. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 7. Helping others grow: Self-confident team leaders also assist other workers’ own <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/leadership-development' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/leadership-development","linkCopy":"leadership development.","category":null}'>leadership development.</a> They seek to train new generations of talent who can help their organization grow and thrive. </li></ol>

7 Responsibilities of a Team Leader 

Successful team leaders possess an impressive array of leadership skills. They include:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Communication: Excellent <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-communicate-better' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-communicate-better","linkCopy":"communication skills","category":null}'>communication skills</a> are a hallmark of great leaders. Employees like to know where they stand within a company, and they like to track the progress of the company at large. A good team leader keeps them apprised of such matters. This style of leadership establishes sharing information as a company value. That, in turn, can promote greater trust and stronger team dynamics. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Emotional intelligence: Great team leaders respect their direct reports as human beings with their own needs and their own ambitions. <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-your-emotional-intelligence' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-your-emotional-intelligence","linkCopy":"Emotional intelligence","category":null}'>Emotional intelligence</a> allows them to balance individual needs with team performance to make stakeholders feel heard but to also keep them on task. This leadership approach can boost employee engagement as well as the company’s employee retention. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Deescalation skills: Team leaders are often masters of <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-successful-conflict-resolution-skills' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-successful-conflict-resolution-skills","linkCopy":"conflict resolution","category":null}'>conflict resolution</a>. By combining their own constructive, empathetic qualities with help from a human resources department, they can make employees feel heard, stave off conflict, and promote a harmonious workplace. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Time management skills: Many team leaders face enormous demands over the course of their workday and workweek. These competing interests will call upon the leader’s <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-manage-your-time-better' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-manage-your-time-better","linkCopy":"time management skills","category":null}'>time management skills</a>. Leaders must balance their meeting schedule, their check-ins, and their own personal productivity as they seek to steer their department or organization. </li></ol>

4 Characteristics of Team Leaders 

The role of a team leader is not quite the same as that of a team manager. Here are the key differences:<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Team managers oversee day-to-day operations. A manager interacts with employees on a near-daily basis. They keep track of operations throughout their department, they make employee work schedules, they manage budgets, and they use strategic planning to work toward their company’s high-level goals. </li><li class="">Team leaders focus more on the big picture. If a team manager delves more into the granular details of daily operations, a team leader steers more toward broad objectives, long term goal-setting, team inspiration, and employee empowerment. In smaller organizations, a team leader may double as a manager. Later, if the company is fortunate enough to grow, it may hire a manager to help actualize the leader’s strategic vision. </li></ul>

Team Leader vs. Team Manager: What’s the Difference?

Get the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a> for exclusive access to video lessons taught by business luminaries, including Bob Iger, Chris Voss, Robin Roberts, Sara Blakely, Daniel Pink, Howard Schultz, Anna Wintour, and more.

Want to Learn More About Business?

Team leaders set the guiding principles and goals of their work environments, using emotional intelligence and communication skills to inspire team members. Learn how effective team leaders can align a group of people toward a common purpose.

Team leaders set the guiding principles and goals of their work environments, using emotional intelligence and communication skills to inspire team members. Learn how effective team leaders can align a group of people toward a common purpose.


Menu

Get 50% off this Memorial Day.

Get 50% off this Memorial Day.

Get 50% off this Memorial Day.

Team Leadership: How to Be an Effective Team Leader