Team leadership

People enjoy working in teams. An ideal team will work together efficiently, effectively and above all with pleasure. They set about achieving their personal and organisational goals together with enthusiasm. But experience teaches us that working in teams does not always match the ideal image we may have of it. A smooth running team demands a lot of patience on your part, insight into the psychological aspects of people and familiarity with team dynamics. Thats why you need a number of different skills, such as dealing with conflict. You also need to work with the members of your team on developing their talents, and you need to deploy their qualities at just the right moment in time. You also need to be able to let go, delegate and have faith in the maturity of your team to undertake their tasks. That means that you need to be able to take a critical look at your own behaviour and those areas where you could improve and ask for feedback about it. These and other aspects are all covered extensively in this book. Team Leadership gives you the support you need in your professional development process. The authors do not just write about how you need to go about things. They also give you tips and above all challenge you to convert the practical models about team management and social skills into your daily practice. By applying your personal qualities as a team leader and the tips for growth that this book provides, you will be able to make the difference tomorrow in successfully coaching your team. Frans Bouman is founder of Boumankracht, and a personal coach on organisational issues. He has been working for more than twenty years as a consultant and coach in the field of personal and organisational development helping people to create their own successes. Marieta Koopmans is a social psychologist and specialises in one-to-one coaching of managers under the name C'enter. She also works as a freelance giving leadership training courses for the Schouten & Nelissen training institute.