Leadership skills checklists

Leadership Skills Checklists

Successful leadership at work means making a success of the team you have been given. Our leadership skills checklists will help you to understand team dynamics, choose the best leadership style, and fix team performance problems.

Performance Improvement Checklist

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This Performance Improvement checklist will help guide you through the steps you need to take to address any under-performance from your team.
The most successful managers are those who can get the best out of their team. This goes for any business. Whether you are a sports coach, a sales team leader, a department manager, or any type of front-of-line management, it is important to understand how to get the best possible performance out of your team. This is what separates successful managers from those who stay stuck at the first level. Managers who get results almost always move forward… while managers who do not end up either spending the rest of their days at the same old position, or eventually losing their position due to the poor performance of their team.

Download "Performance Improvement Checklist.pdf"

Team Development Checklist

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This Team Development checklist shows you the behaviors your team requires you to exhibit during its four-stage development. By successfully supporting your team as it evolves you will develop a team that displays trust and cohesion.
One of the most influential studies in this area is Bruce Tuckman's (1965). He proposed the four-stage model called 'Tuckman's Stages for a Group,' which states that the ideal group decision-making process should occur in four stages:
Stage 1 - Forming
You need to adopt a hands-on approach to management and support for your team. All your communications must be clear, concise and use appropriate language for your team. You must provide a structure for the team and guidance as they perform their role. Your aim is to build good relationships within the team.

Stage 2 - Storming
You need to control the conflict that will result as differences are expressed and worked out by actively listening to exchanges between members. Offer the support the team need at this stage of their development rather than guidance. Your role is to aid and offer explanation for the decisions made. You may need to alter the composition of the team so that is can operate effectively.

Stage 3 - Norming
During team performance of tasks and discussion your role is one of observer so that trust and cohesion can develop. Your purpose is to facilitate team members in their decision-making process so that an environment of harmony and team pride is created. Your role becomes one of a mentor and delegator offering your team greater opportunities for raising their levels of expertise.
Stage 4 - Performing
As manager your role now is one of a delegator, briefing your team thoroughly and in sufficient detail and enough resources that they can achieve their objective. You are able to oversee you team as they work towards their goal because they are now competent and autonomous in handling the decision-making process.

It is essential you monitor your team's relationships and performance to ensure that the group dynamics remain positive and productive.

Download "Team Development Checklist.pdf"

Team Leadership Checklist

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This Team Leadership checklist reminds you of the behaviors and attitudes that you need to display in order to be a successful leader.
Leadership can be described as 'a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task'. There are many different theories about leadership styles, which have in turn produced different leadership models. You can learn about these in our 'Team Leadership' eBook which you can download free from this website.
No matter which leadership style you prefer or the type of team you are leading there are four key behaviors that you must demonstrate in order to be seen as a credible leader - someone that people choose to follow.
This checklist is something that you can use to help you analyze your own behavior in these four key areas. To do this, download the checklist and print it out. You will see that each area has two or three key behaviors associated with it. Spend a few minutes considering each area in turn and noting instances where you have (or maybe haven't) displayed the appropriate behaviors.
This exercise is designed to be confidential and you should be completely honest with yourself when considering each behavior. It is very easy to neglect to do some of the simple things that can make a big difference to how your leadership is perceived by your team.

Download "Team Leadership Checklist.pdf"

Team Briefing Checklist

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A team briefing provides you with a perfect opportunity to communicate with your team and gauge their level of motivation and satisfaction. This checklist walks you through the process of preparing a team brief so that they are seen as effective and informative.
A team briefing provides you with the opportunity to engage with your team in a two-way communication process and is an essential ingredient in effective team building. A team briefing provides you with the ideal forum to tell your team members about what is happening within the organization and how it affects them. An effective team briefing raises morale within the team, builds a sense of common purpose and reinforces the credibility of the team leader.
Team Briefings are semi-formal events where the team gets together regularly to talk about team goals, successes and failures. This is an important part of building a team - the interpersonal interaction is crucial. Remember, a team briefing is not meant to replace normal day-today communications between you and your team, these should continue as normal.

Download "Team Briefing Checklist.pdf"