Support Team

After knowing oneself, a leader must know how to support the team.
Before able to support team, a leader should know the business requirement.
He must know the mission and vision for the organisation

Other than sharing the mission and vision of the organisation, leader needs to know the  policies and procedures of the organisation he/she working at.

For example, if one working at a restaurant, below is a example for the policy and procedures of the place.

While working in a team, having same goal is important so that the team will go to the same and clear direction.

Goal must consist of 5 element which commonly known as SMART.

It has to be 

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable/ Assignable
• Realistic
• Time based 

While making SMART goals, in order to relevant in the industry, team must be alert on the environment and changes around them.

Doing SWOT and PEST are good examples so that they can plan strategies.

Once all these has been discuss and share, Leader can make use of what is known as RASCI table to allocate resources and responsibility to the team.

The RASCI model constitutes of the following:

• Responsible: that is the person who is owner of the problem/project
• Accountable: that is the person to whom "R" is Accountable and is the authority who approves to sign off on work before it is effective
• Supportive: that is a person who provides resources or plays a supporting role in implementation
• Consulted: that is a person who provides information and/or expertise necessary to complete the project
• Informed: that is a person who needs to be notified of results but need not necessarily be consulted

The RASCI model is primarily the cornerstone for devising an ideal communication plan during project implementation. The "Consulted" role signifies the two-way communication typically between "R" and "C". The "Informed" role signifies the one-way communication primarily from "R" to "A" .

Delivering stuffs to the team, communication would be the most important and essential item.

Vocal Production

The following three core elements of vocal production need to be understood for anyone wishing to become an effective speaker:

• Volume  -  to be heard.
• Clarity  -  to be understood.
• Variety  -  to add interest.

Volume

This is not a question of treating the voice like the volume control on the TV remote.  Some people have naturally soft voices and physically cannot bellow.  Additionally, if the voice is raised too much, tonal quality is lost.  Instead of raising the voice it should be 'projected out'.  Support the voice with lots of breath - the further you want to project the voice out, the more breath you need.

When talking to a group or meeting, it is important to never aim your talk to the front row or just to the people nearest you, but to consciously project what you have to say to those furthest away.  By developing a strong voice, as opposed to a loud voice, you will be seen as someone positive.

Clarity

Some people tend to speak through clenched teeth and with little movement of their lips.  It is this inability to open mouths and failure to make speech sounds with precision that is the root cause of inaudibility.  The sound is locked into the mouth and not let out.  To have good articulation it is important to unclench the jaw, open the mouth and give full benefit to each sound you make, paying particular attention to the ends of words.  This will also help your audience as a certain amount of lip-reading will be possible.

Variety

To make speech effective and interesting, certain techniques can be applied.  However, it is important not to sound false or as if you are giving a performance.  Whilst words convey meaning, how they are said reflects feelings and emotions.  Vocal variety can be achieved by variations in:

• Pace:  This is the speed at which you talk.  If speech is too fast then the listeners will not have time to assimilate what is being said.  Nevertheless, it is a good idea to vary the pace - quickening up at times and then slowing down – this will help to maintain interest.
• Volume:  By raising or lowering volume occasionally, you can create emphasis.  If you drop your voice to almost a whisper (as long as it is projected) for a sentence or two, it will make your audience suddenly alert, be careful not to overuse this technique.
• Pitch - Inflection - Emphasis:  When speaking in public, try to convey the information with as much vocal energy and enthusiasm as possible.  This does not mean your voice has to swoop and dive all over the place in an uncontrolled manner.  Try to make the talk interesting and remember that when you are nervous or even excited, vocal chords tense and shorten causing the voice to get higher.  Emphasise certain words and phrases within the talk to convey their importance and help to add variety.
• Pause:  Pauses are powerful.  They can be used for effect to highlight the preceding statement or to gain attention before an important message.  Pauses mean silence for a few seconds.  Listeners interpret meaning during pauses so have the courage to stay silent for up to five seconds – dramatic pauses like this convey authority and confidence.

Common Barriers to Effective Communication:

• The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.
• Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions and some topics may be completely 'off-limits' or taboo.
• Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. 
• Differences in perception and viewpoint.
• Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
• Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less effective.
• Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.
• Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping.  People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions.
• Cultural differences.  The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings.

Leader can use maslows hierarchy to understand the need of the team so they can be supported and motive better.

Businesses can be strategise in many ways. Example strategy in : -

1)      the product-market implementation decision - in which the market is to compete or

2)      the functional areas which strategies needed to compete in the product market such as product line, positioning, pricing, etc or

3)      the level of investments.

However, there are some organizational values involved that may underpin these business strategies. They are the social responsibility, attitudes and priorities which includes human rights policy, organizational governance, codes of conduct and or preferred behaviours or relationship.

Leaders need to show good example and manage by objective.

1. Management by objectives (MBO), also known as management by results (MBR), is a process of defining objectives within an organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and understand what they need to do in the organization in order to achieve them.

In every team, there will always be leader and follower.

for this module, we learn the Curphy-Roellig Followership Model

The Curphy-Roellig FollowershipModel builds on some of the earlier followership research of Robert Kelley, Ed Hollander, and Barbara Kellerman and consists of two independent dimensions and four followership types. The two dimensions of the Curphy-Roellig model are Critical Thinking and Engagement. Critical Thinking is concerned with a follower’s ability to challenge the status quo, identify and balance what is important and what is not, ask good questions, detect problems, and develop workable solutions. High scorers on Critical Thinking are constantly identifying ways to improve productivity or efficiency, drive sales, reduce costs, etc.; those with lower scores believe it is the role of management to identify and solve problems, so they essentially check their brains in at the door and not pick them up until they leave work. Engagement is concerned with the level of effort people put forth at work. High scorers are energetic, enthusiastic about being part of the team, driven to achieve results, persist at difficult tasks for long periods of time, help others, and readily adapt to changing situations; low scorers are lazy, unenthusiastic, give up easily, are unwilling to help others or adapt to new demands, and generally would rather be doing anything but the task at hand. Engaged employees come to work to “win” as compared to coming to work “to play the game.” It is important to note that engagement does not necessarily mean working 70-80 hours a week, as people can be highly engaged and only work part-time. What one does at work is more important than the number of hours worked, but generally speaking highly engaged employees tend to spend more time focusing on the challenges at hand than disengaged employees.

• Self-Starters: Seeking Forgiveness Rather than Permission
• Brown-Nosers: Seeking Permission Rather than Forgiveness
• Slackers: Working to Live versus Living to Work
• Criticizers: Finding Fault in Everything you do

I end this module entry with 12 roles of leader

Mintzberg's 12 Management Roles model sets out the essential roles that managers play. These are:

1. 1. Create an Inspiring Vision & Lead by Example
      1. Create an inspiring vision; establish shared values; give direction and setstretch goals
      2. Manage change strategically, take risks, create change; lead change; manage resistance to change
      3. Lead by example; practice what you preach; set an example, and share risks or hardship
      4. Demonstrate confidence; win respect and trust without courting popularity
   2. Empower, Inspire, and Energize People
      5. Be enthusiastic; inspire and energize people; create a positive work environment
      6. Empower people; delegate authority; be open to ideas; have faith in thecreativity of others
      7. Communicate openly and honestly; give clear guidelines; set clear expectations
      8. Empathize; be willing to discuss and solve problems; listen with understanding; support and help
   3. Build and Lead a Team
      9. Use team approach; facilitate cooperation; involve everyone; trust your group; rely on their judgment
      10. Bring out the best in your people; have common touch with them; coach andprovide effective feedback
      11. Permit group decision; help your team reach better decisions
      12. Monitor progress, but don't micromanage, lead your team; avoid close supervision; do not overboss; do not dictate; lead team self-assessment