Leadership is not about doing all the work; it’s about leading those that do the work.  However, that can be very difficult, because in most organizations, leaders were at one time in that group of doers, now they are in the position of leading the doers and must effectively broker the talent on the team. You see, good teams are ones where every gift and talent is engaged to its utmost and this requires leadership to provide tools, guidance and recognition.  Here are some things to think about in leading a team successfully.

1. A team’s chief purpose is to reach a goal for the team, not any individual, thus, team members do not compete with each other, they complete each other.
2. The team must use its array of talents, but to be effective, it must do so in pursuit of a common goal.
3. Every team member has a contribution to make.
4. No team member or contribution is less important than another.
5. Although team members are equally important, they are diverse and bring different things to the table and all should be individually acknowledged when appropriate.
6. The best teams and leaders trust, care for, help, and sacrifice for each other.
7. Team members must be trusted and given freedom to use their talents and to make mistakes in learning new skills. This is the key to future success.

Going from a doer to a leader can be difficult, particularly when, in most cases, the new leader knows how to do the work better than those they’re leading.  However, by focusing on the tips above, you should be able to ford this high water with fewer problems.