Team Leadership Tips and Thoughts
The principal role of a team leader is to enable and empower their members to motivate, collaborate and integrate the tools to achieve our vision and mission. It involves delegation, instruction, and training, but at the heart of it all is a desire to serve, and to help others make the world a better place. Not everyone is a born leader; like any expertise, leadership skills can be learned and honed. Look over these ideas and think about how they might help you with your role as Team Leader.
***It is very important to have a discussion at or near the end of each Field Trip; it gives each of the participants an opportunity to express their feelings about what they enjoyed the most and least, it gives the Team Leaders a chance to hear some feedback and it gives the other children the opportunity to hear what others say – and come to realize they have the same ideas and feelings. When children hear others share the same thoughts as they do, it brings them to accepting and understanding of each other.
Keep in Mind Students Have Issues and Teams Need your Guidance!
Watch and listen, this is the most important point to being a good leader because you need to understand your members and students. You can uncover problems before they get out of hand. Students with low self-esteem will put down others to make themselves feel superior, in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. They sometimes will purposefully “attack” a weaker person in public so that others can see how superior they are. Children share those feelings of inadequacy and self-confidence and may feel better when they look down on others or find fault with other groups. When this occurs, it is important to take immediate action and be sure to communicate clearly and quickly.
- Members should always look for the reason behind negative behavior and address the issue either by soft reprimand/instruction and let the initiator know they are better than that.
- Address aggressive actions with reason and soft emotion, saying it was not necessary, and hurtful. Explain it does not accomplish anything to diminish others. If the situation requires a more forceful sound, move in that direction.
- Find common ground that all involved can share, point out how they can work together to produce better results.
- Be confident in your discussion, be short and direct. Look people in the eye and don’t resist asking other to help. Sometimes the more people that state the same position will have a greater impact than an intimate meeting.
- Because aggressive behavior may be exhibited before an audience, address the group with reasons why they should stand on their own and not follow the loudest person in the group.
Praise the Group:
Be sure to compliment the group for success, not just one person. You don’t need to have the entire team present when you give out praise, just a few members, and they will tell others what you said. We want students to feel they were successful because they were part of a group. Find positive contributions that each made, if you can, and be specific; vague and general compliments are not believable. Talk to the other members about their observations and thoughts about who contributed the most to the activity’s success. Make sure each person participates. A side note: if there are one or two students who contribute consistently, write them a short note. It’s a little old fashion, but it show you took the time to recognize their efforts. Loren Michel’s, who created Saturday Night Live has said the most important time is at the beginning of each week, he calls a meeting of everyone involved in the program. Guest Host and camera person gather into Loren’s office, and he calls on each person to voice their thoughts about the next program. Everyone needs to be heard. Everyone needs to feel important. And some people will want to voice a negative thought, but you need to listen. One word of advice, always keep a good sense of humor.
A good Team Leader will:
- Introduce students to other students they don’t know and suggest why they should get to know each other.
- Ask what sports they like, or teams they root for.
- Are they on a school sports team? Are they members in the same kind of after-school clubs or programs?
- What TV shows or movies do they like?
- What music do they listen to, do they have a favorite artist?
- Have they ever been here before?
- If the students are older, would they like to keep an eye on the younger students? – pick students who will take this as a responsibility and let them know they are important to the Team.
- Notice how they dress, point out how they like to wear the same style of clothing or jewelry.
- Challenge yourself to learn about people, cultures, languages, orientations, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds different than your own.
Helping Students Develop Communication Skills
- Make sure each Team Leader talks to each student, hearing from a variety of people expands their ability to understand different ways we speak.
- Praise the students who speak well and point to specific ways they do: “I like, you like the way you welcomed the new student, it made them feel part of the group”.
- If you feel the student needs discipline, talk privately and address the issue in a positive way: “I know you didn’t mean to make fun of Mary, just think how she feels”.
- Always be honest in your praise and be direct, the student won’t be able to follow a complex set of logic.
- Offer suggestions and not harsh directions. We hope the student’s learn, but more important we need them to interact with each other.
Help Students Help Students
Gatherings offer the opportunity for students to develop their own leadership skills, cultivate the ability to make new friends and learn the feeling of helping others. These are some of the side benefits of a well run program, and add to the success of our vision. Team Leaders play a major role in creating the atmosphere for students to flourish and achieve their potential. You have a chance to make a real difference in their lives.
Just being together brings connections, which fosters understanding and acceptance, which leads to friendship.
Should You Worry if a Student has no friends?
Is it normal to have no friends? We know it is not the best situation, and Gatherings presents the opportunity for Team Members to help students who are socially shy and have not developed the skill-set to making friends. While some people are happy with no/few friends, most people would like to be able to make friendships.
In general, having no friends is relatively normal. A February 2021 report found that 36% of Americans felt serious loneliness and a 2019 report showed that 1 in 5 people had no friends. If you have no friends, you are not alone. However, having no friends can lead to loneliness for some people. In an article https://www.aboutsocialanxiety.com/ Oct 22, 2021
Just a side note: Most charitable organizations work on a tight budget, and we are no exception. People understand the situation and in many cases businesses offer Charitable Discounts – – but you have to ask. The best way is to be honest, “we are a non-profit and money is always tight, do you have any discounts that you can offer us, we would greatly appreciate your help”.
Diversity: The practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.
Our Mission is to build a world of Respect and Inclusion through programs that bring together children of all diversities, in educational and fun experiences. To move communities away from and defeat “hate” based upon race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and other ideologies. Our programs offer simple and passive methods to encourage cultural understanding and acceptance. We need to be future-ready for the next generation that will lead our country.
Create a Culturally Responsive Environment
Leaders should offer a culturally responsive environment where students become respectful and understanding of cultures different from their own. Those students are typically more willing to listen respectfully to different viewpoints, rather than mock, scorn, or fear the unfamiliar. When students are assigned to teams or partners, they are introduced with a few words about their background and where they are from. This gets the conversation and gives other students a starting point for asking questions.
Encourage Inclusion and Diversity
Learn about Students’ Cultural Backgrounds
Get to know your students and what makes them unique, thereby discovering the viewpoint from which they see the world and their personal learning style. For a mentor, understanding cultural diversity is a crucial part of being able to anticipate where certain lessons might lead, or any issues that might arise between students of different backgrounds. Educators can establish a tone of inclusion, emphasizing that all perspectives are valuable. Let everyone contribute, listen to what they say and help everyone understand.
“Allow” Students to Learn about Their Culture and Community
Learning about one’s own culture is just as important as learning about others when it comes to developing cultural understanding among students. Communities are built around the culture of the originating group or founders, therefore, when we look around our community, we will see their reflection. Parents and students can work together to learn more about the history of their neighborhood and Program Managers should create activities that will teach students to learn about their community. With this knowledge students will begin to understand the diverse cultures that make their community.
Heritage relates to inheritance, meaning passing of the beliefs, objects, and culture from one generation to the next, like a tradition. Culture is the way of life, knowledge, ideas, customs, laws, and habits of a group of people or society that they accept together as their core values.
Discussion Groups
Everyone Likes to Voice Their Opinion
A Discussion Group is an activity that can be held on its own, but it is also an effective tool to get the most out of each activity. After the activity a discussion group can be very beneficial to the students by offering a voice to each person, and letting a person express themselves gives them a sense of importance and meaning – my opinion matters. After, or even during an activity, a Discussion Leader can bring several students (between four and six is a good size) and talk about their experience. Keeping the size small enough allows all students time to voice their ideas with time to explore other students’ reactions. Keep the time short and relevant to the students, don’t spend time with extraneous conversation. The benefits of Group Discussions (GD) are many, but for our purposes, students hearing good ideas from others will enhance respect, and when acknowledged by the Discussion Leader that student will develop a sense of pride. The Discussion Leader can learn what students thought of the event, was it interesting or a waste of time. Did they understand the purpose of the outing?
Student Benefits Beyond Today: Being a member of a discussion group is a learned skill that will benefit the students in many ways. Studies have shown that positive group experiences, moreover, contribute to student learning, retention, and overall college success. They develop skills specific to collaborative efforts they will encounter in their college and professional careers.
- Shared diverse perspectives expand understanding, respect, and acceptance.
- Students learn how to compromise disagreements.
- Helps build relationships among students, and the Discussion Leader.
- Students stay involved when they participate.
- Feel comfortable offering their ideas in a group environment such as their classes.
- Learn how to evaluate new and different ideas and opinions
- It helps students learn how to articulate their ideas.
- By giving each student a voice, they feel their opinions matter, and this builds self-confidence.
The Discussion Leader:
- Be aware of problems that can lead to disruptive behavior and arguments
- Plan and manage time, set time limits for each person to express their ideas
- Establish ground rules if necessary
- Lead the discussion by offering ideas and pose questions
- Stay focused on the topic
- Make sure each person participates, has a voice
- Refine understanding through discussion and explanation
- Give and receive feedback on each students’ comments or ideas, always positive
- Challenge assumptions in a directive way – expand on the thinking in a positive way
- You are helping to develop stronger communication skills, offer suggestions on how to improve
For more information:
Supervising a Gatherings Activity:
Unless you have experience, the first time or two that you are supervising a group of students will be a daunting task. It might even be downright scary. It will get easier each time you lead a group. You should start with an activity that you like and knowledge in. If you had a good time, stay with that Gathering and make it your specialty, become an expert. The more you hear the students questions, the better you become at answering them. And students and other Leaders will feel confident that you are going to take charge if the students ask some hard questions. ***Be sure to find out (check with parents) if any students have allergies or problems with plants or animals.
Gatherings Activity Permission Forms:
The Team Leader (TL)is responsible for obtaining a signed Permission Form for each student attending the activity. After deciding upon the activity and selecting the students who will be asked if they are interested in going, is to talk with them about their parents’ required permission. They will tell you what to expect. Some will say their parents will gladly sign the permission form after they explain the benefits of the activity. Others will ask that the TL speak with their parents and explain what is involved. Find out the best time to call or give them your phone number and let them know the best time to call. Before calling, ask the student what they think will be their parents’ biggest concerns so you can be prepared to address their concerns. Let the parents know they can review the form on our website ahead of a phone call, so those parents who wish to speak with you have an idea what the activity is about and what information we need.
What to discuss with the parents about the Gatherings activity so they will be comfortable letting their children attend.
- Tell them who we are and who will be the Team Leader
- Suggest they visit our website
- Remember they need to be comfortable
- We provide good supervision
- We provide a safe and comfortable environment
- Our supervisors are experienced and caring volunteers
- Explain what the activity is and what we expect to accomplish
- What are the benefits of the student attending
- Tell them we spoke with the student, and they want to participate
- Explain why the Gathering is safe and educational
- Tell them the time, pick-up and return location
- If we know, who else is going
- Discuss any money required