Team Leader in Action

Course objectives

The aim of the course is to develop key managerial competencies necessary for effective team leadership in today’s organizational environment. Participants will:

• Learn how to delegate tasks effectively, adjusting them to the employee’s level of maturity.
• Become familiar with and practice effective feedback models that support employee development without tension or defensiveness.
• Understand what truly motivates people and how to adapt management style to different personality types.
• Learn how to conduct disciplinary conversations and apply consequences firmly, yet without damaging relationships.
• Receive tools for building authority based on psychological foundations of trust, consistency, and communication.

Target group:

• Supervisors
• Team leaders
• Line and middle managers
• People preparing for leadership roles

Benefits of participating in the course for the participant:

• Develop their personal management and team communication style.
• Receive practical tools (models, matrices, checklists) ready for immediate use after the course.
• Practice difficult conversations they previously avoided, with trainer feedback.
• Gain a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms behind employee behavior.
• Build confidence as a leader, also in stressful or conflict situations.

Benefits of participating in the course for the organization:

• Participants will delegate more effectively, increasing productivity and relieving overloaded leaders.
• The number of misunderstandings and tensions will decrease thanks to a better feedback culture.
• Leaders will act more consistently, decisively, and maturely, improving team morale.
• The organization gains mature managers ready to take responsibility and develop people based on values, not only KPIs.

Course opening and working agreement

• Participants’ expectations vs course objectives
• Principles of safe communication in a group
• A brief introduction to the psychology of workplace relationships

Block 1: Management through delegation – how to hand over control without giving up responsibility

• What delegation really means from a psychological perspective
• Employee readiness levels – the Hersey–Blanchard model
• The role of trust and control in the delegation process
• Exercises: Delegation matrix – matching tasks to the employee

Block 2: Feedback – a tool, not a torture

• The role and value of feedback – how it affects the brain
• FUKO, SBI and feedforward – differences and use cases
• Emotional maturity in giving and receiving feedback
• Exercises: “On-stage” feedback – practical role-play sessions

Block 3: Motivation – how to ignite an employee’s internal engine

• Motivation 3.0 – according to D. Pink (autonomy, purpose, mastery)
• The difference between motivating and inspiring
• Identifying employees’ internal and external needs
• Exercises: Case study – how to motivate the “difficult”, the “burned-out”, and the “ambitious”

Block 4: My management style – self-reflection and development

• Self-assessment test of management style (DISC questionnaire or Gallup Talent Insight)
• Support group: reflections and implementation takeaways
• Coaching questions session: “How do I want to be perceived as a leader?”

Block 5: Discipline – how to enforce consequences with class

• The difference between punishment and consequence – a psychological approach
• Why people test boundaries – mechanisms of resistance
• A disciplinary conversation step by step – the “4K” tool
• Exercises: Role-playing “difficult conversations” (real-life cases)

Block 6: Building authority – not just through your position

• Sources of authority – formal and informal
• Building a leader’s standing through consistency, courage, and communication
• Authenticity and boundaries in relationships – how not to be a “buddy” or an “executioner”
• Exercises: Authority map – individual and group work

Block 7: Real-life situations – simulations of real events

• Working on participants’ real situations (anonymized case studies)
• Role-playing with trainer feedback
• Techniques for managing emotions under stress and in conflict

Block 8: Implementation plan and reflection session

• What am I taking away from the course? – a summary using the 5R model (Reflection–Relationship–Response–Solution–Result)
• My leader development plan – 3 actions in 3 weeks
• Feedback from participants and the trainer
• Course closure and certificate handout