Leadership Skills and Team Development for Technical Professionals

Connect with technical professionals who are strengthening their skills in team leadership and building high-performing groups through AMA programs.

Target Audience:

Technology professionals and IT specialists, ranging from team leads to managers, directors, and senior technical leaders, who are committed to enhancing their capabilities in team development and organizational leadership.

Technical managers and leaders of technology teams encounter a significant organizational challenge: they must achieve project objectives and technical goals while simultaneously building strong, positive working relationships. Team development and leadership training serve as the critical foundation for accomplishing objectives while maintaining team cohesion. Within this highly interactive and engaging seminar, you will explore how to construct and lead a highly productive team, measure team performance against key metrics, and establish a strategic action plan that ensures continued leadership development and success.

Key Benefits of Participation:

• Engage in practical, hands-on team building and leading exercises
• Sustain team effectiveness and output even during periods of organizational transition
• Handle interpersonal tension and resolve disagreements productively
• Develop critical capabilities to manage daily team leadership challenges and demands

Topics Covered in This Program:

• How technical professionals differ from generalist professionals and implications for leadership approaches
• Understanding different team structures, including functional groups, cross-functional teams, self-managed teams, and self-directed teams; learning to adjust your leadership approach for each team type
• Critical components of constructing and growing high-achievement teams
• Assessing performance at both the individual and team level
• Applying techniques of discipline, skill-based coaching, dialogue, root cause analysis, and empowerment to successfully manage and support your team

Program Highlights:

AMA Blended Learning integrates live instructor-led seminars with online pre-seminar and post-seminar assessments, skill-building online courses, and supplementary learning resources to help you achieve your maximum learning outcomes. By combining the power of interactive instructor-led seminars with innovative online tools and platforms, AMA Blended Learning provides a richer, more comprehensive learning journey for all participants. This integrated approach yields greater value and stronger returns on training investment for both the individual and the organization.

Detailed Course Structure:

Learning Objectives

• Take charge of teams comprised of technical professionals
• Integrate and balance your roles as a leader, manager, and individual contributor
• Make deliberate team choices; apply the appropriate team structure and model for your specific situation
• Utilize the Team Meeting Success instrument to strengthen team performance and results
• Teach team members about teamwork, collaboration, and group dynamics
• Analyze shifts in team composition and dynamics and respond with intentional action
• Convert conflict into productive dialogue and growth
• Provide individualized coaching and structured feedback to team members
• Demonstrate effective motivation, active listening, supportive coaching, and leadership approaches even without direct authority
• Measure performance at both the individual and team level
• Develop performance management systems; track progress and measure outcomes
• Guide teams toward achieving high-performance status and effectiveness
• Create and implement a development strategy to strengthen your own leadership competencies

Forming Stage

• Recognize the defining characteristics and traits of technical professionals
• Identify how technical professionals share common traits with other professional populations
• Apply your understanding of technical professionals to inform your leadership strategy
• Make clear distinctions among doing technical work, managing people, and providing leadership
• Allocate your time strategically across leadership, management, and individual contributor roles
• Navigate the specific challenges and transitions faced by newly appointed team leaders
• Make intentional choices about team structure; apply the right team model for your needs
• Assign team members to appropriate roles and responsibilities
• Apply the Team Meeting Success tool to optimize team productivity and alignment
• Establish clear leadership expectations and coach team members on collaborative teamwork
• Build the essential foundations of team cohesion and trust
• Deploy your leadership style with confidence and adaptability
• Track changes in team composition and group dynamics
• Respond purposefully and proactively to changes in team structure

Storming Phase

• Transform conflict into constructive dialogue and team growth
• Reduce harmful and destructive conflict; maintain psychological safety

Norming Phase

• Oversee daily team operations using strategic planning, accountability systems, problem-solving, and effective delegation
• Coach team members and provide regular, meaningful feedback
• Motivate and communicate effectively; exercise leadership even without formal authority
• Assess individual performance with a forward-looking, development-focused approach
• Assess team performance with a forward-looking, development-focused approach
• Create and execute success plans at both strategic and operational levels
• Establish clear performance metrics and monitor progress
• Take accountability for results and drive performance improvement
• Build and refine your own leadership competencies and skills

Performing Phase

• Move your team toward and maintain high-performance levels
• Summarize and communicate key learning from the program
• Confirm that key concerns and challenges have been adequately addressed