Your First Months as a New Team Leader

Becoming a team leader changes what success looks like. Instead of being judged on the support you personally provide, you are now responsible for how well the whole team supports participants. This lesson explores that shift, the mixed feelings it can bring, and the common traps new leaders fall into, such as doing every task yourself or trying to stay everyone's friend. Key points: your job is to enable others to do great work; it is normal to feel uncertain; your values and practice knowledge are strengths; and you need to consciously let go of some of the hands on work.

The strongest start for a new team leader is usually a quiet one. This lesson explains why listening and learning should come before making changes, and how to do it well. Key points: meet each team member one to one; ask open questions about what works, what gets in the way and what they would change; visit participants and observe support; read key documents such as support plans, recent incidents and audit findings; separate urgent safety issues, which you must act on straight away, from improvements that can wait; and share what you have heard before introducing changes.

Good leadership rests on knowing the people you lead and the people you support. This lesson covers getting to know each team member's strengths, experience, goals, availability and wellbeing, and getting to know each participant's goals, support plan, risks and preferences. Key points: learn how each worker likes to communicate and receive feedback; notice who is new, who is stretched and who is ready for more; read each participant's plan rather than relying on handover stories; and remember that participants and families should know who you are and how to contact you.

As a team leader, you help our service meet its legal and regulatory obligations every day. This lesson gives an overview of what you now need to keep an eye on: the NDIS Code of Conduct and, in aged care, the Code of Conduct for Aged Care; the NDIS Practice Standards or the Aged Care Quality Standards; incident management and reportable incidents; worker screening and training records; restrictive practices; privacy; and work health and safety. Key points: you do not need to be an expert on day one, but you must know where to find our policies, who to ask and when something must be escalated straight away.

Trust is earned through consistent, fair and honest behaviour over time. This lesson covers practical ways a new team leader builds credibility: doing what you say you will do, being fair and consistent with everyone, admitting what you do not know, and following through on concerns. It also covers setting boundaries with former peers, such as keeping confidential information private, not playing favourites and handling social situations carefully. Key points: have an honest conversation early about how the relationship will change, and treat every team member by the same standards.

No team leader succeeds alone. This lesson covers the relationships that matter most in your first months: your own manager, HR, clinical and allied health staff such as nurses and behaviour support practitioners, and participants' families and other supporters. It also covers looking after your own wellbeing and asking for support early. Key points: agree regular check ins with your manager, involve HR early in people matters, use clinical staff for advice on health and risk, build respectful partnerships with families, and use supervision, peer networks and our employee assistance program where available.

This case study follows Grace, a support worker who has just been promoted to team leader at Acacia House, the home where she has worked for four years. One experienced colleague, Warren, openly questions her in front of the team. The lesson shows how Grace uses her listening period, handles the challenge from Warren privately and respectfully, and turns a sceptic into an ally. Key points: stay calm, address behaviour privately, ask for input, be fair and consistent, and get advice from your manager early.

This case study follows Tomasz, a new team leader in a community support team, during his first roster cycle. He discovers that the same few workers always get weekend and public holiday penalty shifts, and that one worker's worker screening clearance expired last week while she is still rostered. The lesson shows the difference between an urgent compliance risk that needs action today and a fairness issue that needs a planned, consulted change. Key points: act on risks now, plan improvements with the team, and involve your manager and HR.