I like to start with going out over the summer with my team so that we invest in the relationship first and get to know each other better. Depending on your outlined responsibilities as lead, you can talk with your colleagues to see what they need from you to be successful. Dropping positive notes during the school year helps lift morale!

I totally agree with Amanda—building relationships is step one. Ask to meet with them somewhere that is pressure-free (and work-free) if your schedule allows. Get to know them as humans and allow them to do the same with you. Then you can get into the roles and responsibilities of the team and who does what. Best wishes! You’ll be great!

Congratulations on your new role! My advice is:

Communication with Colleagues:
- Be Clear and Consistent:Make sure your messages are straightforward and regular. Keep everyone in the loop about important updates and decisions.
- Active Listening:Take the time to genuinely listen to your colleagues’ ideas, concerns, and feedback.

Building Rapport: As highlighted by others this is paramount. I would also add:
- Celebrate Successes: Start meetings by acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of team members. It helps create a positive and motivating atmosphere.

Organizing Meetings:
- Set Clear Agendas: Share an agenda before each meeting to keep things focused and on track.
- Use Time Wisely:Keep meetings structured and efficient. Make sure to cover all agenda items while allowing time for open discussion.

Additional Tips:
- Collaborative Planning:Encourage everyone to share the responsibility of lesson planning and/or other tasks. It helps build a sense of ownership and teamwork.
- Offer Support: Be there to guide and support your team members. Help them grow professionally and feel valued.

A good team leader possesses effective communication skills, strong ethics, empathy, and the ability to inspire the other teachers. They create a positive work environment, maintain team morale, and establish healthy working relationships with their team members.

When we think of the work of teams, we rely heavily on the tools from Solution Tree and the PLC process although the things you do working with adults will ultimately determine how successful your team will function.
Here are a few non-negotiables I like to keep in mind when working with teams:
1. Take the time to build relationships with team members. Whether that is during your team meetings through a grounding or eating lunch together.
2. Develop Norms for how you are going to do the work. I used to think that adults knew how to work and behave, but just like our students we can't assume that everyeone knows and understands their roles or even the expecations of the team. Norms serve as a clear understanding for "how" you will work together as a team and allows everyone to be a part of the process in creating them as well as holding each other accountable. A common norm is "Be Prepared" the difference in a high functioning team and a group is that you take the time to talk about what does "be prepared" mean? Does that mean you are in the meeting, does that mean you have your laptop, does that mean you have student data ready to discuss or lesson ideas ready to plan? You'll find a lot of teachers have very different ideas and norming helps to create clarity for everyone.
3. Have an agenda. Here is a link to a sample agenda that we use at my school. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Z90gC-IQxkizjAsUdfLoM3a5q-DfVt9hxz_p-AJXt2A/edit?usp=sharing
4. Assume positive intent. This might seem silly, but the work we do with students is hard and the work we do with adults is equally as difficult and a lot of times conflict comes from the passion we all bring to the table. Assuming positive intent siimply means that we understand everyeone is coming from a place of good will.