To address team leader selection criteria, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Highlight your leadership skills, team management experience, and ability to motivate and develop team members. Provide specific examples where you successfully led a team, resolved conflicts, and achieved team goals. Emphasise your communication skills, decision-making abilities, and contributions to improving team performance and outcomes. Proofread to ensure clarity and relevance.
Experience managing and leading people and teams example:
Drawing from my experience within the Department of Justice, I have worked across multiple roles including Listings Coordinator and Criminal Supervisor. This has allowed me to lead and manage teams effectively while continuously striving for operational improvement. As a Leader, I prioritise ensuring team cohesion and adherence to service delivery standards. This involves planning to fulfil positions, upskill team members, and provide adequate coverage during leave periods. Future resource management planning is essential to sustain operational demands and address any skill gaps within the team. Performance planning and development are focal points of my leadership experience, including ensuring compliance with HR regulations and fostering growth opportunities for staff. I facilitate difficult conversations, ensuring that the team remains motivated and fostering a culture of collaboration. I focus on business improvement, refining roles, optimising workflows, and leading projects.
In my current role as Listings Coordinator, I faced a significant challenge during heavy COVID-19 restrictions, which resulted in widespread staff shortages, including Magistrates. Each morning, I had to analyse the roster and make urgent changes to ensure courts had adequate resources and hearings to maintain service delivery standards. I collaborated closely with senior management, the Chief Magistrate, and the Deputy Chief Magistrate to prioritise court needs and adjust as needed. Additionally, I worked with the Manager of Judicial Support to determine which courts could be combined due to staffing shortages.
I assessed workload demands daily and redistributed responsibilities among team members to ensure essential roles were covered. Recognising the urgency, I undertook cross-training initiatives to equip staff with the necessary skills to fill multiple positions if needed.
Additionally, I negotiated assistance from other business areas and managers to alleviate the burden on my team. Some team members, including myself, took on the responsibility of covering multiple positions simultaneously, demonstrating flexibility under pressure. We successfully maintained service delivery standards despite the challenging circumstances by encouraging voluntary overtime to clear backlogs. These efforts ensured that despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Magistrates Courts across the state continued to provide essential services to our customers effectively.
One of the most significant challenges I faced in terms of supervision was managing a team comprised mostly of individuals with less than a year of experience. With only one exception, all members needed more experience, and required careful guidance and support. This included two Level 3 supervisors who were inexperienced and needed significant mentoring. I implemented a comprehensive training program to address this issue, ensuring that each team member received the skills to meet service delivery targets. Additionally, I took on the role of mentor for two new officers, providing them with personalised guidance to enhance their performance. I prioritised cross-training for Level 2 officers, enabling them to handle multiple roles within the team. This approach improved team cohesion and facilitated future planning for leave coverage, mitigating the impact of absences on operational continuity. As a result, the team demonstrated increased competence despite staffing challenges.
Staff retention has been a recurring challenge, prompting me to implement strategies to foster a supportive and engaging work environment. By establishing clear training plans and progression paths and promoting cross-training initiatives, I aimed to provide opportunities for growth and development, thereby increasing employee satisfaction. Additionally, I organised team-building activities to cultivate a sense of belonging among team members. As a result of these efforts, the listings team experienced an improvement in retention rates, during my experience in the coordinator position.
In a previous role , I successfully resolved a conflict during a Pre-Trial Conference involving a Consumer Trader Claim. The parties were at odds, with the defendant dominating the conversation and preventing the claimant from expressing their concerns. To facilitate open communication, I separated the parties. I engaged in individual discussions, using my knowledge of court procedures and processes to highlight the implications of proceeding to trial. Through careful mediation, I encouraged the parties to reach a mutual resolution, averting the need for protracted legal proceedings. This successful intervention resolved the immediate conflict and preserved the relationship between the parties and facilitated a swift and satisfactory resolution to the dispute.
Comments