Appoint Team Leaders
The team leader is your single entry point to the team. Talk to the leader, and they handle delegating work to the right specialists.
TL;DR
Every team has one leader. The leader coordinates work, delegates tasks, and runs sprint planning. In pre-built teams, the leader is a dedicated supervisor who manages but does not do domain work. In custom teams, any employee can be the leader. Set or change the leader from the team's Members tab.
What the Leader Does
The leader serves two key roles:
Single Entry Point
When you click on a team in the sidebar, your messages go to the leader. The leader understands what you need and delegates to the right specialist. You talk to one person, the team handles the rest.
Once the team is active (after the planning phase), you can also talk to any member directly by clicking their name in the sidebar. The leader is not a required middleman after setup.
Team Coordinator
In pre-built teams, only the leader gets a default recurring schedule. When the schedule fires, the leader:
- Checks the team's task board
- Delegates pending tasks to the right specialists
- Reviews completed work
- Unblocks anyone who is stuck
Other team members have no automatic schedule and activate only when the leader (or you) delegates work to them.
How Sprint Planning Works
When you hire a pre-built team, the leader runs a planning phase:
- Asks what you need. The leader gathers your requirements and goals.
- Creates tasks. The leader breaks your request into tasks and assigns each to the right specialist.
- Briefs the team. Each specialist gets context about what you need and what they should deliver.
- Gathers tool requests. If any specialist needs a tool connection (like access to Google Docs or Slack), the leader collects all requests and presents them to you in one consolidated message.
- Activates the sprint. Once everyone is ready, the leader starts the sprint and the team begins working.
Pre-Built vs. Custom Team Leaders
| Pre-Built Team Leader | Custom Team Leader | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Pure supervisor. No domain skills | Any employee. Can have domain skills |
| What they do | Manage, delegate, and coordinate only | Coordinate and optionally do domain work too |
| Schedule | Has a default recurring schedule (hourly check-in) | No default schedule. Set one manually if needed |
| How they are assigned | Automatically set from the team template | You choose, or the system auto-promotes the oldest member |
What You Can Do
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Set a leader | Go to the team's Members tab. Click the three-dot menu on a member, select "Make Leader" |
| Change the leader | Same process. Select "Make Leader" on a different employee |
| Remove the leader | Remove them from the team. The system auto-promotes the next oldest member |
| Talk to the leader | Click the team name in the sidebar. Your messages route to the leader |
| Talk to a specialist directly | Click the specialist's name in the sidebar (available after the team is active) |
How to Set It Up
Pre-built teams: The leader is already assigned from the template. You land in the leader's chat immediately after hiring.
Custom teams: Go to the team dashboard, open the Members tab, click the three-dot menu on any member, and select "Make Leader." If you do not assign a leader, the system automatically promotes the oldest team member.
Tips and Tricks
- Talk to the leader first. For pre-built teams, the leader is your main contact. They know who does what and delegate automatically.
- Choose a generalist for custom teams. The best custom-team leaders can handle a variety of requests and know when to delegate.
- Monitor the leader's task board. The leader creates tasks for all team members. Check the team's Tasks tab to see the delegation flow.
- You are not locked in. After the team is active, talk to any member directly. The leader handles background coordination independently.
Good to Know
- One leader per team. Only one employee can be leader at a time.
- Leader badge. The leader shows a badge in member cards and the org chart, making them easy to identify.
- Auto-succession. If the leader is removed or terminated, the next oldest team member is automatically promoted.
- Leader updates the charter. The leader can update the team's goals and guidelines (charter) as part of their coordination role.
- No bottleneck. The leader is the recommended entry point, but once the team is active, any member can be contacted directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I have multiple leaders on one team? A: No. Each team has exactly one leader at a time. For fully distributed work where every member operates independently, you can use a custom team without relying on leader delegation.
Q: Does the leader do actual domain work? A: In pre-built teams, no. The Team Lead is a pure supervisor who manages and delegates. In custom teams, the leader can have domain skills and do work alongside their coordination role.
Q: What if the leader is busy when I message the team? A: After the team is active, you can talk to any employee directly by clicking their name in the sidebar. The leader continues their scheduled coordination in the background.
Q: Can I change the leader later? A: Yes. Go to the Members tab at any time and select "Make Leader" on a different member. The change takes effect immediately.
Q: What happens if I remove the leader from the team? A: The system automatically promotes the next oldest member to leader. There is always a leader on every team.