Being a team player is something any employer expects from his employees. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to work on your own or with others, you need to be able to communicate and get along well with others. There are countless skills that can be considered teamwork skills. However, here are some things you should keep in mind in order to become a valuable team member:
1. Support others
People have the potential of working much better as a team than individually. A team is more than the sum of the strengths of its members, as its members can cover for each other’s weaknesses. Support your team members in reaching their goals – this will not only increase the loyalty within the team, it will also create an environment of trust. A team is no place for competition, the key to success is collaboration – something which our education system doesn’t often teach, but is still true.
2. Resolve conflicts
Don’t allow conflicts to go unaddressed. Most often, at the root of any conflict stands lack of communication. Dialogue will let you get at the bottom of things and solve the problem before more harm is done. This creates trust and an environment where people feel they can express and solve problems.
3. Respect your team mates. People have different skills and abilities, but each team member plays an important role in getting things going. Respect your team members’ work.
4. Give and accept feedback graciously. Everyone makes mistakes. Accept feedback, even negative feedback, and instead of defending yourself focus on how to use that feedback to improve your activity. If you give positive feedback to someone do it with all your heart, and if you give negative feedback do it constructively and preferably without other people around.
5. Take responsibility for your work. Don’t look for advice in the hope that you can also pass on responsibility. If you are assigned a task, then the final decision is yours – and so is the responsibility.
Team members who act according to these tips help the team’s activity to run smoothly, and help create a climate of trust and cooperation which boosts productivity and well-being. This is why they are considered an invaluable asset to most teams and earn the respect and loyalty of their peers.