Today in Wisdom Corner we focus on 10 qualities of an excellent Teamwork at the workplace
- Show Genuine Commitment: Team players are genuinely committed to their cause. Good team players ensures they are in the office when needed, but great team players will make “seat” time worth it and contribute as much as possible. They strive for excellence.
- Be flexible: Instead of sitting on the bench watching the rest of the team working, an outstanding team player wants to see the magic happen through his or her efforts as well. They are flexible to the situations thrown their way, and they participate and tackle challenges without showing too many signs of stress or pressure.
- Don’t stay in the shadows: It is not in your interest to just sit quietly and get your work done. It is a good thing to involve others, as long as you are not bothering people with questions you should know the answer to. Great team players come to their teammates having prepared their ideas clearly.
- Be reliable and responsible: An excellent team player will be reliable and responsible. They complete the tasks in order of priority, not necessarily, in order that they are given. When you are not sure of what should take priority, ask your manager.
- Actively listen: You are only a team player if you respectfully consider the viewpoints and ideas of other people as well. This is why diverse teams have the potential to so effective, and it all depends on active listening. Active listening is harder than you think. When you hear someone saying something you do not initially agree with, keep from interrupting and do not let your mind prepare any counter remarks. Just listen, and consider what they are saying and more importantly, whythey believe that.
- Keep your team informed: Share your opinion and ideas without trying to come up with a plan for taking credit for it. Transparency is key on a team, so keep your team members informed. Planning for your own success is important, but whether you get promoted may have a lot to do with how you communicated with your team members.
- Always be ready to help: Even if it is not in your job description, be generous with pointers or tips to help your team members. For example, if a member of your team is having trouble with a technology tool that is easy for you, offer to sit down with him and show him what you know.
- Support and respect others: It seems obvious that you would not want to shut someone from your team out, or laugh at other people’s ideas, but we do these things in a subtle way, without realizing it, all the time. It is important to become more self-aware of how you treat others. Remember, you will receive respect when you give it to others. An ideal team player knows how to have fun, but he or she would never do it at someone else’s expense.
- Be a problem-solver: Your team leader may be working on solving problems, but there is no reason why you cannot offer solutions yourself. Your teammates will appreciate your skills, and this may pay off later when your manager considers you for a promotion!
- Recognize when you are wrong: A good team player will back off an idea when it becomes clear it is not the right path. If you believe strongly that your team is making a mistake, you can find a way to come back to the issue when the time is right, but being a stubborn stick in the mud is not a quality of a good team player.
I hope you have learn one or two qualities from today’s 10/10 Wisdom Corner,
Always remember:
Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success
By Eunice Ndung'u