ACTING AS A TEAM PLAYER

Will you work well in groups and teams? Will you be cooperative and take a leadership role when appropriate?

If you were choosing team members for a business team in your organization, who would the best team players be? Assuming that people have the right technical skills for the work to be done, what other factors would you use to select your team members?

Teams need strong team players to perform well. But what defines such people? Here is a short list of qualities of an effective team player:

1. Demonstrates reliability
2. Communicates constructively
3. Listens actively
4. Functions as an active participant
5. Shares openly and willingly
6. Cooperates and pitches in to help
7. Exhibits flexibility
8. Shows commitment to the team
9. Work as a problem solver
10. Treats others in a respectful and supportive manner

Read more about each point in this article[1] by the authors of the Dummies Guide To… series.

Conversely, the pendulum can swing in the opposite direction of being too much of a team player.  Do you have trouble saying “No” or are you known as a “Yes Man”?  Consider this article[2], which discusses the benefits of yes versus no and how to better manage yourself using both. 

Learn how to be a successful team player at work by watching this brief video[3] on the topic.