While being a superstar has its appeal (fame, fortune, first-class), there\u2019s not a whole lot of room in the corporate world, or even in our personal lives, for a\u00a0one-man or woman show. Learning to shine as part<\/i> of a team, rather than trying to be the star hovering above<\/i> it (or avoiding it altogether) will do a lot more for your career and sense of well-being in the long run.<\/p>\n

Of course, as with most things, being a strong team player is a lot easier said than done. It takes learning and practice. But, whether your team is a small group working on a single project, a department working on achieving yearly goals, or an entire company trying to move to the next level, here are six basic strategies you can start using today to be the kind of teammate everyone wants on their side. 1 \u2013 Be Approachable<\/b> If you tend to do a lot of sighing, eye-rolling, or exploding when someone asks for your help or your input, it\u2019s a pretty strong indicator that you\u2019re not at the top of the \u201cBest Team Players\u201d list. Everyone needs help now and then\u2014including you. So, no matter how unimportant the request may seem to you, remember that it is important to the person asking and you should treat them and their request with respect. Make an effort to follow the golden rule of treating others the way you would you like to be treated. 2 \u2013 Be Responsive<\/b> Don\u2019t ignore people\u2019s requests in the hope that they\u2019ll go away. None of us work in a vacuum. The truth is, most of the work that goes on inside a company is much more interconnected than we all think. Too often we focus only on our piece of the goal and feel we don\u2019t have time for someone else\u2019s project. Remember, we are all busy. You certainly shouldn\u2019t need to (or be expected to) drop what you\u2019re working on to help someone else at that minute, but you should offer a reasonable date or time by which you will have an answer, an alternative or be available to work with the person. And stick to your deadline. 3 \u2013 Improve Your Communication Skills<\/b> This means both talking and listening. Be sure people understand what you\u2019re trying to say. If you\u2019re not certain, ask \u2013 but be sure to do it in a way that is positive and not insulting. Saying, \u201cI\u2019m not sure if I was being clear in the way I presented that, could you tell me what your understanding is?\u201d\u00a0 will likely get you more respect and long-term cooperation than using an attacking style such as, \u201cYou look confused. Are you not getting this?\u201d As for the listening side, aside from the obvious making a conscious effort to really \u201chear\u201d what\u2019s being said rather than planning your<\/i> response to what\u2019s being said, be sure to ask people for input, and really absorb what they\u2019re telling you. And look directly at the person speaking so you convey the message that what they\u2019re saying is important. If you often enter situations thinking you already have most of the answers, you\u2019re not only being a poor team player, but you are also severely limiting your chances to learn and grow. 4 \u2013 Establish and Maintain Trust<\/b> Avoid gossiping and back-stabbing behavior. Nothing sabotages the efforts and effectiveness of a team like distrust and anger. By making an effort to build positive relationships through open and honest communication, you are likely to be more productive as well as get more enjoyment out of your work. 5 \u2013 Share What You Know<\/b> The point of working as a team is to combine the knowledge, expertise, and efforts of a variety of people. The interaction of everyone\u2019s thoughts and ideas creates a whole new realm of possibilities that wouldn\u2019t exist on the individual level. If you tend to hold back your ideas because you want sole credit or want to be seen as the only expert, you are doing yourself and the team a disservice. Sharing information empowers you and those around you by elevating everyone\u2019s level of knowledge and making the team and the organization as a whole that much stronger. 6 \u2013 Put the Team First<\/b> When you find yourself thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d stop and reframe the question, asking \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for the team?\u201d or \u201cWhat could we do differently that would benefit the group as a whole?\u201d It\u2019s important to understand that no team member is \u201cbetter\u201d or more important than the rest. Each person brings value to the table. If you learn to appreciate the individual contributions of each team member and can step back to see how they fit into the team\u2019s bigger overall picture, everyone will be working together more effectively and building a more productive team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While being a superstar has its appeal (fame, fortune, first-class), there\u2019s not a whole lot of room in the corporate world, or even in our personal lives, for a\u00a0one-man or woman show. Learning to shine as part of a team, rather than trying to be the star hovering above it (or avoiding it altogether) will do a lot more for your career and sense of well-being in the long run. …Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":4284,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4281"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4936,"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281\/revisions\/4936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.calipercanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}