Ten Things Team Players Do
Pitch In and Assist Others
We each have our own job to do, but there may be moments when we can take the time to help others who are very busy or in need of our support in any way. Look for opportunities to lend a hand. Maybe you have a special talent or skill others need. Even if you don’t, a helping hand is always appreciated.
Reach Out to Quiet or New Teammates or Co-Workers
In any group there are people who are more reticent than others. If group members don’t engage such people, it becomes even more difficult for them to open up and become part of the team. Look for opportunities to make these people feel included. Converse with them and seek their opinions. Invite them to join you for lunch or a coffee break. Ask them about their experiences. Find out what they need to be a part of the group and contribute to its success. Help them get to know you and others in the group.
Encourage Teammates Who Are in Conflict to Talk Out Their Differences
One of the most valuable things you can do in any work group situation is to help people who are in conflict resolve their issues directly between themselves. Often a person will keep a safe distance from any squabbles among group members or allow one of the parties to vent and complain to him or her as a safe third party. Look for opportunities to encourage direct communication between the combatants. If someone approaches you to vent about another colleague, listen patiently but try to redirect the person’s energy toward resolving the conflict.
Share the Credit You Receive for a Job Well Done
When public figures receive awards, they typically thank those who helped them achieve success. Such a gesture may come across as just a moment of modesty or social grace, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Others usually deserve part of the credit. In work situations, the same requirement holds. When the credit is shared, the recipients feel appreciated and motivated to support your efforts in the future. Look for opportunities to acknowledge, both publicly and privately, the help and support you obtain from others.
Suggest Team-Building and Problem-Solving Techniques
Have you read, experienced, or received training in team-building techniques such as brainstorming, problem analysis, process checking, and consensus building? Any team tool you may know about may be very beneficial to the group you work with. It is not necessary to be the team leader to suggest a different process. Any member can do so. Look for opportunities where the group may benefit from a process you are familiar with.
Check to See How Your Decisions Might Affect Others
We often don’t realize that a decision we make may negatively impact our colleagues. Review some recent decisions you have made and consider how they might affect others. Put yourself in their shoes. Do any of your decisions create inconvenience for others? Convey lack of interest or support? Lower morale? Cause new problems for others?
Include Everyone in the Information Loop When Appropriate
No one needs to know everything you know or think. However, there are plenty of situations where information you have can be helpful or even essential to others. Even if, at first glance, the matter pertains only to you, consider whether your colleagues might benefit from this knowledge in the long run. Will it help them do their jobs better? Will the information help them to support your own job performance?
Seek Information and Expertise from Others
There are two reasons to seek the information and expertise of others: (1) Others may help you do your job better, and (2) others are recognized for the talents they bring to the team. Review tasks and assignments that you traditionally do by yourself and consider if the help of others will enhance your work. Take stock of the talents of others, especially when they are underutilized, and invite new contributions.
Communicate Your Own Activity So That It is Public Knowledge
Just as information and your private decisions often need to be shared for the sake of the team, simply letting others know about initiatives you have recently undertaken or events you have experienced may be important. Maybe you have encountered an interesting situation that could be shared. Maybe you are involved in a project or assignment that, if shared, would be of interest or benefit to your colleagues.
Inform Others to Support Your Efforts and Ask Them to Tell You When They Need Help
This is the boldest collaborative action on this list. It is critical that colleagues know what you need from them to make you a happy team member and more effective contributor. Giving this feedback may feel awkward at first, but it gets easier to muster the courage once you’ve done it. Be sure to return the favor and ask others what you can do for them.
If you regularly meet as a group with your colleagues, there are additional steps you can take to contribute to the team’s goals. Again, you do not have to be in a leadership position to do most of these things. As a mere group member, you can be extremely helpful.