We've seen many examples of teamwork during the recent Olympic Games. In the sports stadium football teams worked collectively to score an elusive goal. On the running track relay racers transformed themselves into a single sprinting machine. In the boxing ring one man's triumph was actually the achievement of a large group of 'behind the scenes' experts.
In a similar way, you'll find it useful to develop your teamwork skills to achieve your career goals. It is hard for a single individual to achieve great things alone and unaided. But a team of individuals can combine all the qualities needed to make a success of any project or business.
Good teamwork involves working closely with colleagues, communicating effectively and being able to persuade and negotiate with others. Although some people are lucky enough to be born with such characteristics, many of us have to work hard to perfect these skills. This is not say that everyone should clone themselves with similar methods and approaches. Making the most of your natural strengths and individual personality is an important aspect of good teamwork.
Qualities of team workers
The checklist that follows summarises many of the qualities of good team workers. Use it to help you to identify where your strengths lie and to plan how to develop the areas where you may be less effective.
Do you:
Make a real effort to be sociable and build good relationships with others?
Listen carefully to other's ideas and try to build on these?
Respect other's opinions – even if you disagree?
Place the group's objectives before your own ambition?
Encourage and support others' efforts?
Offer assistance to others, and ask for help when you need it?
Strive to persuade others to your point of view – but are prepared to compromise if necessary?
There are many pay-offs for you if you can develop your teamwork skills including:
An opportunity to have your capabilities recognised and appreciated
Learning from others who have different abilities and perceptions
The chance to achieve something that you can't do on your own
Greater job satisfaction: teamwork can be – and often is – enjoyable and rewarding.
Two of the most important ingredients of good teamwork are:
Building productive working relationships
Dealing effectively with conflict.
Building working relationships
The quality of your working relationships will directly affect your job satisfaction and your ability to do your job successfully. But you can't expect other people to take the initiative all the time. As a team member, it's your responsibility to help create a climate in which all team members are able to work well together.
You can do this by:
Respecting the others in your team. This means valuing them for what they are, for the unique qualities that give them their individuality. Respect is not about having the same values and interests; it is possible to respect someone you do not like.
Showing empathy. People will be more prepared to co-operate with you if they know you have their best interests in mind. It's therefore vitally important to be aware of others' needs and to understand the way they feel. You can do this by asking them what they want or what's important to them.
Being sensitive and sincere. This means communicating your feelings and opinions, but not allowing your personal enthusiasm to override others' ambitions and objectives.
Dealing with conflict
It's a lot easier to deal with conflict when you have effective, open relationships with the people in your team. If people are honest, disagreements can be aired and more easily resolved. But if there is not enough trust in the team for members to be able to express their opinions openly, a lot of energy may be wasted and potentially valuable ideas will be lost.
Resolve conflicts positively by:
Expressing your independent perspective. Even if you are a lone voice of dissent, you should be prepared to share your point of view – on the understanding that you will be prepared to embrace an alternative view if that wins the day.
Preserving dignity and self-respect. In a heated discussion it's easy to say something that suggests a lack of respect for your colleagues. Even if someone who disagrees with you appears stubborn or stupid, you won't get closer to resolving a dispute by putting them down.
Reducing tension. You can do this in a variety of ways – possibly through a good-humoured remark, a positive or perceptive comment or a word of encouragement.
Recognising that you are unlikely to change others' opinions or styles of behaviour! When you are involved in an argument you will find it easier to agree a compromise than to get someone else to change their point of view completely.
Effective team players are confident, flexible and committed. They are sociable and friendly but not dominant. Like the great Olympians we've been admiring in Athens, they know what they want to achieve but realise that they cannot carry the whole enterprise or project on their shoulders alone. They can only succeed with the help of other people.
