What’s your role and contribution to your team and your teammates? It begs the questions, “are you a team player?”, “what type of team player are you?”, and “what would make you a better one?”
No one can succeed alone. Most of us belong to several different teams or groups. Whether it is a project you are working on together, the department you are assigned to, or a task force you have been asked to join, you experience the dynamics, trials and tribulations of people trying to get things accomplished with others.
Ask Yourself the Following Team Player Questions
Can I be trusted? Do I tell the truth? Keep promises? Do what I commit to doing? Say to their faces what I say behind their backs? Am I trustworthy? Trust is the foundation of a high functioning team. It needs to be earned, tested, and shared. It starts at the top and permeates all aspects of the organization. If broken, it is difficult but not impossible to regain. Without trust a relationship or team cannot exist — you are merely a group of people moving around one another.
Am I fair? Do I expect as much, if not more, of myself than I demand of others? Do I treat people equally even if they are in different roles or at lower levels? When it comes to recognition am I able to look at the results and effort without prejudice or favoritism? Do I have a different standard for myself than for other team players? One of the easiest ways to destroy a team is to not treat it as one. Setting different rules and expectations for some people because you are more comfortable with them or their ideas, isn’t fair. Fighting for and defending everyone, together, is how a team strengthens. Checking the balance of work, stress, and demands placed. Do I take executive privilege to an unreasonable level using my seniority to bully or intimidate other participants? If I step back and watch my actions, would I think I was being fair?
Do I push everyone out of their comfort zone? Am I the team player who encourages excellence? Do I challenge the team to take a risk, try something new? Can I sense discomfort in others and help them through the tough patches? Can I ask for help from others when I am floundering or second-guessing myself? Excellent teams have many leaders depending on the situation, timing, status of the work, and the expertise of the individuals. They are not always the top dog or most senior. Am I confident enough to know when to step-up and when to take a back seat in a decisionmaking process? A team is as strong as the total of its players, not a few. A weak leak threatens all.
Can I tolerate constructive conflict? Am I capable of disagreeing with one, many, or all members of the team without personalizing the conflict? Accept the suggestions of team members, even if I don’t agree or if it makes me look bad? Do I appreciate that disagreement is essential to coming to the best decision and encourage the opinions of others? Is active listening something I strive to do in every conversation? Do I hear varying views as a safety net against mistakes or narrowmindedness?
Do I want the team to succeed? As a team player can I celebrate our successes without taking all the credit and praise? Believe the team triumphing is the ultimate win, not individual successes? If I am the leader of the team, do I step back and let others get the credit? Will I sacrifice time, energy, and know how, so the group will reach its goal? Is the team winning together my focus?
To be a successful, active, respected team player, all of us must first look at our goals, aspirations, motivations, and intentions for the team before ourselves. Are we trustworthy and fair? Can we disagree? Do we want the team to succeed and flourish?
Can we help everyone reach their potential — together?
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