How to be a team player

How to be a team player or how to become a team player

A team can be defined as a group of individuals who share common goals and interests. They come together for one purpose and they are willing to root for their team and move in a unilateral way that leads them to their ascribed target.

When we are born, we are blessed with a family. When we grow up, we are sent for schooling, we live in a community where there are other groups of individuals dwelling. At every phase of life, we have to deal with a new set of individuals. Be it in a colony or at the workplace. We are designed in such a way that we are susceptible to adapt to groups/teams. To sustain in a team one has to learn to be patient and co-operate with the rest of its members.

Let us look at the set of advantages of being in a team.

• Delegation of work: when we work in a group, the biggest merit I’d say is that there is less workload as the task is being distributed evenly to all the team members. It is a sigh of relief as there is less stress and more brains to push the task to the finish line.

• More support: be it a group of 4 or a group of 20. It has a sufficient amount of people working in it so there is more brainstorming and the team is a package of ideas and creativity. More the people, the merrier it is.

• Helping hand: We often get stuck during a task or we have a tinge of doubt about understanding the concept, if we are working on the project solely, we do not have anybody’s backing. But, if we are working with a team, there are ‘n’ number of people to reach out to. Normally, they wouldn’t help you because of the ‘envy factor’. Since it is a team task and you share common goals. They will. Because ultimately however one person performs it has a direct impact on the performance of the group.

• Motivation: While working in a team, regardless of how you perform, your team members will motivate you to do better. They will constantly keep a tab on you if you are lagging. If you are extraordinary, they will persuade you to motivate the ones who need it. The team members always express concern towards each other.

Now, working in a team may sound like relaxing on a beach with a tender coconut in hand. But no! It has baggage of demerits as well. Take a look at some below:

• In a tight spot: if you are not able to finish the task as per the deadline set, then there is pressure from other team members and you may be held accountable for any delays and penalties. This is a common situation faced by all hence, moving along the team is important.

• The difference in opinions: The clashing of opinions has always been the reason behind the team’s fallout. Everybody is different and may not agree on the same thing. Hence, it leads to quarrels and failures in a group.

• Delegation of work: this can be a boon as well as bane depending on the nature of the person. Some members may feel that they are being overloaded with work while others are at ease. Hence they may perform half-heartedly and fail to give the best outcome.

• Bias leaders: most of the time, the team members develop hatred towards the leaders assuming that they are partial towards certain members. This affects their performance as they refrain from complying with the instructions given to them with their stubborn attitude. Because of which the entire team suffers.

We are going to come across hurdles in our lives. Do not expect everything to be a bed of roses. Sometimes it is sunny, then sometimes it is cloudy. I guess, this is what we call the circle of life. It is important to face every challenge and tackle it smartly.

To understand how to be a team player I have listed down below a few things one can adopt to be a team player.

• How to be a team player – Accept others: when you are in a team, it is essential to accept others as a part of your team. Often, we find it difficult to accept people of other backgrounds or we tend to discriminate very quickly. The judgment feature in us pushes our buttons as soon as we are amidst a group. So it is important to adjust in a team and to thereby accept them as your pals. The probability of success will also increase.
  
  To accept others as they are one needs high standards. You can visit my Facebook page where I post text and video on growing attitude and character, you can find all my videos and I update it regularly: https://www.facebook.com/pg/betterworldsjp/videos/?ref=page_internal

• How to be a team player – Co-ordination & co-operation: every team who has these 2 constituents has made it to the top. Complying with the team’s objectives and thereby coordinating with the team rather than being a cause of nuisance is what makes a team successful.
  
  Certain people in teams often make an effort to impose their rules on others. This leads to conflicts and ultimately the group falls apart. Therefore every team should adopt the 2 c’s and lead their respective teams to the pinnacle of success.
  
  To be able to have good co-ordination and co-operation you can watch my video on Youtube where I post videos on attitude and character and you can subscribe it through https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYGdbB_F0qii4Zo_rn-rCyg/videos?view_as=subscriber

• How to be a team player – Adhere to the rules: if the superior has asked you to do something, adhere to their orders. They haven’t reached on top of the ladder of success just by sitting in the cabin. Everybody has worked hard. So if you want to make it to the top, perform well, and abide by the rules and instructions laid down. Do not be a rule-breaker and rebellious as it will not only tarnish your image but you will just end up making a fool out of yourself.
  
  To adhere to the rules one has to be self-disciplined. Self-disciplined is a skill that everyone can learn. If you want to learn how to be self-disciplined then you can read: How to be self-disciplined.

• How to be a team player – Involvement: this pointer corresponds with the first one. When in a team, it is of utmost importance to show involvement. If you do not, then you might as well walk out of the team. It is essential to build a connection with your fellow teammates and display a sense of belonging towards them.
  
  If you want to learn how to build a connection with others then you can read: How to be liked.

• How to be a team player – Activities: activities are a great way to break the ice between team members. It creates a light environment and it initiates a friendship which is essential for the team to carry forward with their tasks.
  
  To actively participate in activities one has to be an outspoken individual. If you want to be an outspoken individual then you can read: How to be outspoken.

• How to be a team player – Be a good listener: do not carry the dominant nature with you. it is despised by the team members. You may the smartest out of the lot but nobody reached that far just like that. When in a team, the best way to get outcomes is by listening to everybody’s input. So that no one feels left out. Also when you are patiently listening to others, they feel like a part of the team and get motivated. Brainstorming is a traditional yet classy way to get the best results.
  
  To become a good listener one must have a good learning attitude. If you want to learn how to enjoy learning then you can watch: How to enjoy learning.

• How to be a team player – Us before I: this is the most crucial part I’d say. We find ourselves bragging when something turns out well but when we undergo losses, we withdraw ourselves and hold others accountable for it. Hence, if we are of the team, it is important to share the failures and successes as one entity: TEAM.
  
  It is surely the collective individual efforts that have got the team where it should be. But taking the credit solely and disposing of the failure of others is not acceptable in a team. Therefore regardless of the outcome let it be “us’’ and not ‘I ‘.
  To keep “us” before “I” we must have a selfless attitude. You can learn how to be selfless here.

• How to be a team player – Team spirit: Be a motivator to the team. Do not retreat from the difficulties. When the team is at a pause be the one to give a pat on their back to raise their spirits. Have a positive attitude and be the one to hold the team together. This energy will lead your team to success.
  
  You can learn how to motivate yourself and others by reading this: How to motivate ourselves and others.

• How to be a team player – Good communicator: Communication is essential because we live for human interaction. Be it work-related or the grievances you have. Make it a point to let your team members know that something is bothering you. Do not hold grudges as it will affect your performance as well as your relationship with the team. Confront the respective person and try to put an end to the turmoil. It is advisable to be open to your team to avoid collisions with the members.
  
  To become a good communicator means you are able to reach a consensus in any discussion with your team members. If you want to learn in detail how to reach consensus then you can read: How to reach consensus.

• How to be a team player – Help your teammates: back up your team members when they are stuck or down with issues. Accepting the team as your new family will help you build a brotherly/sisterly bond. Assisting your teammates will help them to improve their outcomes and be better than before.
  
  To be of helpful nature one must have a good attitude and character. To develop a good attitude in yourself, you can read one famous book by John Maxwell “winning with people” you can buy that book at Winning with people

• How to be a team player – Be approachable: As a part of a team, you must be an approachable individual. Your team member must be able to reach out to you without hesitation. To become approachable you must control your moods.
  If you want to learn how to be an approachable individual in detail then you can read: How to be an approachable individual.

• How to be a team player – Need to be Flexible: Many times a team requires you to play a different role at different times. One has to be flexible with the work which they can do for the betterment of the team. Whatever task is required for the team to achieve its goal one team member must be ready to do that.

You can connect me through my professional network on LinkedIn also here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjpurohit/. We can discuss in detail how to be a team player.

You can connect me through my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/purohit.sudarshan/. We can discuss in detail how to be a team player.

Well, I can sum up this entire article by saying that a team is like a vehicle and the wheels are the team members. If you want to move ahead in the race of life, you got to push it forward with all the capacity. If you put extra effort, it’s going to run faster and you will reach the finish line sooner than later. But if you laze around and make excuses than it won’t do any good. Hence, we can reach the conclusion that, if we want to be a team player, we need to respect each one of them. We need to accept them as our close-knit. We need to be their backbone when needed.

After reading How to be a team player I am sure you would want to read how to choose the right business partner: https://sudarshanpurohit.com/how-to-choose-the-right-business-partner/

If you have any point which I can add in how to be a good team player then you can send it to me via comment. I will add it in the article 🙂

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Photo credits: Photo by Annie Tsung from Pexels