In different professional environments, you have to work in pairs or groups to complete a task. Whatever role you prefer to play, whether it requires you to do everything alone or with others, sooner or later you will find yourself in the position of collaborating with a team. Cultivating the right skills to do so requires respect and commitment, and it is possible to learn how to contribute successfully within a group. Follow these guidelines to find out how to intervene and behave.
Steps
Step 1. Don't try to become the team leader
Remember that everyone has a role. Working in a group means recognizing one's position and understanding the value of each member's contribution, so that everyone can contribute adequately in order to achieve the set goal. Here are some common roles:
- The technician is that member who knows the task and the process perfectly, and is a good source of useful information and practical guidance.
- The innovator is the creative of the team, and is good at conceptualizing new ideas and original problem solving.
- The motivator is that member who encourages everyone to commit thanks to his positive attitude and his openness towards the strategies necessary to get the job done.
Step 2. Exchanges must be fair in the group
It is important that everyone is heard. To do good teamwork, you need to respect all other team members by listening to what they have to say. When someone else speaks, wait your turn and, at the same time, when you are the one to speak up, make others recognize and understand your words.
Step 3. Use the personal pronoun “we”
To work effectively in a team, you need to acquire accommodating, not argumentative, communication approaches. Do this by replacing "I" and "you" with "us" when you speak. For example, you could re-express a critical sentence like "You should have taken care of this" with a more understanding one, like "We need to solve this problem."
Step 4. Contribute by giving positive opinions
Supporting and maintaining team morale is the responsibility of each member. Promote this habit by encouraging your peers, starting projects with a positive and optimistic way of doing things, and inspiring others with an open attitude.
Step 5. Take your time to get to know each colleague
Remember that everyone sees it differently and each member has good qualities, weaknesses, preferences and dislikes. Understanding how to take each mate is necessary to develop strong and productive professional relationships and to learn to recognize the contribution of each.
Step 6. Don't be selfish
Before making your own decision, remember that everyone has equal importance within the team. For example, it would be rude to be the first to leave in the afternoon and the last to set foot in the office in the morning, because you think you can do whatever you want. In addition, it may sometimes be necessary to replace a member who has remained at home due to illness or a personal crisis, without thinking that this will have a negative impact on your role.
Step 7. Treat others as you would like to be treated
Before you speak or act in a certain way, ask yourself how you would feel if your colleague spoke or acted like this, then use this reflection to improve teamwork.
