You hear the phrase, “…be team player” a lot. In business, in sports of course, and sometimes in other situations, such as organizational or political meetings. It seems most have a general sense of what it means to be a team player, but seldom if ever, do you hear exactly what it means or how exactly one goes about becoming a team player, if they are not already.
In the context of this article, the phrase “team player,” refers to the ability to get along well with others in an organizational setting. To, “get along with others…” means to do your part in the organization without creating friction, upset or causing others to veer from established targets or goals. In short, it means to play nice with others and don’t make waves.
This is the purpose of this article then, to provide some insight into what it takes to become a person that is viewed by others as a team player. Below are ten winning tips to help you achieve this goal.
1 – Immerse yourself. People who are considered team players don’t hide in the corners waiting for others to invite them to join in on activities. They get into the fray of things and participate in every applicable activity without prodding. To do this, you need to get to know who everybody is. You need to know what roles everyone plays so that you are able to see where you might fit in. To be a team player, you have to get in there and play.
2 – Keep your ear to the ground. Another cliché, but one that makes sense. In order for you to know what to do in any given situation, you have to know what is going on. That’s what people mean by keeping your ear to the ground. It means listening to other’s talk, or reading pertinent e-mails, or doing research. It means doing all you can to keep abreast of anything that might pertain to the activities of your group.
3 – Talk. In most organizations, it’s not enough to listen. You have to reciprocate, which means you have to talk, or write e-mails or text messages or whatever is in use. You have to tell people things so that they will tell you things. It’s sort of like a game in itself. The more dish you have, the more dish you’ll get. Being a team player is about being in the loop.
4 – Join communal discussions. Not only do you need to talk one-to-one with others, you need to get in on communal discussions as well. Regardless of whether it is on the phone, via e-mail or text messaging or simply gathering around the coffee-pot. Where ever it is people gather to speak either formally or informally, you need to join them. Doing so allows you to be a part of whatever is discussed, which automatically makes you a part of what is going on.
5 – Fight the urge to go against the grain. Sometimes, being a team player means doing or saying things you don’t necessarily agree with. Depending on the circumstances, this can range from frustrating to soul destroying. Sometimes moral issues emerge. Other times, it’s nothing more than personality issues or times when ego or pride are at stake. The problem is, quite often you’ll hear people being accused of not being a team player when they are unable or unwilling to go along with something. In short, the best approach is to go along with the things you can as often as you can. While this may or may not be a perfect solution, it should help when the time comes where you simply can’t go along with something that everyone else can.
6 – Pick a side. The word team sort of implies that there may be other teams involved in your environment. Sometimes teams compete against each other, sometimes they work together. It’s important to distinguish which is happening at any given time. If you see that your team is competing against another, you have to very clearly identify which team you are on and then stick with it. If you see you are working with another team, don’t be afraid to include them.
7 – Ride the fence. A lot of times you’ll find there are divisive issues that can creep into even the smoothest of operations. Quite often, you hear managers or others in a position of authority claim that this is where leaders are born. I beg to differ. It’s been my experience that more often than not, those that ride the fence during divisive times are the ones that come out smelling the most clean afterwards, which translates into them looking like the true team player.
8 – Do your job. Sometimes, amid all the political intrigue, people tend to forget that they are there to actually get something done. Whether it’s to hit the ball or finish a spreadsheet, the work must get done, otherwise the team will suffer. If you want to be a team player, work hard and get things done. There is no better path to team player status than being someone that is respected for making the team look good.
9 – Negotiate. Whenever people work or play together, there are bound to be differences of opinion regarding what should happen, what is happing, and what already happened. To be a team player means not only keeping abreast of all these things, but also being able to get what you want or need sometimes, and giving others what they want or need sometimes, even if it conflicts with yours. This is the art of negotiation.
10 – Huddle. Nothing binds a group or team together more than fighting through adversity. It’s when the chips are down that you are most able to display your loyalty. People that jump off to join another team or quit altogether are rarely forgiven afterwards. When times get tough, get with your team-mates and work your way through the dark times and you’ll be high on everyone’s list afterwards.
These ten winning tips on how to be a team player apply to almost any type of group or team involved in virtually any sort of venture. Regardless of circumstance, people who get along well with others and produce consistently are an asset to any team. If you are someone who is looking to improve their status as a team player, I hope these tips will help. Good luck.
