How to Become a Valuable Team Member
Teamwork makes the dream work. When you’re working in a team, you’re working towards a collective goal and it requires everyone to do their part. Eventually, all that effort made by individuals will sum up the team’s overall effort.
It’s crucial that every member of the team is on the same page and has an understanding of what the team is trying to achieve. Whether it’s in the workplace or a sports team, you’re only as good as your weakest member.
As a team member, you’re the piece of the puzzle that makes it whole. However, what does it take to become one of the best members of your team? What skills are required?
We’ll explain some of our top tips below.
Good Communication is Key to a Strong Team
As we mentioned before, it’s crucial for all members of the team to understand the plan to achieve their goals.
Think of a team as a machine, the team members are individual cogs. When one cog stops, the whole machine will fail. This is the exact same scenario when communication is lacking amongst team members.
When the communication is good, these issues can easily be avoided. Members of the team can ask questions, share new ideas and communicate their progress on different tasks. This makes the management of the team and tasks very streamlined and easy to analyse. Plus, it can help motivate the morale of the team as well.
Some great collaboration tools we recommend are Slack, Monday and Asana.
Want to easily share business cards with your team? Download Contapp, it’s free and simple.
Know the Strengths of Your Team Members
Usually, each team member has a particular set of skills. When everyone in the team works to their strengths, the overall result often means the team achieves their goals. Which makes it very important to identify individual strengths for each team member.
For example, if someone in your team is very organised, they would be best suited to tasks that involve management & planning.
When everyone understands their role in the team, workflow processes become streamlined and positive results will be achieved. It also requires a leader to make sure the team is on track, as well as making sure all the cogs are working simultaneously.
Everyone’s Human
Practicing empathy is an important skill when it comes to working in a team. You have to remember that people approach tasks differently and can potentially react differently to certain situations.
Putting this into practice will really help you understand your team members, but it will also show that you’re there for support. If you put yourself in their shoes, it will help you understand how they are approaching the situation and how it can be resolved to assist the team.
For example, if someone in your team is usually very happy and bubbly, but seems to be very down in recent times, it’s always worth bringing them to one side and asking them if everythings okay. This goes beyond making sure the work is completed. It will make members of your team feel like you care, which can affect the team’s performance.
Most of the time, it’s important to show that human side as well.
Respect Your Team
Working in a team means lots of different ideas are put on the table and different levels of work are being produced. It’s great when good work is being created, however that’s not always the case.
When work is below par, you must always respect team members’ work and consider their ideas respectfully. Giving constructive criticism is fine and sharing feedback on how they can improve the work. At the end of the day, this is a team effort.
Become a Leader
Even if you don’t have the title of ‘Team Leader’ or ‘Manager’, you can still become an integral part of a team by showing leadership skills. As the saying goes; ‘leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It’s about one life influencing others.’
As a leader, you should understand the needs of each individual in the team. They will trust you and depend on you for guidance and physiological safety. If a team member is having a tough time, talk to them.
You will understand how to handle pressure and become a great example to your team. It’s all about efficiently reaching your goal and acting responsibly, whilst working as a team.
Offer Your Help
Being able to offer your help is one of the most important aspects of being a team member. Even though your workload could be at maximum capacity, people will appreciate your help. In return, they are more likely to share their help when you’re in need.
In a team with many attributes and approaches to dealing with tasks, it’s great to get help from various members. It’s for the good of the team.
Boost the Spirits of Your Team
Making your team feel special and letting them be heard, will boost their confidence when working in a group. Acknowledging and appreciating the efforts will encourage them to work hard for the greater good of the team. It’s a team effort, so it’s important to make everyone feel involved.
