You have described yourself with this skill, time and time again; you are a “team player.” Now what to do? You find yourself in a situation where you are the strongest player assigned to the team. How can you maintain the integrity of the team and affect the outcome for the positive? Here are 10 ways to increase your team’s productivity and overall chance for success.
- Define your success. You may set this bar based on your boss’s expectations, but hopefully by now you have become comfortable with your own definition of success.
- Communicate your expectations. There is nothing more frustrating than a group with no clear direction. Sometimes it just takes an opinion to get the conversation started. By communicating your expectations you are also letting your team know what you are able to commit to and that will set their expectations of you, so do not over promise.
- Align yourself with your teammates. Get to know them. You should understand the origin of their motivations and what they bring to the table. This will allow you to be properly aligned for success.
- Be prepared to compromise. It is highly unlikely that any group is going to solely side with one key member. So, decide upfront what you can and cannot live with and be willing to own that openly.
- Acknowledge your biggest opponent. There is one is every group; the person that just seems to oppose you at every turn. Be prepared for that and acknowledge it. Know that person better than they know you and share what you know. Acknowledge the strength that they bring with them and join their vote whenever possible. Build a bridge. No one gets up each morning with the soul mission of ruining your day – so find out what was on their mind that morning and work with it.
- Own your responsibilities. When it’s yours, it’s yours. There is nothing worse than the person that was unable to get it done, blaming outside factors. If you agree to do it, then you are agreeing to plan for contingencies, think outside the box and go the extra distance to see that task completed. No excuses.
- Never take your toys and go home. Commitment to the group is transparent and will send a strong message to any teammates that might be on the fence. Sometimes it is easy to get so focused on the one bad apple that you miss those that have the propensity to go bad and you can’t afford a mutiny.
- Stay positive. Use the Polly-Ana approach and flip negatives into positives wherever possible. It has the ability to defuse tensions that can build when things get complicated and demanding.
- Bring the value-added “joy” component. People succeed when they enjoy what they are doing. Find ways to inject laughter into the task. No one wants to be uptight – it’s usually an easy mask for insecurity or shyness. Most people can’t wait to lose that mask – so help them take it down. When in doubt, simply inquire.
- Value the team more than the outcome. This is a guaranteed winner, if you can walk away from the experience with a loss, but still leave each team member feeling that you really valued them, you have won. The most important asset you will ever have is the ability to positively influence people.
This is a fabulous post, Echo! #4 & #5 I found especially valuable, and thank you for acknowledging the strength and value of a “pollyanna” type approach! Regardless of what anyone says, there is some definite value in seeing the upside whenever you can!
Your wisdom is much appreciated!