Do you want to stand out among your colleagues? Do you want to impress your boss? Being good at what you do while on the job has a huge impact on your success, but it is not enough. You also need to be a team player. You won’t just be closer to reaching your career goals, but you will also win favor and respect from your colleagues, and even your boss.
4 Types of Team Players
There are four main types of team players:
The Contributor
Task oriented and reliable, the contributor is a doer. This person does everything to make sure that every aspect of a project is covered and information is shared. The contributor is thorough and detail-oriented.
The Collaborator
Collaborators are accomplishers. They are highly goal-driven and willing to do whatever it takes to meet the main objective, even if it means going beyond and taking on added responsibility.
The Communicator
The communicator is someone who makes sure everything goes smoothly. Communicators are process-oriented and make great listeners. They are mostly seen as positive and people-persons.
The Challenger
As the name suggests, challengers like to challenge the status quo. They often ask how or why things are the way they are. They are honest, outspoken, and seen by others as ethical and principled.
Characteristics of a Team Player
To effectively work with a team, you have to be at least a decent team player. If you are good at being a team player, your team will value you more. For you to be an excellent team player, you should possess these characteristics:
1. Reliable.
It is doing what is expected from you and not letting down the people who count on you. You display to your teammates that you are dependable and that you can complete the task given to you.
When you say that you will do and accomplish something, you do it. If you possess this quality, you will also establish and gain more trust from your boss and colleagues.
2. Listens actively.
Active listening means that you give your full attention to the person who is speaking. Not only do you show your interest towards what someone is saying without interrupting them, but you also absorb what they are saying, attempt to comprehend, and don’t argue with their ideas and point of view.
3. Ability to cooperate and help.
You work well with others so that your team can act as a group to accomplish a task despite the differences you may have with your teammates. Cooperation and willingness to help is important because it improves the productivity of an organization.
Each member has his own strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses of a member can be complemented or enhanced by other team member’s strengths. This increases the chances of a team to accomplish their goals.
4. Flexibility and adaptability.
An excellent team player knows how to adapt to change. You should be willing to step outside your job description because of changing circumstances. You need to be ready to take new assignments without complaining that the new task given to you is outside your scope.
If you are a flexible employee, your superior values you more because they trust that you can handle a wide variety of tasks and because they know that you can accomplish those no matter what.
5. Treats others with respect.
You may demonstrate respect at work by displaying kindness, politeness, and courtesy. You treat your colleagues equally regardless of their race, gender, and job position.
There are lots of ways you can treat and show people in your workplace that you respect them. The key is to respect others the way you want others to respect you.
6. Shares openly and willingly.
A good team player is willing to share their skills, knowledge, and ideas with their teammates. When you help your teammates be informed by sharing what you know, you will help increase the productivity of your team and help the company be competitive in the industry as well.
Helping others by sharing your knowledge helps you build your reputation at work because they will consider you as a valuable resource.
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7. Optimistic.
Being optimistic does not mean that you should always have a smile on your face or how much fun you are around other people. Optimism is a mental attitude that no matter how hard the situation may be, you still believe that the outcome of those challenges is positive and favorable. You also see failure as a feedback and not a reason to stop.
8. Problem-solver.
Employees that are good problem-solvers are good thinkers. When you are a good-problem solver, you are focused on finding a solution, you view problems as challenges, and you are not afraid to explore different options to solve the problem. You push boundaries and are able to come up with innovative solutions.
Companies value employees that are problem-solvers because they associate them with having deep technical expertise, knowledge and experience.
9. Knowledge of the industry.
When you have an extensive understanding of the industry, you become valuable to your company and it makes you hard to replace.
Broaden your knowledge by taking the initiative to study what’s the latest in your industry. Research and read about the most recent trends, updates, and competitors. By doing this, you are helping your company have a better advantage over competition.
10. Learns new skills continuously.
When you have a growth mindset, you study to upgrade your skills, expand your abilities, and increase your knowledge. Learning should not stop after you graduate and start working. In fact, there is an ever changing demand in every job role, and technology is continuously evolving.
That is why learning new skills or upgrading your skills is essential. Not only will you have a huge contribution to the company you are working for because of your updated skills, but you will also maintain your relevance in the company and increase your marketability.
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