How to be an effective team member
In my experience, some people seem to naturally excel at working well with others. They take direction well, and they don’t mind being managed.
While this is a good start, there are many other aspects of working well with others.
There are things you can do to increase your chances of being successful in this area.
STEP 1: Get Clear on Expectations
Before you start working with anyone, you need to know exactly what you expect from them. I’ve found that many people just assume they’ll get along fine. They want to avoid confrontation, so they’ll go with the flow instead of setting expectations.
STEP 2: Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries is a form of communication. It gives people permission to tell you when you’re being unreasonable, when you’re being too controlling, when you’re being too bossy, and when you’re being too demanding.
Boundaries can also give you permission to speak up for yourself. People often feel uncomfortable with conflict, so they’ll keep quiet instead of telling you that you’re making a mistake.
Setting boundaries allows you to let people know what they can and can’t do. It’s a way to communicate that you won’t tolerate abuse, and it’s a way to set boundaries that allow both parties to feel safe.
STEP 3: Don’t Take Anything Personally
It’s easy to take everything personally. You can’t help but feel hurt when someone criticizes you. It’s natural to feel angry when someone doesn’t return your calls. But you don’t have to take it personally.
It’s perfectly acceptable to disagree with someone. It’s perfectly acceptable to be frustrated with them. It’s perfectly okay to feel upset if they ignore your directions.
Just because someone is rude doesn’t mean you are.
STEP 4: Take Responsibility
Taking responsibility is another way to communicate boundaries. It’s a way to let people know that you’re going to take responsibility for your own actions. It shows that you’re willing to accept the consequences of your decisions.
If you’ve done something wrong, you should be willing to accept the consequences of that. This doesn’t mean you should be a pushover, but it does mean that you should admit when you’ve made a mistake.
STEP 5: Ask Questions
The final step to working well with others is asking questions. It’s one thing to assume things will work themselves out. It’s another to ask for help.
We all need help sometimes. We all need reassurance. We all need someone to listen to us.
So ask questions. Ask for feedback. Ask for help.
STEP 6: Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself
We’ve talked about how to work with others, but this doesn’t mean that we have to neglect ourselves.
Taking care of yourself is important. You deserve to have a life outside of your job.
You deserve to have time to do things that make you happy. You deserve to enjoy yourself.
Thanks for reading!