Becoming a good team member

Work teams are becoming increasingly popular in today’s working culture. It is not surprising that almost all employers look for good team players when hiring new candidates. Basically, a team comprises of a group of people who have come together to achieve common objectives. The performance of an effective team is more than the sum total of the individual contribution of its members.

A recruiter working in a consultancy says, “We work dedicatedly in small teams of 3-4 recruiters to achieve our targets. What is most important in such a set up is that members should be committed to the team goals. They should have good listening skills and be accommodative to other’s point of view. Performers should be respected and not envied by others. Good team players take ownership and do not blame others when something goes wrong. They share all information among its members without any hesitation. Backbiting of any sort should be strictly avoided as that would lead to low morale in the team.” Basically members need to be flexible and quickly adapt to changes.

A team lead in an IT company elaborates, “Our projects demand that employees work in teams whose members are even located overseas. Proper coordination and communication is most important in such cases. Each of them need to extend a helping hand when other members are overloaded or are tied up with personal commitments. Good team members place the organization’s interests above their own personal agenda. They take initiative and accept assignments enthusiastically without trying to hide themselves in the crowd. Above all each member should be honest and trustworthy.”

In fact, good team players have some duty towards their leader as well. Cooperation and support is what is most expected of them. Moreover, members should be polite and courteous to the leader. Participating in team events like team lunch etc. along with the leader, helps to build that much needed team spirit. Anything that fosters negativity in the team should be avoided as much as possible.

Work teams operate in all sectors be it IT, BPO, HR or Sales and Marketing. The positive synergy generated by high performance teams helps organizations achieve success. There should be healthy competition among the members so that there is no scope for conflict. Hence, it is important that you display the right attitude and not hurt the feelings of other members.

- Ranjita Chattopadhyay (views expressed in the article are that of the author)