How to be a team player

Very few jobs allow you to work in an isolation bubble. Almost every work situation today requires a person to have good team skills. Being a team player is also critical in other kinds of groups, including schools, civic, religious, and other community groups. Knowing how to get along well with others enables you to get more work done and help your team achieve its goals more efficiently and with a lot less effort and stress.

Effective teams succeed for a lot of different reasons. Here is a list of ideas that will help you be a better team player:

See things their way. Learn to work with people who see things differently than you do. Learn to value their different experiences and points of view, appreciating that these differences can make the team better overall.

Flexibility. Develop the ability to be flexible. Workers today who are able to adapt to change have a much greater chance of surviving and thriving in the workplace.

Be friendly and respectful with team members.

Accept the feedback that others give you. If you criticize their ideas or are defensive, next time they will be less likely to share their opinions with you.
Be willing to learn new skills.

Teach others what you know. When knowledge is shared, it multiplies.

Show others on the team that you value their ideas.

Compliment your team members when they do something well.

Acknowledge the contributions of others. Never take credit for work or ideas that are not yours.

Be willing to take your share of the boring or unpleasant assignments.

Volunteer to help your fellow team members when they need it.

Make it your rule never to gossip about others. People will learn to trust you when they know you will not betray them.

When you meet with other team members, be prepared. Don't waste people's time by not being ready to work in a group setting.