Everyone give lip service to teamwork – “they are on my team” or “it takes a village” or “that shows real team effort.” In fact, with today’s work environment, if you are NOT on a team in some way, shape or form, you work outside of the corporate norm.
But have you ever wondered what makes a team great? In sports, you can name them right away; greats like LeBron James or Peyton Manning. They know what they want and will do everything in their power to make the team succeed and moving forward toward the goal of a championship.
What about in business? Or specifically in your office? Can you name a great team player…and most importantly…are you one?
Let’s explore this concept further and see where your organization stacks up.
Eight Traits of Great Team Players
Constant
Are you a person your team can rely on? Do you show up when you say you will? Do you complete every project on time? Good teams have somewhat reliable members, while great team members are 100% reliable – you can count on them and they work hard.
Communicator
Are you an active listener? Do you clearly express your ideas and thoughts? Good teams catch most of what is going on; while great teams consist of members who are completely present during the meeting. They focus on the person that is speaking and ask questions. These teammates express their thoughts and others listen with intent.
Cooperative
Sometimes your idea or tactic won’t work. Or no one on the team wants to follow your initiative. Good teams try and incorporate other ideas while great teams are continuously looking for feedback and working toward the best ideas, no matter who spawned them.
Committed
Are you “all in”? Unfortunately, in today’s work environment, most people are not. In order to crush your competition and work for a thriving, growing company, you need to be totally committed to your team and the organization.
Competent
Do you have the knowledge and skills to complete the job and contribute effectively to the team? Good teams send their members to staff development seminars and product launches. Great teams do that AND assign mentors to consistently coach mentees.
Concrete
Is your team always working toward a goal? Good teams have goals (i.e. 100% of sales quota by the end of the year) while great teams understand the importance of achieving the goal and consistently look for buy-in of the process.
Cheerleader
Are you welcoming others, especially those that you do not agree with? All good teams listen, but listening with a negative attitude is a problem. Great teams welcome all feedback and value all team members.
Conflict Resolute
No one likes conflict, and a good team member gives and takes feedback while making minimal changes. However, great teammates will identify, talk about and resolve conflicts as they occur. Avoiding conflict causes more conflict and leads to resentment and declining morale.
Crushed by Your Competition? Make Your Team Great!
Fun Team Building with Larry Lipman can help develop your “Cs”. Through a fun, interactive agenda, Larry can identify why your team is in the “also ran” category and how they can become great again. Call Larry today at 770-333-3303 for your free 15-minute consultation.