Want to Become A Better Team Player? Here Are Seven Questions to Help Get You There
In today’s business climate — dynamic, virtual, ever-changing and fast — effective teams are critical to the success of most organizations. As executive coaches, we see that team performance is paramount and the demand for productivity is increasing. Yet we’ve also observed that the resources available that have traditionally fueled team effectiveness, such as time and people, are decreasing. The pressure is on; teams that work efficiently and productively are front and center.
No wonder so much has been written about effective teams and the value of productive teamwork. Patrick Lencioni, for example, illuminated what bad teams look like in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Alternatively, famed leadership guru and author John C. Maxwell revealed the 17 indisputable laws of teamwork to embrace and empower your team in his book of the same name. I could go on and on.
In our coaching practice, we often work with teams. Sometimes it’s good teams who want to get even better. And sometimes it’s teams that require heavy lifting to get everyone working together toward a common goal. Regardless, uniting a solid team and sustaining peak performance over time can be a delicate and complex balance. There’s so much as individual leaders that you can’t control (namely, the other people on the team).
The truth is that focusing solely on the team as a whole is only half of the equation. What about your own behavior as a member of the team? Now that is something you can control. If you want to become a better team player, here are seven questions that will help get you there:
Do I demonstrate respect and assume positive intent? This is fundamentally about trust. Good team members extend trust to others by acting in a fair and deferential way. Surely you want others to do this for you. The best way to make that happen is to reciprocate and conduct yourself in the same manner.
Do I listen first and consider other perspectives? Listening to understand (versus listening to speak) is core to productive team behavior. Genuinely listening and truly opening your mind to other perspectives are hallmarks of people everyone wants on their team.
Do I understand my role and deliver the results expected of me? Playing within the parameters of your role means not overstepping into someone else’s lane of responsibilities. If there’s a grey area, seek clarity. Above all, know what you must deliver and make sure you do just that. The team depends on it.
Do I practice accountability of myself and others? Good team members hold themselves accountable. They own what they’ve committed to, making no excuses for shortfalls. They hold others to the same standard, fueling peer-to-peer accountability, which is essential for team achievement.
Do I speak the truth and engage in healthy debate in the spirit of finding the best collective answer? Because high-performance teams trust one another, they don’t hesitate to be contrarian. Productive team members speak up and challenge others. All ideas are put out there, resulting in better outcomes that are key to the success of the whole.
Do I set my individual agenda aside and focus on what’s best for the team? Let’s face it: Everyone comes to the table with their own ideas, biases and perspectives. It’s that diversity of thought that makes the best teams work. Indispensable team players rise above their own agendas and egos, embracing what is best for the team.
Do I acknowledge and celebrate wins? This is critical yet often discounted or overlooked. Good team members take the time to recognize individual and team accomplishments. There’s nothing like a bit of praise and celebration to perpetuate a positive cycle and ensure that productive team play becomes intrinsic.
Now you know the right questions to ask. But that’s just the beginning. Growth is a process — new behaviors require practice before they become inherent. Every morning, ask yourself each of the seven questions to remind you of the goal. At the end of the day, switch out “Do I?” with “Did I?” and ask yourself again. Really reflect on your answers and be honest. Try sharing your goal of becoming a better team player with a peer or fellow team member. Enlist them as a stakeholder to provide you with feedback on how you’re really doing and ask for suggestions on specific actions you can take in order to become even better. Then do it again and again.
When you establish recurring feedback loops and adopt the discipline of continuous improvement, before you know it, you will be the person everyone emulates and wants on their team. Not only will you be better, but you will also make the team better. Success is contagious.
