Effective Teamwork in the Workplace [0:00-5:02]

A lot of people think being a team player means being easy to work with because you don't bother anybody. And yeah, okay, but high performing teams also are looking for people who make the team better and help the group get things done with excellence. That's why teamwork is one of the top soft skills employers are looking for. Teamwork is all about working with others. This video is part six in the top soft skills series. Links to all the parts are in the expandable description below this video. In each of these five tips to come, we're going to talk about what not to do, but also how you can add value to your teams. We'll start with the absolute basics and work our way toward more advanced skills. Number one, effective team members share information freely and proactively. This is where good teamwork starts. Now on the negative side, you have a lot of people who keep information to themselves. They don't speak up when they have something to say. They wait till something's practically on fire before they mention it. And probably the worst version is when someone treats information as if it's their own personal currency that they use to get what they want. Now in the positive side, great team members share information freely and proactively because they want to make sure everybody is fully informed and has the latest information. They share relevant updates before anyone has to ask. They don't assume you've already heard about it through another channel, for example. They flag potential risks. They speak up when something goes on their mind. And it sounds a little bit like this, hey, I have an important update that client just changed the scope of the project on us. And this could influence Friday's deadline. So we need to talk about it. And of course, they realize that information doesn't belong to them. Information belongs to the overall team. Great team members communicate information simply, clearly and early. Number two, they're committed to the group's goals. And we're still talking about the basics here. Good team members focus on what the group is trying to accomplish. This is what you call a team first approach, not a me first approach. On the downside of team experiences, some people see themselves as individuals who just happen to work on a team. I've seen this a million times in meetings. They lean in and show energy when the topic is about something that touches on their area of work, but they tune out and look at their devices when other people are talking. Even worse, they may be using the team to pursue some other agenda or use the team as a stepping stone. When team members get this right, however, each individual prioritizes the team's goals. They care about what everybody is working on because they know the team is supposed to work together. It's teamwork after all. But for example, in a group presentation, each person obviously must show up prepared, but they should also put extra effort into working together by coordinating the pieces of the presentation like a puzzle. They make suggestions to help others enhance their parts. They set each other up for success and help each other look good. I heard a story about how Robert Downey Jr. did a long audition scene with Tom Holland, who was about to get hired as Marvel's new Spider-Man at the time. In the audition scene, Tom Holland had pages of dialogue, but once they got to the movie set months later, most of Tom Holland's dialogue had been cut. But to his credit, Robert Downey Jr. said something like, we've got to put the kids lines back in here. He knew that even though the scene would focus mostly on Peter Parker instead of Tony Stark, the overall movie would be better that way. Great team members work in the service of the overall goal to deliver a project they can all be proud of. They know that the team's success is their success. Number three, good team members have a collaborative orientation instead of a competitive orientation. We're starting to level up now in terms of skill because this is where you start to see real trust develop, at least potentially. Now on the negative side, some people see others on their own teams as internal competitors. I worked with someone who used to do all kinds of things to put themselves above others and try to create a mini status hierarchy within the team, instead of seeing people as equals. I've seen bad team members or information or opportunities that could benefit others. They keep score because they mistakenly believe that the team is somehow taking away from them. But a collaborative orientation is the teamwork glue that binds the group together. A collaborative mindset says that two heads are better than one. Collaborative people listen to and integrate other people's perspectives. They say things like, what if we combine your idea to address the constraint, Mike just mentioned. They look for ways to help teammates succeed. The best team members I've ever worked with share credit generously on projects. They know that collaboration will usually work better than individual efforts. That's the reason I think most classic rock groups did better together than they did when they pursued their solo projects. From what I understand, Paul McCartney and John Lennon used to consistently add a bridge or a chorus or intro to each other's songs in ways that made them much better than they would have been otherwise if they had just kept each song only to themselves. I love the way author and speaker