Want to get ahead at work? Forget about 'Me' - it's all about 'We'. Follow these 5 key steps to being a team player, and increase your career prospects in the process.
There’s no doubt that
there’s a new kid on the block when it comes to workplace behaviour,
particularly if you are looking to get promoted. To forge a successful path,
it’s all about engaging with others and understanding that there truly is no
‘I’ team.
Sydney-based Janine GarnerJanine Garner, author of
the new book From Me To We, believes there are 5 key things that employees
can do to succeed as a team player and future-proof their career:
1. Be willing to share credit when credit is due
The temptation to take
all the glory for your team’s success can be overwhelming when you have led a
project. Understanding that everybody needs to be given accolades, no matter
how insignificant their part in the eventual win may seem to have been is
critical.
2. Be brave enough to share your weaknesses
Too often in the
workplace, we see admitting a lack of knowledge or understanding as admitting
to failure. It's actually a form of strength, because it shows our peers and
our subordinates that we are willing to seek help and show vulnerability. This
engenders trust, and encourages others in return to admit the same issues.
3. Appreciate the value of intellectual currency
Not everything is
about the bottom line. Focusing inwards and seeing only your own KPIs and bonus
targets means that you miss out on banking others’ knowledge. Skills are an
increasingly valuable currency. Suggest to a team mate that you ‘swap’ a skill
for a skill – teach each other something you previously had no knowledge of.
4. Stand up and be counted
Part of teamwork is
the ability to change situations that are not acceptable. If you think that an
idea could be bettered, or that your workplace has unacceptable conditions for
members of your team, then don’t just sit there, start the change.
Collaboration rather than isolation can be uncomfortable in the short term, but
the long term rewards benefit the team.
5. Don’t be afraid to network
Yes, you may see it as
a dirty word; but if you network effectively it can provide a truly
collaborative workspace. Professional networks are essential to give support,
encouragement and knowledge along the upwards progression path. Embrace
like-minded thinkers who understand what you want to achieve and whom you want
to support in kind.
Teamwork and
collaboration is the only way to stabilise and stand firm in a shifting and
unsteady work environment. The ‘Me’ thinking space doesn’t get you very far.
Make the change to thinking ‘We’ instead, and flourish!
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