“None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard.
All teams have more than one person, and the most successful teams are the ones that have their members contributing their best to the team effort. No team can succeed without good players. Think about your favorite football or basketball team. You don’t have to be a professional footballer to be a team player. You belong to a team if you come together to do an assignment, sing in a choir, belong to a debate group, etc. If you want your teams to be successful, here are some ways you can be a good team player.
UNDERSTAND YOUR ROLE
As a team member, you must understand what your role is in the team. Remember, everyone on the team is essential. Imagine a game of football, for example. The goalkeeper’s role is to prevent the other team from scoring. The goalkeeper’s role is not to score goals for his team. You may have watched a football match where a goalkeeper left his goalpost and conceded a goal. Whatever your role is in your team, ensure you put in the best of your ability. Some functions in a group might seem unimportant, but if you do not take them seriously, you obstruct the team’s goal. And if you have roles in a team you don’t understand, ensure you seek clarification from the leaders.
RESPECT OTHERS IN YOUR TEAM
Working with a team means there will be varying opinions and ideas. Even if you think your idea is best, you must respect the beliefs and values of other people. Understand that people will always be different, but their difference does not stop them from being part of a team. People can have different religious beliefs or come from a diverse ethnic group or belong to a different gender. Even if you don’t belong to the same team, you must respect other people’s views. You cannot work together for a common cause when there is no respect.
HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE
When you are in a team, you must be willing to be accountable to yourself. Holding yourself responsible means ensuring that you complete your part of the job, no matter how small you think the task is. Your role in your team may be to call people, register names, or welcome people. Take responsibility for your assignments and if you make mistakes, look for solutions rather than blame other people in the team. Understand that your actions impact the entire group. In doing so, you will learn from your errors and command more respect from your team.
FOCUS ON THE TEAM’S GOALS
It is good to distinguish yourself as a top performer poised for greatness, but ultimately remember that you are in a team and a goal you should be working to achieve. It could be a group assignment, a presentation, or preparation for a competition. Ensure that you put the team’s interest above yours because there can be no progress if you don’t. A major challenge facing developing countries like Nigeria is the overemphasis on self-interest.
If you want to be a world-changer, you must be a team player and work for the overall interest of your teams. Take the challenge to be a better team player and be a positive impact on the world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Henry Ibrahim is the Content Creator at B2SL. He loves working with young people to help them discover their purpose in life. You can contact him at ibrahim@b2sl.org.
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