How To Be Team Player

Description

Vanessa Mentor from Blue Daring, A strategy & branding firm in Chicago, shares her 5 tips on how to be a good team player.
Show More Vanessa Mentor from Blue Daring, A strategy & branding firm in Chicago, shares her 5 tips on how to be a good team player.

www.bluedaring.com

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Whether working internally with coworkers or externally on projects with clients, business is all about being on teams. Here are some quick tips on how you can be the best team mate.

TIP #1 Be Open
My primary role here are Blue Daring is marketing lead however another part of my job is creating community here at the workplace. Often times I ask my co-workers to do seemingly ridiculous things during team activities. The best team mates are open to whatever I throw at them and get up and participate. You don't want to be the one person who sits out because these are the moments we bond as a team and get to know each other. Being open to whatever comes up can translate to client work as well. You never know when a client might call you with a seemingly ridiculous request that is actually extremely important on their end. Being open and knowing how to handle yourself in any situation is definitely the first step in being a great team mate.


Tip #2 Trust Your Team
Trust is an important trait all good team members have. You must know how to trust the people you are working with in order to get things done. Show your coworkers respect by trusting the skills that got them on the team to begin with. As a client it is also important to trust the expertise of the team you hired. It can seem scary to trust outsiders with your company but remember you wouldn't have hired them if they didn't know what they were doing.


Tips #3 Think Out Loud
Thinking out loud is dear to my heart because it happens to be my personal motto. It's really important for collaboration to speak your mind. If you are on a good team and if you follow tip #2 and trust your team you shouldn't feel nervous to share ideas. Often times people feel embarrassed or shy about stating opinions or ideas which only results in missed opportunities. On another note a lot of people also hoard ideas and hold off sharing with their team so they can later present them alone and come out looking like the knight in shining armor. This approach will eventually be noticed and idea hoarders come off as people who are not team players which no one appreciates. From a clients standpoint this could also make it seem like your company is not a united force. Sharing ideas insures everyone is one the same page.



Tip:#4 Be Responsive
This tip is super important. Being responsive is critical in business. Your clients never want to wait on you for out dated deliverable. Internally your team mates don't want to constantly nag you for late work. Let's be honest it also doesn't feel good being that person who is holding project up. The constant reminders of things you have to do can become extremely stressful. Avoid that by being responsive and getting things out the door asap. If something does come up try to be proactive and let your team mates know you're going to be a little late on a deliverable that way everyone has a chance to shift priorities to make things work and come out winning.


Tip #5 Be the "I" in Team
Being the I in team might sound counterproductive to team work however, sometimes teams can get out of hand and someone has to break free and become the leader to get everyone back on track. It's also important to take care of yourself and look out for yourself in a team. Don't throw anyone under the bus now just make sure you are doing all you can to thrive within your team. A team is only as strong as it's players so it's important that everyones individual needs and priorities are met in order for the team to run smoothly.


Here at Blue Daring we are all about teams. We have a great group internally and we also see ourselves as an extended members of our clients teams and truly embrace a partnership approach to our projects. We hope that these tips which have been very useful in our office are useful in yours!
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