- You've probably heard the cliche` there's no I in team.
Does that mean you can't be concerned about
your individual needs if you wanna be a good teammate?
Of course not.
It must means that you should try to prioritize
the needs and goals of the team over
your own individual needs and goals.
When you're working on a team
it's easy to feel as though your preferences
must take a backseat.
The reality is there will likely be times
when your personal needs don't align well
with the needs of the team.
This can be about small details like, when
or where the team meets.
Or bigger issues, like
the approach your team takes on a project.
For example, I worked full-time when I was
in graduate school and at the time it was best
for my schedule to meet for class projects
in the evenings or on weekends.
But several of my classmates on my team
had families and didn't work during the day.
Their preference was to meet during the work day.
To accommodate them we often met during lunch.
I'd take a long lunch on those days
and then make up the time I'd missed
at work in the evenings.
This didn't always work.
But my teammates appreciated my willingness
to flex towards their schedules.
When you make sacrifices and put your teammates
before yourself you build trust within your team.
People are often willing to accommodate you.
Especially if you've accommodated them in the past.
There maybe times when you'll individually benefit
from the team's work.
To foster trust and open communication
it's a good idea to disclose that upfront.
Building trust within your team takes time
and consistent effort.
But it can be quickly broken.
I'll tell you why with a quick story.
I once worked with a guy.
We'll call him Shawn.
He convinced our team that we should switch approaches
in the middle of our project.
He made a very convincing argument
that while this would require more work
the result would be a better outcome
for the team and ultimately for our client.
We believed him and rolled up our sleeves
and got to work on the plan Shawn suggested.
Later we learned that this new proposal
significantly benefited his father-in-law's business.
I wanna be clear, it turned out
that his father-in-law's company
was the best fit for this project.
But the fact that Shawn didn't tell us
about their relationship didn't sit well
with anyone on the team.
We felt blindsided and worse,
it made us question Shawn's motives about most
of his suggestions going forward.
This wouldn't have changed the outcome of our work
but we all felt a bit uncomfortable knowning Shawn's
family member was benefiting from
a contract that he advocated for without telling us.
Remember to put your team's needs before your own.
By prioritizing what's in the best interest
of the team you not only set a good example
for the rest of your teammates, you also signal
your commitment to the greater good
rather than personal gain.
This trust building behavior
will make your team function optimally
and in the end will make you stand out
as an ideal teammate.