YOU can be an invaluable team member

“There is no 'i' in team but there is in win” - Michael Jordan

When good people come together, great things happen. How beautifully does Michael Jordan’s quote encapsulate the essence and importance of a great team. With our complex workplace commitments and the chaos to deliver, we sometimes lose track of an absolute winning mantra, that is “Team-work”. To be a winner for your team is as easy and as difficult as your mind would tell you, however, some small steps in the right direction will put you out there shining like a beaming example for others.

To be a positive team player, all you need is a change in your outlook and the passion to see things differently. These could be the bridging gap between you and your advancement in career, or perhaps how your peers perceive you. You just need to take the first few steps in the right direction and the rest shall follow

Stay Positive

There is nothing more motivating than having a colleague who takes pride in your achievement, success and accomplishment, but hold on, aren’t we jumping the gun here? Let’s start by being that colleagues ourselves, shall we? Sounds exciting, isn’t it?

The way you start your morning, respond to emails, respond to queries over the phone and connect with the concierge about a pending task; everything makes a difference on how and what you will accomplish during the day. Amazing but true, your colleague in the next cubicle is equally affected by how positive you begin your day because the energy resonates. Yes, it does.

Stay updated, read the good-old newspaper, understand what’s happening around the world. Every morning, your newspaper is carrying atleast one motivating news item that could inspire your colleague, boost your spirits, influence your team and spark the next big idea. Spend some time reflecting on the things that you can achieve during the day and you will be amazed what you and your team could collectively accomplish.

Respect time - It’s precious

So let’s admit it. Meetings are not always fun. That weekly update call at an odd international timing is painful. Those long, unending excel sheets are intimidating and PPTs feel like overwhelming monsters. It’s OK, don’t shy, we are all in the same boat. With diverse team in different continents and time zones, today’s organization is dealing with its biggest challenge, that is “Coordination”. Meetings over voice or video make a huge difference to the dynamics by saving a lot of travel time and cost, in addition to allowing people to focus on their core deliverables.

Simple rules that we can apply to our behavior, can make a whole world of difference while attending official meetings:

• Be atleast 10 minutes early for an in-person meeting. Make yourself accustomed with the environment
• Check the projector, your presentation, graphics, sounds, content, color etc. in time so that you allow some leverage to fix any gaps
• Dial-in early on a phone meeting, it doesn’t hurt. Remember, there is nothing more pleasing for the host to have all participants join and start at the scheduled minute
• Respect time of your people, always! Inform well in advance if you are unable to join or would be late for the meeting. Do not join from noisy market areas or chaotic locations, it disturbs the rhythm of the call

Speak the global language

One of the most daunting challenges that employers and employees face with the modern day workforce is language. This one is a no-brainer. With more and more cross-border and intra-country movements happening in the corporate world, the issue of language is becoming increasingly sensitive. Most of us would want to remain in our comfort zones where local language becomes the norm and goes almost unchallenged. I have worked at several locations within my country and with the overwhelmingly diverse cultural backgrounds, I can certainly say that language has become a serious consideration in the way I look at my career progression.

It is not that we do not appreciate the local languages and customs; however, while working for an international organization, we need to speak the global language. It does not amount to disrespect to anyone; however, it goes a long way in establishing your sensitivity as a serious professional.

One of the many times I have interacted with my team members where they would consciously or unconsciously start conversing in the local language, completely putting off my interest in the conversation. It happens with most of us, but we definitely need more sensitivity to speak a language which all of us could understand and converse in.

Go out and socialize

There is life after 5 pm. There definitely is and I can tell you for sure because there have been days when I have achieved a pat-on-the-back or an award for my work and I want to celebrate it with my team. Incase that doesn’t seem to be possible, I tend to enjoy a long drive back home, stop at my favourite ice-cream parlour and pamper myself. It’s a natural thing and our mind and body do respond positively to such gestures. It's simple science if you ask me. The extra hours, the extra hard-work, that extra piece of research that you included in your presentation which created the wow effect, that incredible video which invoked a thousand emotions; of all this is possible only when our mind is happy and thus, creative. Also, sharing with your team is the most effective way of showing that you care for a life outside your cubicle. It creates a value-system where people are open about the good and the bad happening in their life and most importantly, a bond of trust gets created which continues even years after you have parted ways for professional fulfillment.

Family and work are mutually-exclusive. Keep them so!

How can we possibly separate family and work, some may argue and I don’t deny the fact that your eight hours at work have a huge effect on the rest of the sixteen hours at home. It’s a natural tendency to find admirers, sympathisers and well-wishers at work because you end up spending the most crucial part of your life with your colleagues. However, there is a flip side to it and there are several aspects to it.

None of us were born without issues and discussing family challenges, obstacles, disillusionments at work adds-up to the overall discontent levels with your team. Most of us end up sharing breakfast or lunch conversations and open up about our personal difficulties. We believe that a compassionate hearing will ease up our ability to face the challenge, however, employers today are struggling hard to create environment of positive energy, where the focus is to deliver work efficiently. As a professional, you do not want to be seen as a person acting as a deterrent to the corporate objectives, do you? Think about it from the employers’ point of view and understand that our personal difficulties should remain outside of the office front door. It is a healthy way for you to do justice to your job, family and respecting people around you.

I will now leave with you a quote from one of the greatest innovators of our times and my greatest inspiration.

"Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people" - Steve Jobs