by Amon Karagara

Created on: June 01, 2009   Last Updated: March 03, 2010

A person is regarded as a team player if he chooses to put his personal interests aside and work in collaboration with other members of his team, in order to achieve the group's goals and objectives. In otherwords, what matters to a team player is the group's achievement and not his/her personal interests. Most managers, employers and group leaders are increasingly realizing the

importance of teamwork in a company, group or organization. For this reason, being a team player is becoming an important factor in the recruting process or as a basis for promoting certain individuals over others. 

In order to become a good team player, one must do the following:

COMMUNICATE. A team cannot work together if there is poor communication between members. Therefore, a good team player must know how to effectively communicate to everyone else. Giving timely feedback, raising issues when they arise, sending out suggestions and comments, asking for clarity where you are not sure, etc, are some of the best ways to communicate to your team.

LISTEN. Closely related to communication, listening is a skill that plays a significant role in teamwork. Paying attention to what other members have to say, before giving your opinion, is needed if you are to succeed as a team player. Even if it is a field that you have mastered, you still need to listen to other people's opinions and ideas. This will not only make you gain more ideas, but you will also be respected as a great team player.

KEEP YOUR WORD AND FULFILL YOUR PROMISES. In other words, don't promise what you will not fulfill. For example, don't take on a lot of work that you won't finish by the deadline. Meeting your deadlines is important for the team because this is the only way they can meet the targeted goals, so it is not wise to take on work that you won't finish, when someone else would have done part of it. At the same time, don't be lazy when you have the reasonable amount of work to do.

MOTIVATE AND ENERGIZE OTHER MEMBERS. A good team player is always looking for ways to add some energy to the team. Supporting your team members and encouraging them to work hard are great ways to keep the team going. Even in tough times, teams need some people that will keep them enthusiastic and going forward.

REMAIN POSITIVE AND OPTIMISTIC. A positive-minded team player makes the work more enjoyable and everybody tends to work harder when surrounded by team members who are always optimistic. It is best

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