Working Together
Don Schmitz/Human Resource Staffing
As
we look at growth in the New Year, I invite you to consider
looking at yourself and your ability to work within a team
as an opportunity for self-improvement.
Most of our success is dependent on other members of our team.
A team’s strength is as strong as the members of the
team.
Strong team member exhibit the following four qualities; trust,
effective communication, openness, sharing. I invite you to
take a fresh look at a breakdown of each of these qualities
and your ability to work within a team.
1. Trust
Trust is the belief that your fellow employee can do the job
effectively (maybe not as well as you, but effectively). Your
co-worker brings to the job the right amount of skills and
experience as well as a different set of strengths that make
the team strong.
Question: Do you believe your team
members make your team strong? How do you communicate this
to them?
2. Effective communication
Team members share common goals and communicate with other
members what they are doing and where they are going. It can
be accomplished in many different ways; verbal, written, or
even facial expressions.
Question: Do your fellow workers
know where you are going and what you are doing? How could
it be improved?
3. Openness
Effective communication is a two-way street. It involves a
communicator and a listener. A key ingredient to good listening
is the ability to ask good questions. Openness is the ability
to hear what a team worker is saying and react accordingly.
Many people don't ask good questions because of the fear that
we might look stupid.
Question: Do you hear what your
co-workers are saying? Do you ask good questions?
4. Sharing
Working together involves the ability to share not only strengths
but fears as well. Good team members make suggestions for
improvement but are open to the fact that you need them on
your team because you do have weaknesses as well. The best
teams cover for each others weaknesses and focus most of their
time on their strengths.
Question: Do your team members know
your strengths and weaknesses? How do you make your team stronger?
Back
to the library
Reproduction
of this article cannot be accomplished without the expressed
consent of Human Resource Staffing. Don Schmitz is a popular
speaker and writer on all aspects of HR and CEO of Human Resource
Staffing. Don holds graduate degrees in Education, Administration
and Human Development.
Contact Don@HumanResourceStaffingInc.com
952 854 6040
