3 Most Significant Traits in a Team Player.
“Your net worth is your network” — Tim Sanders
The world has evolved at an exponential rate for quite a long time now. Almost all the simple question the humankind had, have answers already. The answers to the questions we have now don’t have any obvious solutions. Because of this, collaboration has become the number one requirement in any industry. The answers to the latest questions demand expertise in so many different fields where experts are forced to work in teams.
With this increased demand, the ability to collaborate with others has become the most important deciding factor in anyone’s employability. While some people are naturals at this, others struggle. Nevertheless, anyone who seeks success never stops themselves from becoming better team players.
1. Does Popularity Matter?
Being popular does carry some weight when it comes to people skills. But it is only a gauge which you can use to see if some aspects of your personality are in order. Some tend to misinterpret popularity as the key factor in the formula. Because of this, people get obsessed to be more accepted and they lose sight.
Some are good at proving how they are the smartest people. But a true people person will always make you feel like you are the smartest person. The key is to be loved not for your assets or the influence. But because you respect them while being there for them when needed. This trait can be mastered only if you are humble and open to others. It doesn’t matter how popular you are if the right people cannot reach you without getting worried or intimidated.
Always be popular for the right reasons. One very easy way to get popular in your workplace is to shout at someone in front of others. Well, it will surely make you popular, but will it serve the purpose. Will anyone who saw your temper tantrum come to you with their questions or ideas?
2. Extrovert Vs Introvert.
The largest misconception about being a team player is that extroverts are better at this. This has not truth at all. Both extroverts and introverts have some qualities that support the cause while others will hinder. Therefore, there is no reason to think one personality type is better than the other.
Extroverts are always the first to talk. Most of the time they are easy to work with because they are good at communicating. Extroverts could be better at speaking up. But communication and sending the right message across is not mealy speaking up. It requires strategy and empathy towards the audience. A beefed-up extrovert is not sensitive to the listener.
Because of their personality, they will feel like they did an amazing job but in reality, they could not even get the audience to pay enough attention. Therefore an extrovert will have to compromise the chip in their shoulders to become better communicators.
The biggest challenge introverts face is confidence. They feel like they are out of the game because society has stereotyped extroverts to be better team players. However, in reality, introverts are the best listeners.
In a team, you need to do more listening and less talking. Most introverts are empathetic by instinct.
However, none of this matter if they are not confident enough to step up the game. Most would just curse the personality for not being able to be a better team player. Nevertheless, if introverts can capitalize on their strengths, they can become equally good at being a team player. Maybe even better than most extroverts.
But they must figure out a way to look beyond the stereotype behavior unique to introverts. It is fair that they do not speak up as often as their extrovert colleagues. But that does not mean they should never speak up. They need to push the boundaries of their comfort zone a little every time.
This is why empowering the behavior of a typical introvert can be harmful sometimes. When you are empowered not to speak up because you are an introvert, you will never push yourself to become better. While it is important to accept and support different personality types. It is also important that one understand their weaknesses and push themselves for excellence.
3. Be an Expert.
In the race of becoming the best team player, we often tend to forget why we want to be in a team. A collaboration is created to gather different expertise to achieve a common goal. What is the point of you becoming the best communicator if what you can bring to the table is minimal?
As a professional, understanding why you get paid is important. If your expertise is the vehicle, the ability to communicate is the gas that goes powers it. If there is nothing worthy enough to power up, there is no point in trying to stock up on fuel.
Always think ways on how you can be more helpful to your team. Be an asset that cannot be replaced by someone else, not only because you are good in a team. But also because you got the best skill set.
When Steve Wozniak asked Steve Jobs, “what are you? You are not an engineer, not a marketer nor a designer” Jobs replied, “People play instruments in an orchestra, I play the orchestra”.
Jobs had the skills to place everything together and create a bigger picture. While some could argue that he was only a great communicator, his unique skill set was quite different. Even though the real tech brain behind Mac was Wozniak, Jobs ended up with a net worth of 7 Billion while Wozniak had to settle for 100 million.
Conclusion
The ability to communicate and become a team player comes as a gift for some while others have to work on it. Either way, a great team player will always work towards becoming better to serve their team. The common misconceptions among the community that defines a good communicator have to be neglected to become the best. Identifying the right traits is the only way to get rid of myths.
