As a team member, I try to be adaptable to different
scenarios and open to others’ opinions. I prefer to know my role on the team
from the beginning. Each member of the team has expertise in an area and I feel
like I have a lot to learn from those people. Although I may not be the team
leader, I can still perform task-facilitating roles by being sure to keep my
teammates informed about issues, asking for clarification of something if I am
unclear, helping my teammates stay focused, and being aware of the team norms. By
facilitating these tasks, I will do my part to ensure that the team meets the desired
outcomes. I have already had the opportunity to take on this role within my
team. Our former supervisor liked to talk about other subjects when we were
meeting. I would listen for a short time, so as not to be rude, but then, I
would refocus the team by reiterating one or all of the goals for the meeting
and providing information or ideas about it. This would generally bring
everyone back to the discussion at hand so that we were able to make a decision
or work through an issue. That role on the team was made easier for me because
the team was comprised of a small number of people that I work closely with on
a daily basis. If someone on the team were not able to bring the meeting back
to discussion of objectives, the meeting would obviously go on much longer than
needed with very little being accomplished. Each team needs at least one person
to keep everyone focused for the sake of productivity. Other tasks that team
members can do to contribute to the efficiency of the team would be collecting
and disseminating information about topics to the team. As I mentioned before,
each member will be a subject matter expert on some aspect of the ultimate
goals and will be able to share that expertise with the team. A team member can
also be in charge of analyzing the pace and procedures used during the meeting
to keep the team moving smoothly. I think that task-facilitating is something
that I am good at because of my background in teaching. Students (in high
school, anyway) like to get their teachers and fellow classmates off topic. It was
my job to circulate and refocus my students. Many times, they were not focused
because they were unclear about what they were supposed to do. By providing
clarity to them, I was able to get them back on track.
Relationship-building is another area that I can work on
within the team. One way to do this is to be sure to listen to others’ opinions
and ideas. If I am constantly interrupting or talking about what I think, they
might think of me as selfish and I will not build effective relationships with
my colleagues. Being attentive to what others are saying makes them feel
important to you and will, therefore, lead to a better relationship. This goes
back to my previous comment about learning from others. Each person is a member
of the team because he or she has a unique perspective to offer. Paying
attention to what those are will allow me to understand different sides or
solutions to an issue and I will be able to make a more educated decision and
allows me to relate to that team member. Outside of the workplace,
relationships can continue to be built. For example, having lunch as a team or
getting together informally over the weekend allows team members to get to know
each other on a personal level. This begins to establish trust and allows
people to understand each other’s personalities and beliefs. In an effort to
build strong relationships with teammates, it is also necessary to be
supportive of the members of the team and keep the energy positive among the
members. If negative or tense situations arise, someone on the team has to be
able to calm the waters so that the team can move forward successfully. The fact
is that if you do not trust and feel comfortable with those that you are working
closely with, you will always be on edge and will not be as effective. Team members
will be working as individuals rather than as a cohesive unit.
Relationship-building, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of a
successful team. This is a role that I relish. I am not generally what I would
consider a social person, but I definitely like to know who I am working with. I
like to suggest to my teammates that we have lunch together periodically so that
we can talk outside of the work environment. When working in the professional
atmosphere, I focus on what my teammates have to contribute and ask questions
of them to clarify things for me. I try to maintain a positive attitude and
think that, sometimes, that can be contagious for others on my team.
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