Skills Library

Teamwork & Collaboration

• Willingly works with others and strives towards a common goal for the team’s collective success

• Considers best interest of the collective team above interest of self

• Shares thoughts and ideas, as well as, listens to others points of view (and actively solicits others opinions)

• Gives equal weight to others’ needs and concerns when suggesting alternatives and making decisions

• Recognizes and treats all managers and colleagues with kindness and respect (even in times of conflict)

• Gives credit where credit is due

On-the-job practice

• Offer help. Take initiative to offer help before being asked to help.

  • Try this: When you see a colleague struggling with something i.e., carrying boxes, looking puzzled at the computer screen, etc., ask if there’s anything you can do to help. Even if there isn’t, chances are they will greatly appreciate your offer of assistance.

  • Try this: If you manage others, volunteer someone from your team (if time permits) to help out a teammate who’s working on a significant project against a tight deadline.

• Ask for help. Soliciting input from other people shows that you value their opinion and want to work with them. People also love it and are inclined to help when you see them as a subject matter expert.

  • Try this: Identify a process, project or skill that you need to improve. Reach out to someone and let them know that you’re stumped. Ask them if they have any suggestions on how to resolve this issue.

• Use ‘we’ language. ‘We’ language or we-centric terminology include words such as we, us, together, our, etc. Self-centric words include I, my, mine, etc. Using ‘we’ language sets an environment of togetherness versus competition and credit-stealing.

  • Try this: When communicating about team projects (both in-person and via email), use we-centric words versus self-centric words, even if it may mean downplaying your contribution. (Use your best judgement here). E.g., We had a remarkable quarter. Our sales revenue have increased by 25%. How can we resolve this? What would you suggest we do?

• Establish a culture of teamwork. Market yourself and actively let people know you are here to help them.

  • Try this: Moving forward, introduce yourself to new colleagues who join the team or company. During each meet-and-greet, make it a habit of reinforcing that you’re “looking forward to working with” the individual and “let me know if I can be of any help.” These simple, yet impactful gestures set the tone for a collaborative (vs competitive) environment.

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Resources for more inspiration

Articles

• Fast Company: Four Reasons Why the Most Successful People are Great Collaborators by Faisal Hoque

• Forbes: Six Ways to Improve Teamwork and Enhance Productivity by Young Entrepreneur Council

• Huffington Post: Mega-Collaborations: How Big Teams Can Work Together by Annie Murphy Paul

• Jostle: 12 Easy Ways to Improve Workplace Teamwork by Hannah Price

BOOKS

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink

• FYI For Your Improvement by Michael Lombardo & Robert Eichinger - Chapter 38: Organizational Agility 

• FYI For Your Improvement by Michael Lombardo & Robert Eichinger - Chapter 42: Peer Relationships

• The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Videos

• TED Talk: Build a Tower, Build a Team by Tom Wujec (6m 45s)

• TED Talk: How to Manage for Collective Creativity by Linda Hill (17m 17s)

• TED Talk: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain (18m 57s)

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