At some point in your life, you will probably be part of a team—a sports team, a work team, a school project.  Somewhere along the lines, you’re going to have to work with other people (scary, I know) and achieve something.  I’ve worked in plenty of teams, some vastly more exciting to be a part of than others.  Along the way, I’ve learned what makes a great contributor.  Here are my 11 tips to turn into the Scottie Pippen of your team.

  1. Think team first. You are all in this together.  It’s not all about you (reread those last two sentences over and over).  Act in a way that is best for the team, even if that’s not the best for you (in your opinion).
  2. Make sacrifices. You’re going to have to compromise to reach agreements, and you’re going to have to put off other work to help the team out.  Other people are depending on you—don’t let them down.  Don’t miss meetings because you were hanging out with your girlfriend (or blogging).  Nobody likes “that guy.”
  3. Play to your strengths.  If you’re a great organizer, manage the team’s deadlines and paper work.  Every once and a while feel free to mix it up and try something you want to get better at, but you haven’t quite mastered.  Watch your teammates and pick up on their skills so you can bring even more to the table.
  4. Know your role. Don’t step on toes and try to take other roles without asking.  If you’re the leader, be the leader; don’t just stand around waiting for someone do your job.  Know what your piece of the puzzle is, use the corner pieces, and fit in where you belong.
  5. Don’t do everything. Don’t try and be the Superman of your team.  You can’t fly, don’t have laser vision, and you can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound.  You’re going to burn out, especially if it’s a big, long project—I’ve been there.  You can’t do everything (that’s your kryptonite)—it’s team work because one person can’t do it alone.
  6. See the big picture. Take a step back and look at what you are trying to achieve.  Make sure what you are doing is adding to the overall goal of the project or team.  Don’t get caught up in the trees when you need to see the forest.  If you can’t see the end to your means, you’re going to lose focus and probably end up wasting time coloring in black and white slides when you could have unchecked grayscale.
  7. Come prepared. There’s nothing worse than a team member that isn’t prepared for meetings, due dates, or presentations_.  Do. Your. Work._ **** No one wants to babysit, so put on your big-boy pants and come prepared.
  8. Help others out. If you see someone struggling, ask if you can offer some assistance.  If they accept, give them a hand with what they are doing.  If they are too stubborn to take your advice, vote them off the island.  No, but seriously, collaboration is king so make sure everyone knows you’re in it to win it (I couldn’t resist).
  9. Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your team when you’re stuck and need a hand to get out of the waist-deep quicksand.  I’d much rather take the time to help out a team member that’s a bit lost early on.  It’s much trickier to correct things later or not be able to fix it at all because they were too scared to speak up.  Don’t be prideful—admit you’re struggling and ask for some advice.
  10. Create community. Depending on your amount of time on the team, you’re going to be working pretty closely with others pretty regularly for a decent period of time.  Don’t always be focused on work; get to know each other and work to genuinely enjoy getting together.  It’ll make the experience much more exciting for everyone (and it’ll keep arguments from erupting that lead to not speaking ever again).
  11. Finish strong. It’s so easy to get burnt out at the end of a project (or a blog post).  If you pace yourself, you’ll be able to turn on the warp-drive afterburners at the end of your run, and your team will love that.  Many start the race, but very few finish strong.