Non-Negotiable Team Work Skills You Need To Progress In Your Career

If you think that progressing in your career is just a matter of working hard on projects yourself, then think again. In almost all cases, advancement occurs because you develop teamwork skills that convince your peers that you're suited for promotion. You will learn to become a great team player by practising the tips below.

The Ability To Direct Others

Just because your job title doesn't refer to you as a leader doesn't mean you can't become one. A leader is just someone who can direct others in a particular arena. For instance, you might become the go-to person for anyone wanting to learn more about a specific system.

Don't be afraid to lead others even if your job description fails to mention it. When you take the initiative and provide reassurance, you develop crucial social capital. Your peers will then remember this when considering promotions.

The Ability To Work With Others

Collaboration is a primary focus of corporate team building. Companies know that getting people to work together will become tremendously productive.

Unfortunately, many employees aren't perfect collaborators. They appear to have all the skills they need on paper, but when it comes to getting things done in a team setting, they struggle.

Collaboration begins with accepting others' perspectives. In many cases, you'll need to proceed with projects, even if you don't agree with the style or direction. The trick is to find areas where your contribution is most valuable and leverage them.

You hold yourself accountable

Take responsibility for your mistakes and look for solutions. Understand how your actions impact the entire group. In doing so, you will learn from your errors and command more respect from your team.

The Ability To Listen

Most people believe that they can listen to other people, but few can genuinely master it. Listening isn't just about memorising what the other person said. It's more to figure out what they're trying to communicate. Sometimes, you can proceed at face value if they don't tell you. But often, you'll be able to detect hidden needs that you can then draw out.

Don't be afraid to explore issues a little deeper with your colleagues. They will appreciate it.

Solving Problems

Teams form because they are generally better at solving problems than individuals. However, social dynamics can cause teams to become demotivated and lose focus.

If you want to progress your career:

1. Become the person who calms everyone down and develops productive ideas.

2. Look for ways to deal with inefficiencies that hamper your team's success and try to iron them out if you can.

3. Use your listening skills to determine what's wrong and fix it.

The Ability To Manage Your Time

If you can manage your time effectively, you'll go far. Always track your deadlines and update project managers on your progress.

If necessary, recommend that your team implements project management cloud software. This way, everyone can keep track of where everyone else is at, without the need to send out constant emails.

Use all of the teamwork skills discussed here to build your career and gain the respect of your colleagues.