“I didn’t know.”
“It is what it is.”
“If I had known…”
“That’s not my job.”
“That’s just how it is.”
“They didn’t tell me in time.”
“I didn’t have what I needed.”
“Are they gonna pay me for that extra time?”
How often have you heard these phrases in your work?
It can be incredibly frustrating to be in the middle of a project—or even a routine process—and discover at a crucial moment that the team member you need to rely on simply … isn’t there for you.
Maybe you need the latest data to include in a report, and the owner of that data isn’t responding to your messages. Maybe the team is trying to brainstorm new product ideas, but half of your teammates are sitting silently instead of participating. Maybe the client suddenly lobbed a last-minute request, but a key team member is refusing to reprioritize their work to accommodate it.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: people are complicated. And that makes teams of people exponentially complicated.
Finding a good team to work with can be really challenging—especially in Latin America. But they do exist!
If you’re tired of the soul-sucking slog of working with teams who don’t truly collaborate, your best option is to become a fantastic team member yourself. Once you can demonstrate to prospective employers and clients that you have what it takes to be part of a great team, you’ll find new doors opening to you.
Why teamwork matters to employers & clients
Unless you’re an artisan running a one-person shop or an author who self-publishes or a solopreneur who uses software instead of people to run your entire business, teamwork is an inevitable aspect of your work life.
As the world gets more sophisticated, jobs become more specialized. That means more collaboration is needed to complete a process.
As you well know, companies are always focused on the bottom line: maximizing their profits—and making sure they can stay in business for the long term.
Staying on budget is crucial to the health of a business.
Project objectives and timelines are crucial for staying on budget.
And teams that collaborate as planned are crucial for meeting project objectives and timelines.
To put it simply: when teams don’t work well together, it costs companies big money. Missed deadlines. Lower quality of work. Less innovation. Missed opportunities. Frustrated clients. Low morale. Higher rate of turnover. All of these side effects of poor teamwork can have a huge impact on the reputation, client base, and profitability of a company.
Why should this matter to you? Because a company that isn’t profitable can’t pay its workers. A client that isn’t profitable can’t hire freelancers. An employer that isn’t profitable will go out of business and have to lay off its entire staff.
In contrast, teams that work well together not only contribute to their employer’s success, but also their own. (For more on this, check out our post Why Teamwork Matters: Industry Data.)
Being a good team member means that you’re contributing to the health of the company—and also giving yourself job security!
20 traits of a stellar team member
An amazing team member is someone who’s able to see the group as more important than themselves.
Everyone wants to be part of a team, but very few people really want to do what it takes to support the team when push comes to shove. If you’re one of those few, and you can demonstrate that, clients and employers will see you as an absolute gem.
A high-quality team member offers:
1. Great communication skills
- Clarity and conciseness: They’re able to express themselves efficiently and in a way that makes sense to others.
- Active listening: They pay attention to what others are saying and offer thoughtful responses.
- Giving feedback: They offer specific, constructive, actionable feedback that can solve problems and help the team perform better, without belittling anyone.
- Receiving feedback: They’re open to hearing others’ comments and using them to improve their own performance, without causing a bunch of drama.
2. Reliability and responsibility
- Dependability: They can be counted on to show up, complete their tasks on time, contribute to team discussions, and adapt when needed.
- Accountability: They take responsibility for their actions and their work, without playing the blame game.
- Dedication: They’re committed to the team’s goals and to supporting the work of the team, even if it conflicts with what they want for themselves.
- Loyalty: They stick by the team even when challenges arise, rather than jumping ship when things get rough.
3. Adaptability and problem-solving
- Openness to change: They’re willing to adjust as conditions evolve, new methods are proposed, or the needs of the team change.
- Problem-solving mindset: They’re able to contribute practical solutions when challenges come up, rather than waiting for someone else to save the day.
- Self-awareness: They understand their own emotions, thought processes, strengths, and weaknesses, and how they affect the team.
- Emotional regulation: They manage their emotions, so that their own normal ups and downs aren’t a distraction for the team.
4. Collaboration and interpersonal skills
- Empathy: They understand and respect the feelings and diverse perspectives of their teammates.
- Supportiveness: They encourage their teammates along the way and do what they can to help during rough times.
- Conflict resolution: They work to discuss and resolve conflicts in a constructive way that helps the team move forward, rather than stoking the flames of division by gossiping or being passive-aggressive.
- Sharing credit: They share their success with others, giving credit to their teammates for the contributions they’ve made.
5. Attitude and integrity
- Self-motivation: They’re self-propelled, show a proactive attitude in their own work, and take initiative, rather than always needing to be pushed by their manager or others.
- Enthusiasm: They bring energy to the team and help keep motivation high.
- Respectfulness: They treat others with respect, even during disagreements.
- Ethics: They have a strong set of moral principles and integrity that they stick to, rather than changing from day to day like a chameleon.
This isn’t to say that an excellent team member is a pushover who completely ignores their own needs for the sake of the group. That isn’t sustainable or healthy, and we aren’t advocating that anyone give themselves a heart attack just for the sake of their work. (Please don’t.)
A healthy team member knows their own limits, can recognize when a situation is toxic, and responds proactively. Maybe they work on providing feedback to help even out the workloads among team members or make the timelines more realistic, rather than suffering from stress and overwork. Maybe they offer a little extra support to help improve the team dynamic. Or maybe they simply realize when a team is not a good fit for them and make plans to move on.
Have you noticed that being a good team member involves all of the other soft skills we discuss? Growth mindset gives you the right attitude. Critical thinking helps you solve problems and contribute. Emotional intelligence enables you to be self-aware and empathetic. And communication skills enable you to collaborate fully.
It’s quite possible that you’ll grow faster in some of these areas than in others. We’re all on a lifelong journey to master these soft skills. The goal is continuous improvement, not perfection.
What teamwork can do for your career
We hope you’ll agree that being a great team member is rewarding in itself—simply for the joy of a job well done. But there are plenty of tangible benefits too.
If you’re capable of pulling your own weight on a great team, you will:
- Be more attractive to higher-quality employers and clients, helping you land better jobs
- Be more motivated and challenged by your own work, so each day is less of a grind (or dare we say, even fun?)
- Feel more of a sense of ownership and purpose in your daily tasks
- Build trusting working relationships with others who also know how to work as a team
Overall, finding a team you fit well with and learning to pull together can help turn any job into a career you love.
“But my team sucks!”
Maybe you feel like you’re already a great team member, but your teammates aren’t pulling their own weight. Statistically speaking, since great teamwork is somewhat uncommon, you’re probably right.
But we want to caution you against getting into the habit of blaming everyone around you. It’s too easy of an excuse, and it can prevent you from developing the self-awareness that you’ll need to grow.
There are a couple of key questions you can ask yourself that will help you navigate a tough team situation:
- Where exactly are others falling short? Why are they struggling with that?
- Where exactly am I falling short? What’s contributing to that?
- Can this be salvaged, or is it time to move on?
- What’s my best-case scenario for turning this around?
Start with self-awareness. Observe yourself and the team dynamic honestly, without immediately jumping to conclusions and judgments. You might be pleasantly surprised at the possibilities you uncover.
Conclusion
In a lot of ways, being a good team member is the culmination of all the other soft skills that Kressca focuses on. It’s also the one that makes the biggest difference in the success of your work.
Being a high-quality team member—and being able to demonstrate that to prospective employers and clients—will open up tons of new professional opportunties. It can lead to the kinds of work that you can be truly passionate about and turn that drudgery into a joyful and rewarding challenge.
