Working well with others ranks high on my list of most desirable character traits that you should have to live a more engaged life. It’s right up there with curiosity.
Nothing happens by itself nor rarely do things happen without the help of others. Life requires first contact for anything to begin to grow. To learn something new we must find a book or video to begin. To test the crazy idea in our head we must first tell it to someone to see if they agree.
These are good first steps but are never sufficient for sustained growth and success. There was a time in my life when I really felt I could do everything. That I didn’t need help. All the needed to be done was within my capabilities.
Over time, what I began to see is that I knew much less than I thought. Surprisingly, I began to see that I did not have the time needed to go deep in every area that was required to expand my life or my business. Surprisingly, when including others in my thinking, they were able to see the holes in my logic that kept me from getting ahead.
Being a team player gives each of us the opportunity to use the greatest resource available to us. Ourselves. There is so much good and so much to be learned from each other when trying to accomplish anything.
There needs to be a degree of humility when working with others. You see none of us is always right. Being a team player carries with it the responsibility to not let others down. That you will always try your best.
When you’re a team player you find that you are in agreement and aligned with what needs to be done. That you are willing to smile, encourage, and listen when others get tired around you.
Team players don’t criticize simply to hear themselves. They provide gentle feedback or sometimes push back on another person’s ideas that help fill in the blanks for the other person in ways they never thought of.
Together much more can be accomplished. Together much more can be learned. Team players that understand their power in a team, go much further in life than the person who thinks they know everything.
Always.