Tag Archive for: collaboration

Top Tips for Being a Better Team Player

In any job, you are most likely working with or beside other people. Work teams are common in organizations and they help functions to run effectively. Continue reading below for some tips on how to be a better team player at work!

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Let Others Help You: Letting your coworkers help you with tasks opens the door for more communication. It takes some of the weight off of your shoulders and makes the task at hand way easier to accomplish. Your coworkers will see you as approachable and great to collaborate with.

Listen Well: This one is important when you are on a team. You need to be an active listener when your coworkers are speaking. This will make them feel heard and valuable. And they will probably return the favor when you are speaking too.

Lead With Good Intentions: You can accomplish this by leading authentically. Your team needs to be cohesive in order to collaborate, and your intention should be to achieve that cohesion. Utilize everyone on your team and engage with them. This will help strengthen everyone’s relationships on the team.

Share Your Gifts: Bring your A-game to the team. Use your best qualities and strengths to help your team advance and get your projects done. There may be tasks that take you minutes to complete, but for someone else, it might take the whole day. Your team will appreciate you for giving it your all and saving them the hassle of spending too much time on a task.

Volunteer to Do the Dirty Work: Team members will like you if you volunteer to do the hard tasks. This doesn’t mean you need to volunteer every time when a difficult task is presented, don’t let yourself get taken advantage of. With that being said, if you’re the only person who never takes on the dirty work, your teammates might start to build up some animosity towards you. Find a healthy balance and rotation.

Spread Positivity: Be the positive light in your group when things get hard. When a group is under pressure to get something done, tensions can get really high. Take off some of the pressure by keeping things light. If someone makes a mistake, don’t dwell and judge them, acknowledge it and move on.

Observe Others Work Styles: This is an important part of being a cohesive team. You might notice that your teammate hates emailing and prefers phone calls. Or that someone would rather have meetings in the morning than afternoons. Take notice of how your teammates work best, and be flexible towards them.

These are just a few ways you can be a great team player. Collaborating with your team will help your job run smoother and make for a better work experience. Be open to feedback from teammates, don’t gossip, and don’t judge. If you give your best work and the best attitude to your team, you will become a better team player.

Read here about successful qualities a team should have!

Searching for a new position? Read through our open jobs!

Tips for More Productive Meetings

Meetings can often be a blessing or a curse. Some people may feel they are a waste of time while others find them to be productive and helpful. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, meetings are an easy way to help your team regroup and communicate effectively. Continue reading below to find out some ways to have productive meetings!

Productivity Tips

Agenda and Time Limit: You may not like meetings because they are long, boring, and seem like a waste of time. That is why every meeting needs a strict time limit! Create an agenda with all the talking points and topics/tasks that need to be completed. once the agenda is made, you will have a better idea of how much time you need for your meeting. The shorter the meeting, the better the outcome. This will help you be organized and keep the side chatter and off-topic comments on track!

Use Technology and Media: This is a fresh and exciting way to present information. People may get distracted or not pay attention if someone is talking the whole time. If you have a presentation set up- it gives a new take on information and keeps people interacting. At the same time- try to keep people using their devices to a limited. That way they will not be distracted by their emails or social media during the course of the meeting.

Limit Number of Attendees: Conducting a meeting with the whole department in attendance may be unnecessary and a distraction. Make sure you have everyone in attendance that needs to be there but don’t over invite. If it isn’t crucial for someone to attend- don’t force them. This will help with the productivity and time limit on your meetings. When there are too many people in a room, it can get hectic.

Use these tips to help your meetings run smoothly. These ideas don’t work for everyone depending on the size or morale of your company. Try to find what works best for your team and stick with that!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Use our guide here to learn how to make effective presentations!

 

Qualities of a Successful Team

Whether you are a recruiter or an employee, teamwork is probably a huge part of your job. The dynamic of your team needs to be strong and spirited in order for everyone’s jobs to go smoothly. At Esquire, we love our team and know that teamwork is important! Teams aren’t always successful, and they can go through ebbs and flows, but continue reading to find out successful qualities of a team!

Communication

Communication is important for any team! Share your thoughts, doubts, problems, questions, and whatever else you can think of with your team. Transparent communication is a must for being successful. Lack of or poor communication can sometimes lead to irritation or incorrect/incomplete work! Communicating with your team on even the small things will make a huge difference. Everyone wants to know that they’re on the same page, and they won’t be able to read anyone’s mind, so simply talk and communicate.

Goals and Support

Make goals with your team! Strive to complete the goals together and support each other in the process. Setting goals as a team will help understand what needs to be done and even improve results. Supporting your team members comes without question. No one can be great alone! Everyone needs support here and there or maybe even a push they can’t give themselves. Support your team members through their successes and failures to help build them up. Everyone is able to work easier knowing they have a supportive team behind them- it helps build confidence and security.

Diversity and Work Load

Diversity in a team is imperative. Everyone brings something different to the table! With everyone’s different skill sets, strengths, and weaknesses, your team should be able to figure out a way where everyone is using their strongest skills! Having different age groups, cultures, and personalities on the team can help spark creativity and new ideas. Divvying up the workload evenly is also an important team aspect. You don’t want one team member to feel like they are carrying the team, but you also don’t want someone to feel like they aren’t capable of doing any work. A fair workload for everyone is important- and the workload will vary depending on their specific title or strengths and weaknesses.

Fun

A successful team will be able to have fun! They will be able to laugh at their mistakes and brush it off while continuing their jobs. Having fun is crucial because it will make work more bearable and help you love your job. Working in a fun environment will lead to more productivity and better team morale.

If your current team has these qualities, you are set for success! If you don’t, don’t worry, you are not doomed. Arrange to have some team building exercises, happy hours, or team meals together. This will help you build these qualities and be on your way to success!

Wondering how to get along with your coworkers to increase team morale? Read about it here!

Also, check out our current open jobs!