Self before the team? Think again
Being an individual player may bring you laurels, but being a team
player will bring you more recognition and goodwill, at various stages of the
professional life
Being
good at your own work is something most of us do quite efficiently. However,
the real battle begins when one needs to work cohesively with the entire team
and bring out the performance of the entire team with a collective output. As
some may perceive it to b e, there is absolutely nothing wrong in being an
individual player. After all, every professional works for chalking his own
career path and not hisher colleagues'. However, it can be slightly conflicting
to be caught into a situation wherein, while looking after your own goals and
targets, you have to simultaneously work towards the goal setting and achieving
for the entire team. While it might cause stress for many, it is not that
difficult a task.
Lakshmi
Murthy, deputy director, ITM Business School, talks about the bond that needs
to be created among the team members when there is more of individual
performance in the team than a team performance.“First of all, the individual
and even hisher team members need to understand that there is absolutely
nothing as strong as unity.One may be able to win games with hisher talent, but
championships can only be won if you are working as a team. So, most
organisations prefer team play over individual player's out-of-the-box
performance. It is often extremely difficult for an individual player to create
a bond with the team members, but there are a few ways to build up good rapport
with the colleagues. If one finds it difficult to share data, it is best to
define a process and share it on a common platform. During a meeting, in case
you are not able to make a point among others, present that thought as a
presentation or an email and circulate it among the team members to get their
feedback. This will gradually acclimatise you with presenting thoughts, accepting
rejections or defending your point.Slowly and gradually, you will start
relating to your team members and work cohesively,“ she shares.
Trying
to emerge as a team member also means shedding personal inhibitions and being
able to gel with the team members better.Generally, individual players are
idealistic and tend to work with unique perspectives. They are more comfortable
if their roles are defined and they prefer independence in their work. However,
Rajeev Wagle, managing director, Kuoni India, cautions that in order to be able
to become a team player, they need to share work and ideas with the team
members. He explains, “While team members have the ability to understand the
thinking and requirements of a variety of individual players, it largely depends
on the individual players to come forward and show equal respect and
understanding towards the team culture. To be able to cooperate in terms of
work, they need to appreciate the work done by all the members and be receptive
to suggestions and feedback.“
Ultimately,
it all boils down to the comfort zone and playing to one's strengths. As
Abhijit Nimgaonkar puts it, no man is an island; even more so when one is
working with a corporate organisation.“Every employee needs to consider
himselfherself as part of a team for a business to function smoothly. If one
wants to become a team player, one needs to give the interest of their team the
highest priority. Learn to give credit instead of taking it. Keep your ego in
check and appreciate the team for good, rather than constantly focusing on the
shortcomings. You can be the smartest person on earth, but if you cannot
empathise with your team, you cannot build a genuine, long lasting relationship
with them,“ he asserts.
While
being an individual player may mean being a lot more focused and an excellent
achiever, being a team player is more about being open-minded and receptive to
the ideas and initiatives of others as well.This, not only helps an individual
person grow well as a team member, but also keeps the team spirit up and
enables everyone in the team to accomplish their goals together.
Kamini
Kulshreshtha
|
TAS 25NOV15
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