Now more than ever as we work from home and remotely we have to stick together and you need to be a real team player. 

Teamwork isn’t just good for company morale during these trying times, it also sets you up for greater success at your job.   Teamwork brings together different points of views and allows for creativity and fresh ideas to flourish. Plus, you have trusted people you can fall back on for support, which means there’s less stress resting solely on your shoulders.

So how do you go about working well with others? Here are my top seven tips to be a great team player.

1. Meet your deadlines

If you say you’re going to do something, you do it and you do it well.

Reliability is especially important during group projects; after all, if you miss a deadline, your mistake can negatively affect the entire team.

2. Be open-minded

Part of being a team player is being open to other people’s ideas and perspectives.  That means honing in your listening skills and being receptive to feedback from co-workers. So, instead of getting defensive when you receive constructive criticism, see what you can glean from their advice.

3. Appreciate other people’s work styles

Figuring out how to read people well with a variety of personalities can be challenging, particularly in today’s multigenerational workforce, since Millennials and Gen-X'ers often have different work styles than baby boomers. However, understanding how each of your colleagues  can make you a better team player.

Tailoring your communication style to different personalities can help you avoid issues with co-workers and collaborate more efficiently. 

4. Adapt quickly

Not everything you do as a team is going to result in success; there will be a few mistakes along the way. But getting hung up on mistakes only throws a spanner in the path of progress. That’s why flexibility is one of the key traits of a team player.  So, the next time you encounter a problem, make sure you respond accordingly.

5. Avoid office politics

Office politics can create a toxic work environment—even when you're working remotely—but you don’t have to be a part of it.

To achieve this, always treat co-workers with respect, and don’t become the office gossip. If you have an issue with someone, try to address it with the person directly before bringing it to your boss or HR Manager.

6. Focus on the team’s goals

While you want to distinguish yourself as a top performer poised for greatness, it’s still important to focus on the bigger picture when working on a group project.

The ultimate foundation of being a team player is a person being willing and able to put the team’s interests above their own. 

You may have done a fantastic job on the part of a presentation you were responsible for, but that matters very little if the overall project fails to achieve what you needed it to do.

7. Celebrate your co-workers successes

One of the easiest ways to build authentic relationships with co-workers is to give credit where credit is due.

Ideal team players are humble.  Humble people are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention of their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually.

For example, at your next team meeting, take a minute to publicly thank that co-worker for helping you put together last week’s client presentation. By celebrating a co-worker’s success, they will likely do the same for you in the future.

So there you go, my top 7 tips to being a good team player - even when working remotely.

If this has helped, or you have other tips, I would love to hear from you.