How to Help Your Team Work Well Together

Are you having difficulty finding a good flow in your team work? You are not alone, but you must know you are going to deal with adverse situations in any work situation. It’s a fact of life. You may even be experiencing adversarial situations or encounters.

The worst way to handle this is to blow up and lose your cool. This puts you on the defense and it’s difficult to think rationally when this happens. It also can lead the way into saying something you may regret later.

A better approach is to roll up your sleeves and bring everyone together for building some team work. This will help you find ways to make the situation a positive experience for everyone involved. This may not always be easy, or even possible, but if you can make it happen, it will diffuse the situation and create more harmony in the environment.

The first step in looking for ways to make your team work is to try and see the situation from the perspective of any ‘adversary’.

Perhaps he or she is experiencing some problems at home and it’s affected his or her better judgement. You have to try to find out without prying. This could be as simple as asking if the person has something they want to talk about. Even just showing that you are willing to do this can go a long way to diffuse the situation.

You could proceed to offer to take on some of the person’s workload if that is what they are struggling with. Just make it clear that you will only do this for a short period of time, with the understanding that they need to take up the duties after such a time.

If the situation is work related, try to work with the person to find a solution that will help them solve it. This will take some time out of your day but having the person return to a good place is going to make this extra time worth it.

Of course, there are going to be people that no matter how much effort you put in to try and help, are going to be adversarial towards you. If they continue to do so in a manner that is not within their right, you will need to decide upon a course of action. Sometimes you will need to set very clear boundaries ( please see my post on setting healthy boundaries). You will likely find that most people will be receptive when they see that you both come out as winners, and are willing to help each other.

Building solid team work is best done with the help of others.

Nobody can go it alone. You need support, mentorship at times, companionship, and friendship. None of that will be easy without knowing how to understand people first.

Gaining empowerment is a journey into finding yourself, discovering what drives you, finding the motivation, your life’s purpose, your mission. It is a lifelong journey. Check out my post on finding your deeper purpose here. Others have yet to start their self-discovery adventure. To reach your goals within a team setting, you will need people around you to support you and help you grow.

Show Your Team You Are a Team Player

Show You Are Willing to Put in the Work

People value people who are valuable. Utilizing your strengths makes you valuable. You become an asset to others. There is more to learning enough about anything to become good at it though, not just the skills. It’s the practice it takes to get good. That takes discipline and commitment, which are both strong traits to develop in yourself.

Listen to Both What People Say … and How

Body language can tell you more about how a person feels more than the words they use. The hardest part is hearing what you are told when it doesn’t feel comfortable.

Listen attentively to all your critics because those people care. When people stop giving you constructive criticism, it could mean they have given up telling you that you’re doing something wrong, or they may feel you don’t care. Anyone can listen to criticism. Not everyone can accept it and say ‘you are right!”.

Apologize When You Make Mistakes

When you do wrong by someone — no matter how big or small a mistake you make — be accountable. Apologize with sincerity. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t always sufficient. If it’s a huge mistake, that should be followed by what you plan to do so it never happens again.

People value honesty and integrity. Show them you are accountable and own your errors. It’s part of being human. Sometimes we hit a road block, and are unsure of how to move past it. This is where you may want to consider the possibility of hiring a life coach ( find some guidance on that here).

Find the Best in Everyone You Interact With

There are no good people and bad people. Good people make bad decisions. Some learn from them fast, others it can take years of constant inner conflict before they realize they need to sort their life out. Pessimists can change their attitude, and people you feel have the worst intentions, can surprise you.

Be valuable, a good listener, accountable and always look for the good in everyone. You will radiate positive energy, and that will make you approachable. Then, people will be open to helping you.

Originally published at https://mindfulmysticmama.com on December 22, 2020.