While being hired for a new role is a great accomplishment, ensuring that you’re a long-term fit for the company involves developing new skills. As previously discussed in our blog post on ‘10 Tips for Acing the Introductory Period at Your New Job’, this is where planning for the future comes in. Thinking about possible opportunities for advancement by being a great team player is one way to get ahead. To help you get started on aiming for that promotion, here is a list of skills you should equip yourself with when working with a team:
1. Collaboration
Taking yourself from an individual mindset to meet collective goals can be a challenging process. To improve your collaborative skills, Entrepreneur suggests ensuring that you have clearly defined individual and collective roles, as well as an outline of responsibilities within the team. This prevents people from stepping on one another’s toes, ensuring that all tasks are completed to the best standard. Identifying each individual’s strengths within a team can improve the distribution of tasks and make things move more smoothly. Lastly, keeping promises and being reliable is a great way to support team members and boost morale.
2. Empathy
When you’re working with other people, one of the most important skills to possess is the ability to read someone’s emotions and view things from their perspective. Forbes writes about how having empathy can allow you to communicate effectively and fully with one another, which comes in handy when you disagree on important matters of a work project. At the end of the day, all we want to do is to be seen and heard. Listening to others even if their view conflicts with yours can help you both move forward and find a solution to resolve issues within your team. Without mutual empathy and respect, rising conflicts can quickly lead to high tensions and slow progress.
3. Analytical Thinking
Often, unexpected issues and problems can arise when you’re in the middle of a project. To deal with these potentially complex problems, Maryville University, in their list of necessary business skills, emphasize the importance of using analytical thinking to get to the root of a problem. In order to assess and analyze the issue to promote the most efficient course of action, business professionals should be able to use existing knowledge, facts, and data to work through these challenges. While others on your team may feel overwhelmed, it’s up to you to clearly define any problems, seek alternatives, share your thoughts, and act decisively.
4. Written and Verbal Communication
Having great communication skills is a valuable asset for any team member. An article on Medium notes that conversations should be a two-way street and never just flow in one direction. Whenever anyone’s speaking, you should pay full attention to them and avoid interruptions. Body language is also a great indicator of what’s not being said and can tell you if something’s wrong within your team. In addition, when it comes to written forms of communication like e-mails or memos, it’s a good idea to keep it concise and avoid over-explaining, while conveying what needs to be said.
By keeping these tips in mind, you’re sure to make yourself an invaluable member of any team. You should also remember that no one is inherently born knowing all of these skills, so with time, practice, and determination, you can work on your shortcomings. Your future team members will thank you in the future, as long as you start honing these vital skills today.
Written by Anna Windy
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