This year you will spend more time with your coworkers than you will with your family, best friends, neighbors or even your dog.
There is a lot we can learn from our co-workers. We have a lot of control in the way we co-exist and collaborate with our fellow employees. Make your week go smoother and happier with these simple tips.
Five Tips for Better Teamwork
#1 Take interest in your co-workers
Take genuine interest in how a coworker is doing and in what they are doing. Making a coworker feel valued is important. Ask their opinions. It opens up the window for conversation and you often see something that you didn’t see before. It makes you a coworker that others will respect.
#2 Don’t gripe about work at work
Most of us do not want to be around people that just complain and complain. Complaints also prompt others to tell stories: "You think this is bad, there was this one time when ..." everyone just feels down at the end of the conversation. Keep focused on the solutions to the issues. Errors and mistakes happen every day at work, focus on the good the stuff that we get right each day stay away from the negative.
#3 Give credit where credit is due
Embrace the attitude that we all win together. Tell others when someone got it right or when someone tried something new to stretch their skills. Tell the person directly and be specific. Positive feedback makes us feel recognized and appreciated, it identifies what we have done right (and thus gives us a clue to what we should do more of).
#4 Be helpful
Help a co-worker who is struggling with a task or is overloaded with work. Your gesture will be appreciated and most likely, they will pass on the good will to others or to you in the future.
#5 Dare to give up control
The need to control every detail of your day can cause stress, for you and your team. Dare to take a step back when working in groups and allow the creative process happen. You’ll foster a greater sense of collaboration and may even end up with a wider range of solutions.
Creating a great environment for teamwork isn't hard, but it does require you to be a thoughtful member of your day-to-day work community.
Have a tip that you can add to this list? Share it in the comments below!