How to Become a Superior Performer on Your Work Team

Team Members Have Different Focus Than Individual Performers

As U.S. businesses increasingly use work teams for all manner of operations, financial, and strategic purposes, employees should first understand the typical focus differences from individual performance.

As every athletic coach from youth through professional level will tell you, “There is no ‘I’ in team!” When working in your own “one person” department, you should focus on your individual performance as it “fits” with department or company objectives. However, if you’re part of a team at the workplace, your focus should center on team goals and a commitment to achieve team responsibilities.

Your commitment to excellence may be similar or very different from individual goals and objectives. For example, instead of focusing on individual outstanding achievement, you might need to focus on “complementing” team members for a unified objective. You may be required to scale back your intensity to achieve harmony and, thereby, better team performance.

The key is to understand the difference in focus, psychology, and activity to achieve team goals efficiently. Suppressing your individual “superstar” personality to become a critical “cog in the wheel” is often more valuable to team performance. Here are some proven tips to help you become a superior team performer.

How to Excel On Your Work Team

Once you understand and accept the difference between the individual and the team, adopt some or all of these mindsets to succeed.

• Fully understand and commit to team goals. Ask for clarification, if necessary, of team objectives. Once clear, commit to your team’s goals above individual superiority, and strive to achieve.
• Become comfortable taking reasonable risks with communication, action, and support. Avoid timidity and take the risk of stating your position, displaying new ideas, and supporting team activities. The risks of stating your opinion about processes, strategy, and procedures are offset by areas that can benefit from your ideas.
• Encourage open and honest communication in an atmosphere of respect. As a team member (not the team leader) you can still encourage and support free flowing communication, always displaying respect for others in the group.
• Develop a strong feeling of “belonging” to your team. Some believe in the criticality of team “chemistry” while others downplay its importance. Regardless of your position, develop a psychology of belonging, as this is always valuable in team settings.
• Believe you are unique, but also offer a valuable “fit” to your team. Maintain your individuality as you work to meld with your team members and leaders. Adopting both personas effectively brings great value to you personally and the team as a whole.
• Display creativity and innovation without fear. Unless your team is authoritatively ruled, display your creativity, ideas, and innovative thoughts without fear of negative repercussions. Team member responses will indicate the relative value of your innovation, without rancor or conflict.
• Commit to team “self-evaluation” and be open to ideas for improvement. While it should not be “obsessive,” constant team evaluation and consideration of ideas for improvement are worthy commitments.
• Follow published procedures to evaluate and solve team problems and issues. One area, problem evaluation and resolution, may benefit without high level creativity if published procedures are already in place. While issue resolution is obviously important, following documented procedures often leads to faster and less traumatic solutions.
• When appropriate, hold other team members to high standards, while offering direction and focus. If your team is operating in an atmosphere of positivity and team chemistry is good, you can “remind” group members that all are accountable, including you, for team goals. These objectives can be achieved only through dedicated focus and by keeping your collective eyes on the prize.
• Participate in all team decisions and commit to action plan decisions. The best teams and high performers are not passive observers. They display passion and dedication to contributing to and supporting the decisions of the team. Passivity typically holds back team accomplishments.

Depending on your industry and team goals, you might identify other issues that help you achieve superior performance. The tips noted, however, typically apply to most industries and teams.

Suppressing individual ego and concentrating only on team goals is often the most difficult target. Yet, it is usually necessary to contribute to a high performing team, as the collective excellence is typically much stronger than the sum of its individual’s talents and skills. Fear not; as a superior team performer, you will also accrue individual recognition and acclaim.