19 Tips to Succeed in a Team Environment

“The main ingredient in stardom is the rest of the team”
– John Wooden

Many companies find company culture to be a key ingredient in social media success, as well as their overall business growth. As Geben Communication continues to grow, I find myself thinking a lot about the kind of culture I want to build. For me, a real commitment to teamwork and collaboration is a critical component to company culture.

With that in mind, Team Geben set out to compile tips for working in a team environment:

• Always be on the lookout for opportunities to lend a hand.
• Be considerate of other people’s time. Got an upcoming project with a tight deadline? Provide a heads up.
• Remember to say please and thank-you. A lot.
• Aim to provide clear direction from the beginning of a project and assign roles and responsibilities. But understand that sometimes circumstances change and projects will evolve. Be flexible.
• Be generous with words of praise.
• If you’re in over your head, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Realize a potential problem is brewing? Stop and schedule an urgent meeting to discuss how to proceed.
• Look for opportunities to highlight the team’s contribution — not just your own.
• When something goes wrong, don’t look for a scapegoat. Just find the solution.
• Sometimes picking up the phone is better than emailing back and forth.
• Provide frequent status updates. Lack of communication can lead to false assumptions.
• Be sure to “close the loop” on a project. Upon completion, debrief to identify what works, what didn’t and opportunities for improvement.
• Remember that your coworkers/clients/partners are people, too. Not every touchpoint has to be work-related (and happy hours are fun!)
• Be honest with feedback, but remember to be tactful.
• Be generous with your time (to an extent). Five minutes brainstorming with two people can be more productive than 30 minutes alone.
• Be open to ideas other than your own.
• Ask questions. Lots of them.
• Don’t go behind your team member’s back.
• Be honest and sincere.

What would you add?

***

This focus on teamwork was inspired by Geben’s recent expansion. Alexis Downey (@lex_d) will help execute PR, marketing and social media strategies, and provide research support. Please join me in welcoming Alexis to the team.