Why You Need to be a Power Team Player

This week I am doing training for a world-class company on the theme of "Being a Power Team Player." They know if they are going to continue to lead in their industry, they have to play a bigger game and they have to do it together in ways they haven't even yet thought of. We live in an increasingly complex world where we can have exceptional performers on a team and yet the team continues to be mediocre. That’s why companies today are not just looking for great performers—they are looking for great team players. If you want to be a power team player and help your team do great things, here are three tips:

Be proactive: Leaders go first when it comes to collaborating with others, whether they have a title or not. They’re not just “self-starters”—they also get others going as well. They ignite the qualities of caring, sharing and working with others on their team and throughout the company. Power players are not the norm because too many of us tend to keep our heads down. What about you? How often have you taken the lead to offer another team your expertise, insights and your help in some way? 

Be exceptional: Sometimes it’s all you can do to just keep up with your own work—I get that. I often hear, from the front line all the way up to senior management, “I would like to do more with and for others, but I can only do so much.” That’s common thinking, but that’s not how power team players think and act. Power team players are exceptional because they connect with others, dream with others and challenge others while most say they don’t have the time or the “authority” to do so. To be a power team player, you have to speak up, share your ideas, ask questions, challenge the status quo and in general, inspire others with your team mindset.
 
Be consistent: Almost everyone exhibits team thinking and team behaviors—some of the time. Power team players are known for their consistency in bringing others into the conversation, asking for ideas from those who are rarely sought out and for encouraging the silent ones to speak what’s on their minds. Power team players know that most people are not collaborating to the greatest extent they are capable of—and they know it takes time to change thinking and habits. They are patiently consistent with others. And while most are busy with their own work, power team players are getting their work done and communicating, sharing and working with those around them.

-Alan Allard, Career Coach