The 17 Essential Qualities Of A Team Player: Becoming The Kind Of Person Every Team Wants

by John C. Maxwell

Teamwork and personal rigidity just don't mix. If you want to work well with others and be a good team player, you have to be willing to adapt yourself to your team.

"The individuals who will succeed and flourish will also be masters of change: adept at reorienting their own and others' activities in untried directions to bring about higher levels of achievement."

On the other hand, unreachable people have a difficult time with change, and as a result they never adapt well.

person's age can be determined by the degree of pain he experiences when he comes in contact with a new idea. -QUINCY JONES

People who are not emotionally secure see almost everything as a c...

There's an expression that says a person's age can be determined by the degree of pain he experiences when he comes in contact with a new idea. Somebody might say, "Let's try it this new way." You can actually see the pain. These people will grab their heads. It physically hurts to think of doing something different. The ones who don't react with fear are the really creative people. "Let's try it," they'll say. "Let's go there even if we blow it."'

AMEN

People who are focused on themselves are less likely to make changes for the team than people focused on serving

The first key to being a team player is being willing to adapt yourself to the team-not an expectation that the team will adapt to you!

The Duke of Wellington, one of the general's most formidable enemies, said, "I consider Napoleon's presence in the field to equal forty thousand men in the balance."

If you are willing to change and adapt for the sake of your team, you always have a chance to win.

All your strength is in union, all your danger is in discord. -Henry ...

L E S H I N G I T O U T Great challenges require great teamwork, and the quality most needed among teammates amid the pressure of a difficult challenge is collaboration. Notice that I didn't say "cooperation" because collaboration is more than that. Cooperation is working together agreeably. Collaboration is working together aggressively. Collaborative teammates do more than just work with one another. Each person brings something to the table that adds value to the relationship and synergy to the team. The sum of truly collaborative teamwork is always greater than its parts.

The New York polio epidemic of the summer of 1916 left 27,000 people paralyzed and another 9,000 people dead. After that year, epidemics became common, and every summer hordes of people escaped large cities to try to protect their children.

imagine what we would do today...

In 1955, there were 28,985 cases of polio reported in the United States. In 1956, that number was cut in half. In 1957, there were only 5,894. Today, thanks to the work of Jonas Salk and subsequent efforts by other scientists such as Albert Sabin, cases of polio in the U.S. are virtually nonexistent.

1. Do Not Isolate Themselves from Others The key problem Herman Boone had to overcome on his newly formed team was isolation. The players of one race isolated themselves from the players of the other. Anytime a player becomes isolated, it is a problem for the team. If entire sections of the team become isolated, that problem grows. The more teammates know about each other and about the team's goals and methods, the more they'll understand. The more they understand, the more they'll care. A player with passion as well as information and connection is a powerful asset to the team.

fodder for my discussion with Rudi on changing his titles for EMAC and NIMS

2. Make It Easy for Teammates to Communicate with Them Most communication problems can be solved with proximity. That's why Herman Boone used it to get his team to gel. Putting players of different races on the same buses and forcing them to room with one another made communication more likely to happen. If you look at good leaders and impact players on a team, you will find that they not only stay connected with their teammates; they also make sure their teammates are able to make contact with them easily.