When browsing descriptions for job openings, it's common to see the
phrase "team player." Most jobs benefit from an employee who can easily
work with others and is willing to take on any project or challenge. But
sometimes, workers can take the team-player idea too far. Saying yes to
everything without clarifying uncertainties or pushing back when
overloaded with other work can end up costing you and your team.
Conversely, if you're too quick to complain about helping another
co-worker or staying late to finish a project, you might alienate
yourself from others, which could make it harder to succeed.
Take this quiz to determine on which end of the team-player spectrum you fall:
1. You have a new addition to your team. Your boss asks for a volunteer to help him learn the ropes. You:
A. Have already started helping him, before the boss even asked. Your work can wait.
B. Are happy to volunteer, so long as you can get a few projects off your plate before helping.
C. Ignore your boss's email. You have too much to do to worry about anyone else.
A. Have already started helping him, before the boss even asked. Your work can wait.
B. Are happy to volunteer, so long as you can get a few projects off your plate before helping.
C. Ignore your boss's email. You have too much to do to worry about anyone else.
2. Your boss schedules a meeting for 5 p.m., but you were
planning to leave by then to make a doctor's appointment. What do you
do?
A. You cancel the appointment, even though you had to wait five months to get it. You don't want to anger your boss.
B. You are honest with your boss about your conflict, but offer to cancel the appointment if no other time to meet is available.
C. You decline the meeting request and leave without telling your boss why. You shouldn't have to explain yourself.
A. You cancel the appointment, even though you had to wait five months to get it. You don't want to anger your boss.
B. You are honest with your boss about your conflict, but offer to cancel the appointment if no other time to meet is available.
C. You decline the meeting request and leave without telling your boss why. You shouldn't have to explain yourself.
3. You're working on a team project, and one of your
co-workers isn't doing her fair share of the work. How do you handle the
situation?
A. You don't say anything to your co-worker or your boss and just take on the extra work. You're frustrated, but you don't want to risk looking like a tattletale.
B. You ask to chat for a few minutes alone. During the conversation, you ask her if she wouldn't mind helping out a little bit more so the work is evenly distributed.
C. You march straight into your boss's office without talking to your co-worker first. She deserves to get in trouble for not pulling her weight.
A. You don't say anything to your co-worker or your boss and just take on the extra work. You're frustrated, but you don't want to risk looking like a tattletale.
B. You ask to chat for a few minutes alone. During the conversation, you ask her if she wouldn't mind helping out a little bit more so the work is evenly distributed.
C. You march straight into your boss's office without talking to your co-worker first. She deserves to get in trouble for not pulling her weight.
4. Your team has been staying late the past few days to
finish a project. You can tell you're all in
for another late night.
You:
A. Feel bad for the rest of your team, so you tell them to go home. You'll handle the rest of the work.
B. You stay, because you know that your job sometimes requires putting in extra hours. When you're not as busy, you won't feel guilty about leaving work on time.
C. You delegate the work to your assistant and get out of there. Why should you have to stay late when someone else could do the work for you?
A. Feel bad for the rest of your team, so you tell them to go home. You'll handle the rest of the work.
B. You stay, because you know that your job sometimes requires putting in extra hours. When you're not as busy, you won't feel guilty about leaving work on time.
C. You delegate the work to your assistant and get out of there. Why should you have to stay late when someone else could do the work for you?
5. You're facilitating a brainstorm for a new advertising
campaign, and one of the attendees suggests an unrealistic idea that
would never fly with the client. How do you respond?
A. You tell him it's a great idea and spend the rest of the brainstorm exploring it. After all, you don't want to stifle his creativity, even if it's at the cost of everyone's time.
B. You applaud him for sharing the idea but encourage him to think about ways to tweak the concept so it's more aligned with the client's point of view.
C. You shoot down the idea and tell him there's no way the client would ever consider such a crazy strategy. He should know better.
A. You tell him it's a great idea and spend the rest of the brainstorm exploring it. After all, you don't want to stifle his creativity, even if it's at the cost of everyone's time.
B. You applaud him for sharing the idea but encourage him to think about ways to tweak the concept so it's more aligned with the client's point of view.
C. You shoot down the idea and tell him there's no way the client would ever consider such a crazy strategy. He should know better.
Answers
Mostly A's: Is "yes" your most commonly used word?
You tend to say it for almost everything, whether it's taking on more
work than others or agreeing with the team on something in which you
don't believe. It's great to be a team player, but you don't want your
boss or co-workers to walk all over you. It's OK to disagree or push
back once in awhile, so long as you have a reasonable explanation or an
alternative solution. Your team will respect you for standing up for
yourself, and ultimately, you'll work better together for having done
so.
Mostly B's: You are the best example of what it
means to be a team player. You have a healthy awareness of when you
should "take one for the team" and when it's appropriate to push back.
You're happy to help others or stay late as needed, just as long as
you're able to keep a manageable workload and people aren't taking
advantage of you. If you have any concerns, you raise them, but you do
so in a way that's respectful and constructive. You encourage great
ideas, but you also challenge others when you know they can do better or
think smarter. Keep up the good (team) work.
Mostly C's: Sometimes it's good to put your own
interests first, but you tend to do it all the time. Most work
situations require employees to work with others to some degree, so you
need to be more willing to compromise for the greater good of the team.
Doing so doesn't mean you have to give up your beliefs or chain yourself
to your desk. It just means that in order to excel at your job, you
need to rely on others and let them rely on you, too. If you don't, you
may find yourself without anyone willing to advocate for you or your
work when you most need it.