Being a Good Teammate

Over the past few years, I’ve spent time reflecting on what it means to be a good teammate. I’ve worked with baristas, florists, grain marketers, clinic managers, designers, videographers, and vice presidents. The individuals who have made me (and our team) better, modeled some version of these things:

Humbly confident growth mindset:

(Sorry YNAB, I’m borrowing “humbly confident” it’s too perfect.) 

These teammates know they always have room to grow and acknowledge that they don’t know everything… yet. Equally importantly, they are confident in their ability to learn new things and willing to do so. They welcome feedback and seek out ways in which they can grow and improve.  

Commitment to transparency 

These teammates don’t sit on things. They’re willing to admit when they need help, don’t know an answer, make a mistake, etc. They recognize problems can’t be solved if they aren’t acknowledged. This drives them towards airing and resolving issues quickly.

Seeing teammates as people first. 

It is really easy when you’re an efficiency-minded person (🙋🏻) to forget that you’re working with a whole person not just a widget in your machine. By consciously choosing to see others as people first these teammates respect different perspectives. They are committed to acting with respect and kindness regardless of the circumstances.

Continual cultivation of self-awareness

These delightful coworkers generally want to be good humans. They recognize the need for continual self-reflection and calibration. 

This trait in particular serves as a foundation for the rest of this list. We can’t grow if we don’t know we need to. We can’t be transparent with others if we aren’t first transparent with ourselves. And it’s hard to “see others as people first” in situations where we feel triggered or stressed if we don’t realize how our inner world might be clouding our judgment. 

I hope this reflection reminds you of some good teammates you’ve had and maybe inspires you to commit to being a better teammate too.