Section 7

Teamwork

Disclaimer: All information and resources collected for this Employment Lesson Plan, do not belong to Meta Centre. All information has been searched and found on the internet. Meta Centre does not claim any responsibility or ownership for this material.

Teamwork Skills US Embassy Soft Skills Series

Nick Yinger, MA

Doctoral Student

Teaching Assistant, Global Leadership Center at Ohio University

Agenda

Vital Teamwork Skills

The Team Leader

Dealing with Problems

Yourself as a Teammate

Vital Teamwork Skills

Communication

Hard Work

Patience

Compromise

Commitment

Professionalism

Any others?

Communication

Listen

Everybody has input

Analyze successes and failures

Demand honesty

◦ Why honesty?

Hard Work

Setting high

expectations

The drive to go

above and beyond

Willpower to fight

through problems

What is 20-60-20?

Patience

Don’t take criticism personally

Remain positive

◦ Don’t complain

Different team members are at different levels

◦ Everybody can contribute

Be prepared to fail – and to accept it

Are you OK with failure?

Compromise

You can’t always win

Accept that others’ ideas may be better

Avoid ego trips – everybody has them

How do you avoid ego trips?

Ego trip (N)- an act undertaken to draw attention to

your own importance and overconfidence

Commitment

“We” not “I”

Push through

difficulties

Finish the job you

start

Respect

Professionalism

Focus on the task at hand

Don’t complain about what the job is

◦ Get the job done

Work should be fun

How can fun be professional?

Being a Team Leader

Be prepared for anything & everything

Understand strengths and weaknesses

◦ Don’t try to be somebody else

Delegate wisely

Have a vision

◦ See it through

Accept criticism

Mission, Men, Me

Dealing with Difficult Teammates

Understand the person

Anybody can be a bad teammate

What steps do you take?

WHAT KIND OF TEAMMATE ARE YOU?

Lion

Strengths – Visionary,

practical, productive,

strong-willed, independent,

decisive

Weaknesses – Cold,

domineering, unemotional

self-sufficient, unforgiving,

sarcastic

Otter

Strengths – Outgoing,

responsive, warm, friendly,

talkative, enthusiastic,

compassionate

Weaknesses –

Undisciplined,

unproductive, hyperbolic,

egocentric, unstable

Golden Retriever

Strengths – Calm, easy-

going, dependable, quiet,

objective, diplomatic,

humorous

Weaknesses – Selfish,

stingy, procrastinator,

unmotivated, indecisive,

fearful, worrier

Beaver

Strengths – Analytical,

self-disciplined, industrious,

organized, sacrificing

Weaknesses – Moody,

self-centered, touchy,

negative, unsociable, critical

WHAT DOES YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE VALUE?

HOW DOES YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE AFFECT YOUR TEAM?

WHY SHOULD WE KNOW

OUR TEAMMATES’

PERSONALITIES?

TEAMWORK WORKSHEET 1. Why are good teamwork skills a primary requirement of most jobs? 2. List the ways that good teamwork skills can positively impact a project. 3. How is a team more beneficial to a project than letting a single individual perform the entire project alone? 4. How do good communication skills enhance your performance as a team member? 5. List three ways to develop good communication skills. 6. Which element of good leadership skills is useful as a team member? 7. List four ways to better motivate others. 8. Which time management element can be key to developing teamwork skills? 9. List three ways to increase your productivity through time management. 10. What should be the overriding skill used by every team member? 11. Why is that skill so important to a team setting? 12. List the three aspects of the skill discussed in questions 10 and 11. 13. Which are soft job skills and which is a hard job skill? 14. Which of the soft job skills is least likely to be followed by most team members? Why? 15. List three ways that you can overcome any discomfort at presenting your ideas and suggestions in a team setting.

Effective Team Members . . .

v play their positions well; are competent, motivated, and confidentv help get the job donev give positive energy to the teamv “run with the ball”; make decisions and move projects closer to completionv put team goals ahead of their ownv take appropriate risksv ask for help during hectic periods, and give it to others when neededv are trustworthy and help create a climate of trustv give others the benefit of the doubtv help new players adjust successfullyv are patient, enthusiastic, and respectfulv are fun to work withv look for ways to add valuev handle emergencies smoothly and effectivelyv spend time together, have fun, and celebratev are constantly learning, applying skills, and sharingv are customer- and quality-focusedv are flexible and innovativev are accepted and respected as team members.

Individual Reporting Form

ChallengeYour task is to individually identify the five most important behaviors from the"Effective Team Members" worksheet. As you select the items, give carefulconsideration as to why each item is important to you personally.

Behaviors Rationale—Why Important

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Group Reporting Form

ChallengeIn small groups, determine five behaviors that are the most important to your group andthat you believe your group can practice. Be prepared to report on your top five with abrief rationale as to why each behavior is important.

Behaviors Rationale—Why Important

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.