Author: Contemporaries Team
As the late great Contemporaries, Inc. co-worker Cullen Buckland used to say, “There is no I in Team.” The beauty of Cullen was that he practiced what he preached, always offering to help and pitching in whenever someone else in the office needed assistance.
In addition to winning praise and admiration from his colleagues and supervisor, Cullen, who is still sorely missed, was able to climb the career ladder and achieve his professional goals. A major part of his success could be attributed to his ability to work with everyone, and position himself as a teamplayer.
A lot of times when individuals are pursuing a new job and moving on to another organization, they tend to think in terms of only their own personal strengths, skills, and experience, and their desire to succeed in front of everyone else. What they tend to forget, particularly during the interview process, is that the Hiring Manager is not only sizing up their abilities but also determining whether they would be a good fit for the rest of the team.
While one should of course promote themselves, particularly in a job interview, they would be wise to also speak about their ability to work well with others and get results as a team player. It is even better if they can provide examples where their cooperative efforts led to a team achievement.
In addition to pitching in no matter how big or small the task, what made our dear friend and former colleague Cullen extra special was his ability to take his work seriously but not himself. In addition to his infectious laughter, Cullen would also use his sense of humor to brighten the day for others under even the toughest of circumstances. His sometimes dry sense of humor helped put smiles on everyone’s faces.
You may not have the wit of Cullen, but exercising respect and compassion towards your colleagues, and pitching in whenever you can, will allow your peers and supervisors to see what a valued member of the group you truly have become. This behavior is especially important when decisions are made involving raises and promotions.
Picture by Mohammad Hassan Brought to you from Pixabay.