What's In It For Me?

Remember having team project s in school? Well, teamwork extends to the workforce in today’s businesses too, as shown in this excerpt from Dale Carnegie & Associates’ Teamwork in the American Workplace, (Training and Development, January, 1996).


What makes teams successful?
33% - getting along
29% - listening
21% - setting priorities
6% - feeling recognized
6% - having everyone agree
4% - deciding who’s in charge


When you look at the list, you might discover some interesting facts such as it is more important for members to get along than who is chosen to lead. Once a team approach for a project is chosen, what can be done to empower members to work together to accomplish their goal? This is when everyone needs to put away the “What’s in it for me?” attitude and join the “What’s in it for us?” club.


To have a successful team, everyone must be less concerned about individual rewards; appreciation, power, etc., and act more selfless in a cooperative way towards a specific goal. Teamwork also involves sacrifices, such as sharing rewards, blame, and discipline, along with suppressing personal opinions, which is difficult for many of us.


You can be proactive in preventing problems by making certain the team’s goal is clearly defined and each member’s responsibility is completely understood by everyone. As in all business endeavors, communication will be the most essential element of a successful team. Each member must trust the other team members and be willing to share their thoughts and ideas about the project, but then defer the final decision to the person responsible for that portion of the project.


The benefits of working on a team can be obvious, but some reasons might not be so obvious. Team players benefit and achieve more than isolated individuals by combining knowledge and skills, but the benefits also include making the best use of each individual’s strengths, common ownership, built-in mutual support, and increased creativity from more diverse ideas. The next time you have a large project; don’t be afraid to incorporate a team approach to accomplish your goal!