A team unites specialists with common goals on which the success of the organization as a whole and each team member individually depends. When the team works like single organism, it can achieve more than all its members individually. The ability to work in a team is valuable to many employers, but what does it mean to have teamwork skills?
You know how to work in a team if
...you can combine yourtasks and general
It is important not only to fulfill your responsibilities, but also to be able to combine personal ambitions and the interests of the company. When working in a team, sometimes you have to give up the personal in favor of the general. Achievement overall result depends largely on how well each group member does his or her job and supports the efforts of their colleagues.
… help is not an empty phrase for you
To achieve the results the team is facing, it is important to be ready not only to help colleagues, but also not to be shy about accepting help from them.
…you are responsible for compliance
In teamwork, what is important is sustainable, systematic work that meets goals and deadlines, and not the periodic achievements of any of the team members. When completing a joint project, all team members must be confident that everyone will complete their part of the task on time.
...know how to interact correctly in conflict situations
It is important for a team player to be able to interact effectively with others conflict situations: listen, convince, remaining constructive, find arguments and strive for compromises, do not get personal. The main rule in working in a team is cooperation.
Teamwork skills are especially important for those who work on complex, multifaceted problems that cannot be solved by an individual specialist. A product from LifeWriter will help you understand what role you play in the team. It can also help you figure out how you can become even more effective in team communication.
Over the years, rich dad spent a lot of time teaching his son and me how to work with and interact with the most different people. If you've read the book Rich Kid, smart child", you may remember that rich dad often sat his son and me next to him when he had business conversations with people. Learning how to hire and fire people was a lot of fun, especially when the people rich dad was hiring and firing were the same age as my mom and dad. For him, teaching us to communicate with a variety of people was the most important initial stage in our education. He constantly said: “If you learn to work with different people, you can become richer than you ever dreamed of.”
Those of you who have read the book Quadrant cash flow", you probably remember how important the following simple diagram was to rich dad:
Rich dad created this diagram to illustrate his point that the business world is made up of four types of people. Quadrant “P” denotes employees, quadrant “S” - self-employed and small business owners, quadrant “B” - owners of medium and large businesses, and quadrant “I” - investors.
The main purpose of this diagram is to show that people from different quadrants are different in their very essence. Rich dad said, “To succeed in the B quadrant, you need to know how to communicate and work with people from all four quadrants. This is the only quadrant where this ability is absolutely necessary.” In other words, a business may fail if the entrepreneur is unable to work with and get along with different types of people.
In the 1980s, I returned to Hawaii and was invited by rich dad to serve on the board of directors of a struggling company. And rich dad, who was one of its directors, wanted me to learn from this unpleasant example. It was a small start-up company engaged in oil exploration in Canada. Rich dad did not start the company, but when difficulties arose, he was invited to join the board of directors to see if there was any way to save it.
Because of a single decision by its CFO, the company was deeply in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. As the meeting began, rich dad asked the rest of the board:
Why was the CFO allowed to make such important decisions without consulting the board of directors?
One of the council members replied:
Because he was the first deputy head of the oil giant "XYZ".
So what? So what if he was once the first deputy director of a large oil company?
We thought he knew a lot more than all of us. So they allowed him to act at his own discretion,” said another council member.
Rich dad sat silently, tapping his fingers on the table, and then said, “Yes, he was the first vice principal, but he was an employee for 30 years. He was an employee in a large company. He has no idea how to run a small start-up business on a shoestring budget. I advise you to replace him, preferably with someone who already owned his own company and had full financial responsibility, even if it was not an oil company. There is a huge difference between an employee and an entrepreneur, no matter what industry they work in. There is a huge difference between running a small company and running a large company. For a large company, an error of this magnitude is imperceptible. For a small company, such a mistake is disastrous.
As a result, the company went bankrupt. A year later, I asked rich dad why she finally failed. He replied: “The management of the company was extremely poor. And this despite the fact that great people were hired and they were paid a lot of money. But these people never became a great team. Successful entrepreneurs build great teams. This is how they compete with big companies that have more money and more employees.”
Different skills
In my third book, Rich Dad's Guide to Investing, I wrote about the triangle B-I rich dad, who is pictured below.
The B-I Triangle is important for anyone who wants to start a business in the B quadrant or already has one. It is also important for anyone who has a million dollar idea and plans to turn it into a business. In other words, it can be difficult for people to start a business in the B quadrant because a real business requires more than one skill and more than one specialty.
Our education system produces people with these specialized skills. But it takes a true entrepreneur to bring together people with all these skills, make them work as a team and thus create a powerful company.
Main problem
The main challenge is not only to assemble all four quadrants in your business and have all the technical skills from triangle B-I. The problem is to find a leader - an entrepreneur who can make these dissimilar people with different skills and different basic systems values of working together as a team. That's why rich dad said, “The hardest thing in business is working with people. Doing business would be easy if it weren’t for people.”
In other words, an entrepreneur must first and foremost be a great leader, and each of us must work to develop our leadership skills.
What is an entrepreneur?
Rich dad taught his son and me to be entrepreneurs. When I asked him what an entrepreneur is, he said:
An entrepreneur sees an opportunity, assembles a team and creates a business that profits from that opportunity.
Then I asked him:
What if I see some opportunity, can I take advantage of it alone?
Good question,” said rich dad. “If you see an opportunity and can take advantage of it alone, then you are a small business owner or self-employed person,” and rich dad began to explain the difference between a self-employed person and an entrepreneur: “Sole Trader or Specialist— This is a person who can produce a product or provide a service largely on his own. For example, an artist can paint a picture on his own, a dentist can cure your tooth with his own hands. A true entrepreneur cannot do what he has in mind only with his own on our own. An entrepreneur must be able to bring together smart people from a variety of backgrounds with different skills and make them work together towards a common goal. In other words, an entrepreneur creates teams that produce products that no one person could produce alone. The reason most people never enter the broader arena is because they only solve problems that they can solve on their own.
So, does this mean that an entrepreneur takes on tasks that require a whole team to solve? - I said. - A person in the B quadrant will not get paid until his people do what they need to do as a team. Most employees and self-employed people get paid for something they do on their own. The entrepreneur will not receive money until his team achieves success.
Rich dad nodded yes and continued to explain:
Just as in construction, a contractor attracts workers from different trades (plumbers, electricians, carpenters) and professionals from different fields (architects, accountants) to build a house, in the same way an entrepreneur attracts various workers, technicians and professionals who help him create business.
Do you want to say that an entrepreneur is, in fact, the leader of a team, although he himself may not physically work in it? - I asked.
The better you can organize a team of smart and qualified people without working as part of it yourself, the more successful and significant entrepreneur you can become,” rich dad explained. - I own several companies, but I do not do any work within them. This way I can make more money and provide more value without having to do the specific work myself. This is why leadership is the most important skill needed to become a true entrepreneur.
Can you learn leadership skills? - I asked.
Yes, said rich dad. - L noticed that every person has the qualities of a leader. The problem with most people is that they devote their entire lives to developing their professional and career skills, which is why most people are in the “E” and “S” quadrants. Very few people dedicate their lives to developing the leadership skills so necessary in the B quadrant. So I say, “Yes, you can learn to be a leader.”
And many years later, rich dad said: “Leaders accept the challenges of life, while other people look for job security.”
In the professional skills or additional information section, many indicate computer knowledge. But not everyone can make a list of computer programs for a resume. Of course, it’s best to only indicate software that you really know how to work with. After all, the recruiter may ask you to show your skills right at the interview.
Writing rules
HR officers advise writing about computer skills even to those people who are applying for a position not related to working on a PC. When describing your level of proficiency in this technique, you can indicate a list of programs that you know how to use. You also need to write down at what level you know the computer. You can indicate this as follows:
- confident PC user;
- average level;
- entry-level computer skills.
But it’s not worth describing in detail about your knowledge of certain programs. Each applicant can use this example of writing this column:
Advanced user. Ability to work with basic MS Office programs (Access, Excel, Power Point, Word, WordPad), graphic editors (Picture Manager, CorelDRAW), programs for sending and receiving electronic correspondence (Outlook Express). I can quickly search for the necessary information on the Internet, I can work with various browsers (Opera, Firefox, Chrome, Amigo, Internet Explorer). Good knowledge of the features of the Windows operating system.
The universal version of this section may look slightly different:
Intermediate PC skills. Ability to work with MS Office programs (experience with Excel, Word), search and download necessary information via the Internet (worked with Opera, Firefox browsers), can send emails.
Specifics of professions
There are a number of specialties for which it is necessary to list knowledge of programs that help to work. Of course, it’s better to start the description with general information about the level of computer skills and the ability to work with basic programs. For example, in an accountant’s resume this column might look like this:
Confident computer user. Knowledge of basic Microsoft programs Office, such as MS Access, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, ability to work with by email(including in Outlook Express, Mirramail, EmailOpenViewPro). Excellent Internet skills in various browsers (worked in Opera, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and others). Knowledge of specialized computer programs: 1C: Accounting 7.7 and 8, Parus, Client-Bank systems.
Too large a list listing all kinds of software can have the opposite effect: the employer will decide that your knowledge is very superficial.
It would be nice if an applicant for the position of sales manager, in addition to the list of basic PC programs, also indicates knowledge of specialized ones. In his resume, the specified section of the “professional skills” column may look like this:
Level of competent user. Skills in searching for specialized information on the Internet, experience working with various browsers (including Explorer, Opera, Chrome and others). Knowledge of the basics of working with Linux and Windows operating systems, basic office programs, text and graphic editors (Word, WordPad, PowerPoint, Access, Paint, Excel, Photoshop). Skills in working with specialized systems “BEST”, 1C:Enterprise (specification “Trade and Warehouse”), experience in working with a CRM system that regulates relationships with customers.
If the position requires more in-depth knowledge of certain programs, then they must be indicated. So, for the position of PHP programmer, in addition to the ability to work with a PC, you may need the following: knowledge of PHP, social media API, WordPress API, CSS, HTML, JS, CSS.
In the latter case, you need to focus on your knowledge and the employer’s requirements.
If mastering new programs does not cause you any difficulties, this is worth noting at the end of the section.
Employers love to ask about stress resistance, but you really want to get new job that they are immediately ready to confirm their readiness to work hard in an emergency situation. But don’t rush to say “yes” right away - this could harm your career and health.
You should not say at an interview that you act best in emergency situations. Such a statement, especially in a clearly harsh form, may alert the employer. He will think that in other conditions you feel uncomfortable. Typically, you should not broach this topic without asking a question from the recruiter or potential boss. But if during the interview it becomes clear to you that emergency situations are commonplace in the company, then you can and should mention your successful experience of working in emergency situations.
When an employer selects an employee, he often finds out whether the applicant can work under peak load conditions, whether he has experience in such activities, and whether this might intimidate him. In some areas (construction, tourism, marketing of certain food products and others) there are seasonal peaks. Emergency situations can be associated with the time of day or certain days (restaurant business, retail trade). Or, for example, for accountants - with the period of preparing reports.
It is always easier for a job seeker if the employer directly asks how a person feels under high workload conditions. Then it’s worth saying that you have such experience and are calm about similar situations. But you can’t say that you work best under these conditions. Your interviewer may think that you might get bored very quickly with the regular schedule of office activities. It is better to imagine yourself as a generalist from this point of view. Therefore, answer, for example, like this: “Of course, I like to work when everything is clear and according to plan, but if an emergency happens, then it’s okay, you can’t do business without it.”
To illustrate, I will give an example taken from an interview with an applicant for the position of destination manager at a travel agency.
- There are different periods and situations in our business. In what environment do you work best?
- During the holidays, before New Year's and May holidays, before children's holidays the loads are peak. This is the most interesting time to work. It is important not to miss a single client - clear planning of all contacts, increasing intensity, processing.
- What if there’s a lull?
- There is always work that can and should be done during such periods. It is important to maintain contacts with old clients, collect and prepare information for the next hot season, and develop new offers. If a person knows and loves his job, he always has something to do.
The employer should get the impression that you are always ready to work in the mode required by the situation.
Employers love to ask about stress resistance, and you want to get a new job so much that you are immediately ready to confirm your readiness to work hard in emergency situations. But don’t rush to say “yes” right away - this could harm your career and health.
You should not say at an interview that you act best in emergency situations. Such a statement, especially in a clearly harsh form, may alert the employer. He will think that in other conditions you feel uncomfortable. Typically, you should not broach this topic without asking a question from the recruiter or potential boss. But if during the interview it becomes clear to you that emergency situations are commonplace in the company, then you can and should mention your successful experience of working in emergency situations.
When an employer selects an employee, he often finds out whether the applicant can work under peak load conditions, whether he has experience in such activities, and whether this might intimidate him. In some areas (construction, tourism, marketing of certain food products and others) there are seasonal peaks. Emergency situations can be associated with the time of day or certain days (restaurant business, retail trade). Or, for example, for accountants - with the period of preparing reports.
It is always easier for a job seeker if the employer directly asks how a person feels under high workload conditions. Then it’s worth saying that you have such experience and are calm about such situations. But you can’t say that you work best under these conditions. Your interviewer may think that you might get bored very quickly with the regular schedule of office activities. It is better to imagine yourself as a generalist from this point of view. Therefore, answer, for example, like this: “Of course, I like to work when everything is clear and according to plan, but if an emergency happens, then it’s okay, you can’t do business without it.”
To illustrate, I will give an example taken from an interview with an applicant for the position of destination manager at a travel agency.
There are different periods and situations in our business. In what environment do you work best?
During the holidays, before the New Year and May holidays, before children's holidays, the loads are peak. This is the most interesting time to work. It is important not to miss a single client - clear planning of all contacts, increasing intensity, processing.
What if there’s a lull?
There is always work that can and should be done during such periods. It is important to maintain contacts with old clients, collect and prepare information for the next hot season, and develop new offers. If a person knows and loves his job, he always has something to do.
The employer should get the impression that you are always ready to work in the mode required by the situation.