Hippies in Action! Understanding the true meaning of team player.
I know I am a team player. I know my brother is a team player. But when we need to make a decision together, why do we end up in having conflicts? Good question.. Probably one of us is lying about being a team player. Well, we are not! I want to explain a little bit about how one is a team player and then share some of experiences where I worked in a team and what happened back then.
A team player is anybody who can work well in a group or team. It can be anybody who is working for a project, trip planning, etc. It can also consist of family members and not have to be work related at all. The only problem with the terminology team player is that it is underestimated. You can be a very good team player if you know the people and have worked with them before. You can also be a very good team player if you know that your ideas are going to be appreciated and you tend to speak up more and contribute your ideas. However, you can start becoming introverted when you know that you are going to work with people you have not worked with before. Also, you can start hesitating sharing your ideas when you think you are not going to be appreciated or acknowledged. Why is that the case? It is because of coming from a different background or comfort zone.
When I was living in Bangladesh, I used to be very confident when working with people. It was because I knew how they were thinking and how I could convey my ideas. After when I moved to United States, I was a little hesitant at first when I started working on group projects with other people. It was not because I was not a team player. It was because I was not sure how to share my ideas or would hesitate and think if they would not be acknowledged. This is exactly what people face when they start working in real world. People who come from different backgrounds come together under one roof and try to give a collaborated decision. It is not bad to hesitate and it is also not bad to feel introverted. It starts becoming a problem when this situation does not get fixed. Some members who are extroverted will get out of their way to get their ideas on the table and others will just listen to these ideas and nod along.
I have come up with a new term which is called ‘Hippies in Action’. A lot might of you might already know where I am going with this term now. When hippies come together in a room they hardly care what part of the world they come from. It is because they know they are going to be in the same state of mind after half an hour. They will sit in a circle and start working on what they came to meet for. In the same way, when people who come together to work for a certain project, presentation, etc. they literally do not need to sit in circle but should give everybody a chance to talk. You can sit in any pattern or however you like. If there are ten people working on a project, make sure one is talking after other and participation is a must. Even if you think you do not have anything to contribute say what understanding you have about your work. As our professors have said to us, there is no such thing as stupid question. This will help you become more relaxed around different people which is what exactly what hippies do to go to same state of mind. In this case, every team member will go to same page about their work.
Being a team player is not getting out of your way to contribute your ideas and thoughts. It is also being empathetic and making sure that people who are working with you are contributing. Again, nobody is NOT a team player. Everybody is, till they are bound to get out of their comfort zone.
Disclaimer: This is an old piece of writing from my journal back from 2014. I am glad I still feel the same
