Yahoo! HotJobs - 5 Ways To Be a Good Team = Player

Margaret = Steen, for=20 Yahoo! HotJobs, Yahoo! HotJobs

When it comes to choosing a candidate for a new job or a promotion, = employers=20 consistently say they want "a team player."

This means someone who can "put the team goals = and the=20 team accountability ahead of their own individual situation," says Steve = Kass,=20 president for the Great Plains district of Robert Half International. =

But how, exactly, do you go about showing that = you're a=20 team player? Experts offer the following five suggestions for concrete = ways you=20 can show your dedication to the team.

1. Meet your deadlines.

When Accountemps, a division of RHI, surveyed = senior=20 executives at large companies=20 about what it meant to be a team player, the most common reply was = "meets=20 deadlines."

When you're doing one part of a larger project, = as is=20 often the case when you're on a team at work, you can hold up everyone = else if=20 you don't get your work done on time. A good team player is someone = other team=20 members know they can depend on.

2. Be candid.

Glenn Parker, a team-building consultant in = Princeton,=20 N.J. and author of "Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for = Developing=20 Successful Collaboration," believes companies used to have a = one-dimensional=20 view of a team player: someone who worked hard and didn't ask questions. = "But=20 the world has changed," he says. "The idea of just supporting things is = not as=20 valued as it was."

Indeed, in the Accountemps survey, "supports his = or her=20 manager" was low on the list of qualities a team player should have. = This=20 doesn't mean managers want to=20 be undermined -- but many do appreciate suggestions and constructive=20 criticism.

3. Adapt quickly.

You may work with teams whose members are in = different=20 locations. It's likely you'll be a member of several different teams at = work,=20 too, each focused on a different goal.

Today, with advances in technology, increased=20 globalization and more diversity in the workplace, team players need to = be "more=20 complex, adaptive, creative and flexible," Parker says.

One way to demonstrate how adaptable you are is = to offer=20 to change the way you work if it seems like it would help your = teammates, Kass=20 said.

Attitude is important, too. People used to = assume that=20 trust among team members had to be built over a long period. In today's=20 fast-paced business world, there may not be time for that. So, Parker = says,=20 successful team members begin by assuming that their coworkers are = capable,=20 dependable, and engaged.

4. Appreciate others' work = styles.

One person may be good at facilitating = communication;=20 another likes to challenge the group's assumptions. The best teams will = have a=20 mix of these styles and members who appreciate each other's = contributions.

"The really good team player, regardless of = style, is=20 somebody who can understand and appreciate and work with people whose = style is=20 different from theirs," Parker says.

5. Avoid politics.

In Accountemps' survey, avoiding politics was = second only=20 to meeting deadlines when it came to defining a good team player. "This = means,"=20 says Kass, "that you don't let yourself get distracted by issues that = aren't=20 crucial to the team's mission."

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