Teamwork

Cooperative and coordinated effort helps groups easily achieve their goals. Developing authentic and mutually beneficial relationships with team members that includes, respects and honors diverse perspectives and working styles.

Suggested activities

  • Equally dividing and contributing to a class project.
  • Letting go of your own idea of how something should be done to cooperate with a team’s efforts.
  • Volunteering to cover a shift for a coworker who is out.
  • Directly and respectfully addressing conflict with the involved people in your team.

Rate where you are on this skill

Basic Intermediate Advanced Expert
Basic

You understand that teamwork is a process where people purposefully choose to collaborate, develop relationships and cooperate with others to achieve mutually created goals.

What this skill looks like in action:

  • Study this skill in a class or training.

At this level, it is appropriate to include this skill on your resume.

You actively collaborate with classmates to complete a semester-long class project or work with a team to accomplish a shared goal at a part-time job, internship, club/organization or in a volunteer role.

What this skill looks like in action:

  • Listen with an open mind and take time to understand others without interrupting.
  • Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members.
  • Cooperate with others to achie common goals.
  • Respond to concerns with an open mind.
  • Seek to understand multiple perspectives.
  • Follow through on individual and team tasks and projects.
  • Put aside personal preferences for the good of the team/project.

You have dedicated many hours to working on a team in multiple environments including a work setting. People seek you out as a highly valued team member because of the contributions you make and the results your teams are able to achieve. The teams you are part of demonstrate a strong sense of purpose and deep commitment to successfully achieving agreed-upon goals.

What this skill looks like in action:

  • Readily offer personal strengths, knowledge and talents to complement those of others.
  • Effectively manage conflict.
  • Interact with and respect diverse personalities.
  • Meet ambiguity with resilience and cooperation.
  • Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
  • Offer support or expertise to colleagues.

You have committed hundreds of hours to working on teams, leading and studying teams, and collaborating with other teamwork experts. People look to you to teach them about the nuances of teamwork.

What this skill looks like in action:

  • Continue to learn about this skill through graduate studies or by applying it in more advanced and complex work situations.
  • Envision and create well-balanced teams to carry out high-stakes tasks effectively and efficiently.
  • Adapt to the individual needs of each team or project you are part of by embracing the leadership or participant role as needed.
  • May have researched and created resources to educate others on productive teams and theories on teamwork.