Working Well With Others

In this video, Herbert Midgley talks on how important it is to work well with others. He says that working well with others is one of the most important things that someone can do. This includes, but is not limited to business, academia, social gatherings, and performing arts. We should strive to work well with others in every setting and interaction we have.

A Forbes article written by Samantha Ettus articulates the above by listing nine ways to make one’s self easy to work with. These consist of: 1. Make a Connection, 2. Say Yes, 3. Be a Helper and a Solver, 4. Respond Quickly and Briefly, 5. Keep it Positive, 6. Be Ethical, 7. Stay Focused, 8. Arrive Promptly, and 9. Express Appreciation. All in all, I think that these are really helpful tips and ones that can make anyone a great team player, as long as they apply them.

Here is a quick video illustrating the importance of working as a team.

So here, we had a ‘life and death situation,’ yet the penguins were able to work together to outwit the wheal. This short clip shows the importance of communication and the action needed to implement that communication, so that the common good of the unit, as a whole, would benefit, ending in their survival. Now, it each of our situations may not be as survey, but we can learn that if we are not able to work well with others, it could cost us our career and our lively hood. Bad work ethic is like the wheal looking for something to devourer. If one cannot learn to work well with other people, then they should try their best to make sure the door does not hit them in the back on their way out (If you know what I mean…).

But, even further, this idea of working with others is hinged in our text, the The Geek Leader’s Handbook. Paul Glen and Maria McManus emphasize the importance of being a pleasure to work with by listing some personal experiences Paul had and by giving a list of six ways to create a good working experience for other people.

These were:

1. When you communicate, make sure you are understood.
2. When you say you’ll do something, do it , or keep people informed on your progress.
3. When you see someone struggling, offer to pitch in.
4. When you make a mistake, take responsibility for the error, the impact it had, and the resolution.
5. When you see something that could be improved, make appropriate suggestions.
6. Be consistently thoughtful and helpful, regardless of status.

If you are able to implement these six ways of making yourself better to work with, you will be golden. Doing these will create future opportunities. “It is an investment that will pay dividends, both immediate and long term” (Glen & McManus 76).

Now, this is not to say that this will be easy adoption. It will be a continuous and forever growing effort to check one’s self and to see if one’s efforts align with that of these tips. We will need to take time to examine our interactions and to even sit down and ask those who we work with how we can improve. This is crucial because we can have a self serving bias at time time, thinking that we are doing a adamant job, but in reality, we may be lacking in one area or another.

In conclusion, here is a last little bit of some food for thought…A picture that I found when I googled working with others. I believe it is an echo of that of the six ways we can create a good working experience for others.