Actively Look for Ways to Support Each Other
2023 Issue 3 | GearedUp
68 team is a group of individuals who
A support one another toward fulfilling a meaningful purpose and achieving important outcomes .
In this article , we ’ re going to focus on the word support . Here are four ways a person can support a teammate in any organization .
Provide Emotional Support
Many times what a teammate needs is not a solution , but rather someone to truly listen and be emotionally supportive . A person has had a very rough day or week . Painful conflicts at home , disappointments in results at work , a health flareup and a host of other realities can wear a person down . The person can ’ t always turn to a spouse or family member over and over for support . Those people may be stressed out as well .
What can you do to be a supportive teammate ?
Sometimes just stopping what you are doing , facing the person and listening non-stop without inserting any advice at all can be tremendously supportive of the other person .
You don ’ t have to feel it ’ s necessary to comment on the person ’ s situation or judge it or tell the person what to do . Just look the person in the eye and let the person vent . Let the person pour out his or her emotions . Be there to hear the emotions and don ’ t walk away from the person .
Share Knowledge
If you have information that would help a teammate , offer that information . If you are not a team player , then hoard information and don ’ t share it with other people . It ’ s very simple .
You worked with a difficult customer on a past project , and you know this person is a quick decision-maker who wants no small talk , three options , a recommendation and the opportunity to make the final decision . Your colleague tends to try to be friendly and relaxed with customers and warm them up by asking about their family and their vacations . Your colleague is now going to be working with this customer .
If you are a team player , you share information about this customer before your colleague walks into the first meeting . If you are only focused on yourself , then you don ’ t take the time to share any information that might help someone working on a different project .
Offer Honest Suggestions Teammates are not bosses of each other . It is not your role or responsibility to tell other members of your team what to do . However , you can support a teammate by offering an honest suggestion in a one-on-one conversation .
If you believe a teammate is sabotaging her success by making judgmental comments about other team members , then I encourage you to set up a time to talk with this teammate in private . When that time comes , you can say , “ Susan , I ’ m certainly never going to tell you what you can and can ’ t do in a meeting . However , can I offer you a suggestion ?” If Susan says yes , you can say ,
“ I don ’ t know if you realize it , but in our group meetings , you often make disparaging comments about people who are not in the room and who are working on projects for some of our other team members . I ’ m just letting you know this because I think it might hurt your credibility with people in the room . What do you think ?”
Susan might get upset with you . She might be thankful to you . She may or may not do what you by Dan Coughlin are suggesting . That ’ s up to her . But you offered her an honest suggestion in a private conversation . You made an effort to support her . Now let it go . Don ’ t keep harping on Susan ’ s behavior with her . If you do , then you are not being a supportive teammate . You are becoming a person who thinks he or she is the boss of the other person . That would weaken teamwork .
Do What Is Asked
Sometimes being a supportive teammate is doing what is asked of you . Don ’ t debate it or fight it or ignore it . Just do what another teammate is asking you .
“ Tom , would you be willing to call this list of 10 prospects to see if we can generate any interest in this new product launch ?”
“ Yes , thanks for thinking of me and asking me to do that . I will do that and let you know how it goes .”
Did you notice how simple that exchange was to complete ? No drama , no intense scrutinizing . Just one teammate asking another to do something and the second teammate saying yes . G
Dan Coughlin is president of The Coughlin Company Inc ., a management consulting firm focused on improving executive effectiveness and significance . He serves as a thinking partner for executives , managers and business owners toward improving their most important desired business outcomes . He does this through executive coaching for individuals and small groups . He also provides keynote speeches and seminars on effectiveness and leadership .