If we work in a team there are many expectations that are laid on us. Some of them were never verbalized, yet they exist and are as valid as those listed in the job requirements.
So if I have the technical skills, I’m self-organized, and I deliver – what other traits do I need to have to be an effective team member? And how can I show them while working from home?
- Communication skills
- Internal motivation
- Positive attitude
- Pro-activeness and willingness to take a lead over an initiative
- Emotional Intelligence – Ability to understand the social context and act upon it
Pro-activeness and willingness to take leadership
In my previous bit on communication blockers, I’ve mentioned why people may be reluctant or passive when it comes to state their opinion or take a lead over an initiative. While working remotely pro activeness is even more important than before. It may be because we don’t know each other that well… Some of us never met ourselves f2f and never will. So we simply don’t know if other team members are silent because they are shy or “lazy”. If they are not taking an initiative because they feel “they won’t be able to deliver a high quality” or they are disengaged. If it’s the first reason, even though you may refuse to take leadership you may still be seen as a pro-active person. Simply by speaking up the real cause why you hesitate, or why you don’t want to engage.
For what habits you would get an extra point:
- For being a good communicator and doing all the stuff from the first point 😉
- For volunteering – for not being afraid to try and taking the responsibility or
- For speaking up and explaining why you hesitate to take leadership
- For sharing your ideas and concerns
- For being willing to help, even if you are not sure if you can.
- For leading others or encouraging them to take the initiative while you provide the support
