Teamwork is the idea of being able to work together with others. You don’t necessarily have to be on a team to use teamwork. Any time two or more people come together to get something done, that’s teamwork.
The importance of being able to cooperate with others is key to getting ahead in life. Being able to get along and work toward a common goal makes you seem more likeable to others and will get you invited to more things. Teamwork is the ability to collaborate and accomplish tasks faster with the help of others.
…and now I am dipping into interview survey mode again. I love researching these topics and I just have to share. So here goes:
Teamwork as Your Key to A Better Future
[‘R’ is me, and ‘I’ is the interviewee]
R: Give an example of ‘teamwork’ being used in popular news or the media that has inspired you in a positive way.
I: Whenever there is a national emergency or a catastrophe you always see emergency personnel as well as civilians banding together to overcome the challenges at hand. This has always inspired me and is why I originally volunteered with the fire department and then worked for an ambulance service. I am currently looking into becoming law enforcement. So you could say it has heavily influenced me.
R: Describe at least one way you think ‘teamwork’ could help you in your personal or professional life.
I: Teamwork is crucial to keep my personal life going. I work, attend school, and have a dog. My boyfriend also works so we tag team to ensure that the pup gets taken care of. In the future, I plan on being a mental health counselor which will require teamwork with various other professionals and clients to ensure quality care.
R: Give an example of how ‘teamwork’ has helped you in the past.
I: Working for a large towing company, we had to upright large tractor trailers. This required the use of multiple large tow trucks. We had to coordinate with each other so that we did not rip the truck into pieces, or cause an injury by pulling too hard on a certain cable. Teamwork has helped me immensely to recover rolled over tractor trailers.
R: Describe at least one way you think ‘teamwork’ could cause trouble or hurt you in your personal or professional life.
I: Teamwork could certainly help me in my professional life, especially in terms of academics, when people that I know from campus get together and study. Some of us may not understand a certain aspect of a topic, yet others might understand it, and thus would help out as needed. Teamwork could also harm me because I have an anxiety disorder that at times to some extent prevents me from communicating with a group of people, but it’s rarely the case. Teamwork could hurt me in this regard because then I would be hesitant to cooperate or work with others if I’m experiencing anxiety symptoms. In my personal relationships, teamwork could cause arguments as a result of very different opinions or biases. Arguments could then lead to verbal fights, which could also break apart my relationships.
R: Give an example of how ‘teamwork’ has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: Teamwork has hurt me when I was in school and had to do group projects. There is always that one slacker who doesn’t pull their own weight and you have to do extra work to make up for it. Or if you’re like me, you’re stuck with two or three slackers and you have to do everyone’s work just to keep your own grade average up because the teacher will grade you all as one instead of individually. I find these tasks unfair because you should only be graded for your own work, not that of your teammates.
R: How do you think ‘teamwork’ could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: I think it can help because people bring different strengths to the group. For example, I might be bad at the written part of project, if I use team work someone else could help to improve my project. On the other hand I could help the other person with the oral part of the project since I have better skill at that than the coworker.
R: Give an example of how ‘teamwork’ could be used beneficially at work. Why do you think this?
I: Teamwork can make a work environment perform like a well-oiled machine, whether it is an office or a construction site, and everything in between. Teamwork is often necessary for a business to thrive, and without it I think it would be extremely difficult to get things done, or even impossible. At work a person needs to be able to rely on his coworkers, since they are members of the same team, everyone needs to be comfortable to perform at the top level.
R: How do you think ‘teamwork’ could help you at home? Why is that?
I: Teamwork has been a great help to me at home. My husband and I just had our first baby, and it’s a new experience for us. We’ve used team work to feed him, change him, bath him, and do just about everything we need to with him.
R: Give an example of how ‘teamwork’ could be used beneficially in a home or domestic setting. Why do you think this?
I: Teamwork can be very useful at home. If everyone in the house gets together and helps make dinner, set the table, and do the dishes, the work gets done faster. Then everyone has more time to enjoy themselves.
R: How do you think ‘teamwork’ could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: I think teamwork helps personal relationships because it brings you closer to the other person. When you work together to achieve a goal, you feel a bond with the other person. You feel like you have something special in common with them and that makes you feel closer to the person. You share something unique with each other. This builds relationships and makes them strong.
R: Give an example of how ‘teamwork’ could be used beneficially in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: I think team work has to rely on communication. Communication is possibly the most important thing because it builds relationships. With built relationships comes better outcomes.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about ‘teamwork’.
I: If I was going to learn just one thing about team work, I think I would want to learn how to work together with people I do not like. I use team work with people I like all the time, but I don’t always like the people I have to work with. Knowing how to use teamwork even when I don’t like the people would be helpful.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about ‘teamwork’.
I: Communication. The best thing to use to learn about teamwork is communication. When working with someone in a team environment you must be able to communicate your ideas, questions, and concerns to them in a concise and prompt manner. You also cannot hide yourself, because you may endanger yourself or others.
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That’s it for now – get your teams in order folks!
If you’re looking for a great activity for building your team up and helping them understand themselves better, then check out the bird personality test.