While collaboration is more than just working together,

the skills involved in successful teamwork

are important to successful collaboration.

It's important to be a good team player.

Every organization success relies on effective teams.

And modern teams are often made up

of a diverse mix of individuals and circumstances.

They may be cross functional or multi-disciplinary.

They may be collocated or collaborate remotely.

They may be made up of familiar co-workers or complete strangers.

There may be cultural or language barriers to overcome

in order to work together successfully.

But regardless of the team situation,

the basic principles of being a good team member apply.

In almost everything you read about being a good team member,

there are the same lists of basic qualities

such as being honest, fair, respectful, reliable,

responsible, and a good communicator.

But there's more to being an outstanding team member,

qualities that don't always get the proper attention.

A good work team member shows genuine commitment.

There's a tangible difference between someone who shows up to work on a team

and someone who is genuinely committed to the team's goals.

If you're committed, you're in the office when needed,

and you make sure that your seat time is worth it,

by contributing as much as possible while you're there.

The best team members get involved.

It does not serve you well to just sit quietly and

do your work in a silo. Don't stay in the shadows.

Instead, get involved with your team.

If you don't know something, find out by asking team members questions.

Strong team players come to their teammates

prepared with their questions and ideas clearly thought through.

Solid team members need to be transparent.

Sharing opinions and ideas is important,

as long as they don't actually belong to someone else.

You don't have to take credit for everything.

In fact, giving credit for ideas you're sharing earns you respect and trust.

As an outstanding team worker,

you must be ready to help even if it's not in your job description.

Be generous with pointers or tips to help your team members.

For example, if a member is experiencing frustration when using a new technology

that you're experienced with, offer your help and share what you know.

Along those lines, successful team members work to be problem-solvers,

not problem-makers. Help resolve problems even if they aren't directly yours.

If a teammate is stuck with a problem she's working on,

take the initiative and try to solve it, or at least help.

This earns you respect

and is sure to come back at you someday in a positive way.

When you have a problem in the future,

it may be you on the receiving end,

especially if people remember how you've given of your time before.

And as a good teammate, recognize and acknowledge when you're wrong.

The point is to work hard and be good at what you do,

not try to be right all the time.

Being stubborn is not a quality of a good team player.

Team members respect you when you admit you're wrong,

or when you back off an idea when it's clear it's not the right path.

If you strongly believe that your team is making a mistake,

you can usually find a way to come back to the issue when the time is right.

And if it happens that you are correct, accept it gracefully.

These, of course, are hardly the only characteristics of good team members,

but they provide a solid starting point for successful collaboration.

They are a blueprint

for beginning the work of successfully working together with others.