Tips For Working as a Team

by: Adam Beasley

When it comes to working as a unit or team, it is extremely important that you mesh well together so that you are able to complete your work. At LACD, our team (not just the interns but also the upper level) has  been working  rather extensively with putting on Career Week this February. Career Week is a huge endeavor in terms of work to be done and how much little time we have to get it done. That is why is it crucial that our team is willing and able to work together cohesively. 

As a team, you must be able to play to each team members' strengths and build up your plan around those. If you are able to pinpoint your team members' strengths then you will be able to focus on what it is that each person must be doing. Also, if you know that certain team members are experts at certain tasks you will have no trouble trusting them in those areas. This helps the entire team because then everyone takes on responsiblity and no one feels as though they must check up on other team members. Just as knowing what your team members strengths are, it is also crucial that you know and understand how they do their work. For example, some team members need certain deadlines to be able to complete their work on time, whereas others don't necessarily need strict deadlines.  

It seems a bit cliché but there is a lot of truth in saying that communication is one of the most essential skills of working with a team. If your team is able to stay on top of everything and continuously communicate with all members of the team then there are rarely surprises for anyone. Surprises are one of the great fears of a team because then all the work you have been doing could be ruined. To stay strong as a group you must be able to keep everyone in the loop. Nothing makes a member of the team more detached from their work than when they are not communicated with properly. Good communication will keep team members active and enthusiastic about their work, which is always a good thing.