It is easy to think of ourselves as team players, and we may be much of the time, but when the crunch comes we may be in it for ourselves.
How do you contribute to the effectivess of teams of which you are a member? This means project teams or working with colleagues who report to the same boss as you. I am not saying that you necessarily need to be a better team player. It depends on what it takes to get results where you work. The key point is that emotional intelligence depends on self-awareness and, hence, it helps to be self-aware in areas like this. For instance, you may see yourself as a good team player because you attend meetings regularly, contribute your share of ideas and hold up your end of the workload. You get things done on time when colleagues ask you and you cooperate with their requests. But if you are very competitive, you also like to win arguments. You may not back down easily and when opposed you might become angry or uncooperative. You may do more talking than asking others for their views. Or when they are talking you might be tuning out. You also may have a strong sense of turf. In short, you may, when the crunch comes, put your own needs ahead of the greater good. So, how good a team player are you really and does it matter? How is your overall career success affected by your priorities?
