There are numerous essential skills and habits you need in order to work well with others. Developing the proper habits, early on, helps put you on track to things like higher pay and leadership opportunities. Since more and more companies are making the decision to hire within, these things are more important than ever before.
Take Responsibility
It’s always important to take responsibility for things that you do, especially when something goes wrong. No one is perfect. All but a few unrealistic employers realize that. If you make a mistake and claim that it wasn’t your fault, not only are you not telling the truth, you’re also giving the impression that you weren’t in control of the situation.
By taking responsibility, you’ll probably notice two things. Firstly, your co-workers will likely be more willing to help you correct the problem and help you to succeed. Secondly, these same individuals will be more comfortable around you, knowing that you are honest and will never place the blame on someone else.
Keep an Open Mind
Even in situations where you know you are 100 percent correct, it’s always advisable to keep an open mind. This is especially true when you happen to be in a managerial position. Why? If you’re never open to new or alternate ideas, you may come across as someone who knows it all. When this happens, people typically get defensive very quickly and it’s downhill from there.
It’s much more productive to show a little bit of humility and concern about truly finding the right answer for every issue and situation. Because everyone has a different problem-solving process, teamwork really has the potential to resolve issues and come up with great ideas much faster.
Honor Your Commitments
Always try to allow enough time to complete projects in a timely manner, even when something unexpected comes up. It’s much better to give yourself more time than necessary to finish whenever you’re working on, rather than to underestimate the time needed to complete the assignment. This way, you don’t have to worry about disappointing your employer or your colleagues.
Go the extra mile. Always follow up on things, whenever possible. This accomplishes two things. One, it strengthens workplace relationships. Two, it provides you with important feedback regarding your performance.