Building Effective and Meaningful Team Relationships When You're a Newbie

The scary feeling when you begin your new job and have to start building a good working relationship with your team from scratch and make your space within the team, we've all been there.

Most of us begin with getting to know the work, our job responsibilities, and what an average day will look like for us which is all good when you want to emphasize your ability to get the job done and how beneficial you are going to be as an individual contributor.

But if you really want to make your space within the team to the point that they start looking at you as an indispensable asset to the team and the organization, then you need to up your game a little.

We are going to share some tips in this article to help you set the stage for your success that not only your boss but your team members will be awestruck.

Let's begin!

Tip #1: Understanding Team Dynamics

When you enter a team, chances are everyone knows everyone else and has already built a rapport with each other, there might be practices in place that are considered as team norms. It can also be the complete opposite, there might be a team leader who always has a final say on every idea that the team comes up with. The first thing you need to do is understand the team dynamics, find out what are the norms and practices that your team follows.

Tip #2: Understanding Personality Types

The next step is to connect with each member of the team to understand their personality type and traits. How many team members seem to be introverted, how many are extroverts, who's the most intuitive team member? Finding answers to these questions will help you in dealing with each member of the team in a unique way, helping you achieve your goals in the long-term.

Tip #3: Understanding Work Ethics

Also, note the working style of each team member, who has the best attitude, who shows initiative, who follows through on their commitments and promises, who is likely to be available to help you in case of a work emergency, who is the best team player, who is the most responsible one, who is the most helpful one of the lot. Combined with team dynamics and personality types, this information is a gold mine, especially if a time comes when you are asked to lead the same team.

Tip #4: Understanding Communication Preferences

This is something that is often overlooked because we are so busy trying to gather information for ourselves from various people that we don't realize about the communication preferences of the individual we seek information from. Some of your team members might prefer communication through chat, some others might prefer a quick call, a few others might prefer to have it documented in an email. If you know about the best ways to communicate and receive a response from your team members, it might even be helpful for you in getting your own job done effectively.

Making Your Space within the Team

A bonus tip is that while you are focusing on getting to know your team, your team is also analyzing the same things about you. Allow your team to trust you and the work you do, give them time, show them what you are capable of by tactfully sharing your expertise. If you have done your homework right, then you would know how and when you step in and share your knowledge and ideas.

Your team will eventually start relying on you and your expertise when they see your ideas come to life and be of benefit to them. That is a sure sign that you are not another addition to the team but someone who will be able to make a difference.

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