ABC 7: How to Be the Ideal Team Player and Get Promoted Faster

Knowing these 3 key ideal team player traits will accelerate your leadership development

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Great team players are the ones whose career grows inordinately fast compared to their peers and colleagues.

That’s because they have outsized impact and drive greater outcomes with 3 key traits.

This week, we explore the traits of an ideal team player as described in Patrick Lencioni's book, "The Ideal Team Player."

Understanding this very useful framework also enhances your leadership capabilities if you use them to your advantage to coach and mentor.

Be The Team Player EVERYONE Wants

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Advice of the Week

Life Lesson: Becoming an Ideal Team Player

When I was in college, I remember being on a group for an engineering design project. My teammates didn’t show up to 2 of our scheduled times and I felt pretty spiteful.

I went to our professor and told him what was going on - I tattled. (Honestly I’m cringing thinking about this)

Our professor took some action and reprimanded my teammates. I didn’t expect that. I didn’t want that at all - I just wanted to give the professor a heads up so I could protect my own grade if the project became a tire fire.

There was no option to change teams. I was stuck with the group I just told on. I can assure you - that absolutely SUCKED.

I made the wrong move because I didn’t think far ahead enough of how this might play out.

I lacked people smarts.

Don’t be past me.

3 Tips to Be The Ideal Team Player

I read "The Ideal Team Player" by Patrick Lencioni and discovered the three essential virtues of an ideal team player: Humble, Hungry, and (People) Smart.

Embracing these 3 key traits transformed my approach to teamwork and leadership.

1. Be Humble: Recognize the contributions of others and appreciate their strengths. Humility fosters a collaborative environment and encourages open communication.

2. Stay Hungry: Maintain a strong work ethic and a relentless drive for improvement. Show initiative and be proactive in your contributions. Maintaining motivation to stay hungry is another skill in itself, which I can expand on in a future newsletter.

3. Be Smart: Not just intelligence. Be emotionally intelligent. Understand your teammates' feelings and perspectives. This helps in managing relationships and fostering a supportive team culture.

I bet you can figure out who’s who at work now! Credit: Web3us for the graphic

Breakthrough Recommendation: "The Ideal Team Player" by Patrick Lencioni

Why it’s awesome:

Lencioni’s framework of humility, hunger, and people smarts helps you understand and cultivate these traits in yourself and others, leading to stronger, more cohesive teams.

If you’re insanely busy and don’t want to read the book, here’s a Ted talk by the author on the same topic!

Read it here: The Ideal Team Player

My Favorite Quotes:

"Smart team players are good listeners and have the ability to understand different perspectives."

"Humble team players are willing to put their egos aside and collaborate with others."

"Hungry team players have a strong drive to achieve and are committed to the goals of the team."

I love these quotes because they’re very straight forward and explain the different traits of a team player in no-nonsense terms.

Actionable Takeaways

I compiled a table with some symptoms you’ll see when a teammate exhibits a lack of one of these qualities.

In addition, there are some coaching tips below for every case.

This is by no means comprehensive, and really serves as a starting point for you to start thinking about these traits at the intersection of your own leadership growth.

In my humble opinion, great leaders think hard about how to grow the people around them. They are coaches who nudge to get the best out of their teammates.

They make those around them extraordinary by example, and it is through intentionality.

Ask yourself: How might I nudge my teammates to grow?

The MOST important thing you can do as a leader though, is to foster trust so that your teammates can have accountability in the first place. They will be more willing to hear feedback and improve if that is in place.

Side Note: Another thing I’ve noticed with “Not Hungry” people, is that most of the time it comes down to two issues:

• They aren’t seeing how their work ties into the bigger picture (that’s a reflection of you, as a leader)

• They aren’t in the right role where the work is energy giving for them, and it’s actually energy draining (it’s your job to help figure them figure out a better path, and get them there)

Actionable Takeaways

1. Embrace Humility: Regularly acknowledge your team’s contributions. Give credit where it’s due and be open to feedback.

2. Cultivate Hunger: Set personal and professional goals that push you beyond your comfort zone. Stay curious and eager to learn. Be a forever learner - life is more fulfilling that way.

3. Develop People Smarts: Practice active listening and empathy. Understand the emotions and dynamics within your team to navigate relationships effectively.

What I did this week

I got some feedback from my partner that I was making some passive aggressive comments and it was causing her grief.

Damn. That sucked to hear.

I put my ego and defensiveness aside, listened to her, and empathized with her. She was right, and I wasn’t being a good team player.

Nobody wants passive aggressive comments. I apologized profusely, validated her feelings, and committed to doing better. Then we got ice cream, and all was well in the world again.

I used my people smarts and stayed humble and thanked her for the feedback.

I’m always hungry for feedback - it helps me improve to be the best teammate I can be.

Challenge: Assess and Improve Your Team Player Traits

This week, reflect on how you embody the virtues of humility, hunger, and people smarts. Give yourself a score of 1-10.

It’ll show you where you’re weak and where you’re strong.

Double down on the strength, then think about who in your network has strengths where you’re weak.

Ask them for a meeting and pick their brain. Ask for mentorship, or how you might collaborate with them.

I’ve often pulled this from my leadership playbook: assign work to people who reciprocate weaknesses and strengths and they will simultaneously improve.

Now, you can intentionally do this for your own personal growth. Your career will thank you. And I’m sure your personal relationships will too (because after all, isn’t a relationship just another type of team?).

Share your insights and progress in the comments to inspire others!

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