Teamwork gets the job done.

That’s not a statement, that’s a fact. Going beyond what’s expected of you will have a positive spill-over effect on those around you.

But how often have you heard “this is not my area of responsibility” from colleagues? A sentence that not only provokes you but also hinders your work processes and leaves you by yourself with your problem.

What most people don’t realise is that going that extra mile doesn’t just help you; it helps the entire company. However, we often tend to complicate things for ourselves.

Actions speak louder than words

In this article, I will explore how small changes in your daily tasks can have a positive spill-over effect on your colleagues. Being a good colleague is not just a choice; it’s a state of mind.

This article is your go-to guide for becoming colleague of the year

Simply by accepting small changes in your daily work that will benefit others.
Small manageable adjustments that hopefully have motive your colleagues to do the same to other – a positive spill-over effect throughout the company.
At the end of the day, helping others is helping yourself!

Don’t hate the player, hate the game

One of my biggest pains is those indifferent tasks that rule in my daily work. I often feel I lack a degree in meeting schedule! The whole process of checking everyone’s calendars to find a time slot that fits, and then an available meeting room, is so complicated.

And this is just for one meeting! How many meetings do you actually schedule for one day?

When technology becomes too complicated, we often tend to go into shut-down mode and resist continuing – we often just want to replace it.

I might have to accept that the current process of booking meetings is very time-consuming – and that my IT department is not at fault.

Confession & resolution - #1

Often, by acknowledging your limitations and laying the ground for a constructive dialogue, together with your IT department, you might solve the issues together. Often, there is a better way to do things, you just haven’t been introduced. Once you’ve been familiarised, you’ll reduce support tickets and hence help your IT department. A win-win for both parties!

Did you know.....

That often by admitting your limitations and asking for help, you end up finishing your task much quicker?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or engage in a dialogue with colleagues.
Remember, two heads are better than one.

Make friends, not internal war

What we love more than anything is to optimise. To optimise tasks that optimise our time usage and eventually optimises all our processes.

The fact is, not everyone has a dedicated team of consultants doing excel formulas that only graduates from Hogwarts can understand. I know for a fact that my meeting scheduling has caused much manual work for my financial department.

So, as my meeting creation has increased, my financial department is currently using 2-3 full days per month invoicing my orders. Basically, I now understand the cold shoulder I get from the accountants every time I pass them in the kitchen.

Confession & resolution - #2

By being open to changes and accommodating feedback from colleagues, you initiate brainstorming on how to unburden them with spill-over tasks from your meeting scheduling. By acknowledging that I was open for changes, the accountants pulled some strings, and before I knew it, my IT department had ensured that I could invoice my booking costs directly from my booking flow.

Ask yourself ...

With small changes to your everyday work, how many colleagues would you potentially help?

No one expects you to have the answer, but gather colleagues that are affected by your task

And figure out how to one approach potentially could benefit the majority

How to become colleague of the year!

It actually doesn’t take much to be a good colleague, but not knowing where to start is often the issue. From my experience, the best way to become a good colleague begins with;

Accept that you can’t please everyone
Take responsibility instead of shifting blame
Acknowledge that some things can be done in a more beneficial way
Engage in a constructive dialogue with your colleagues
Be open to new changes that benefit your colleagues
Don’t piss off IT or the financial department – make them your best friends (you know, paychecks, and a functional computer – pretty important!)

Being a good colleague should be your #1 KPI Teamwork gets the job done