I'm a big teamwork guy. I like when everyone can share credit.
That may seem like an overly obvious statement for most of you out there, but if you asked yourself if you're a team player, what would your answer be? Deep down, do you prefer to collaborate with others or tackle things independently? I don't think there's really a right or wrong answer, but at some point, inevitably, you're most likely going to need to collaborate with a colleague or boss on a portion of your work in order to take it to the next level.
As I've discovered over the years, the more responsibility I take on, the more I realize that working independently isn't really an option for me. As much as I would like to have direct control over my world, I realize that there are far too many moving parts for me to not have to rely on others for their input and insight. I'm perfectly fine with that, and I came to terms with that reality long ago. Most of us will have to if we have any intention of working in a management capacity or in inside sales.
Working collaboratively, as we all know, can be difficult at times, but from my experience it produces a far better result than working independently. Problem is, some individual thinkers always want the credit for something they've contributed to. They're so consumed by their desire for credit that they forget that the work they did is amazing despite that lack.
I recently came across a great quote from Harry Truman that I think sums up this issue rather nicely:
"It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."
True collaboration is when you worked so well with your team that when something is rolled out, you can't even remember who came up with the idea to begin with. Heck, it may have been you who came up with the idea, but you got so caught up passionately working through the process that you don't care who receives the credit.
Don't get me wrong, assuming you’re working for the right company, those of you who deserve individual credit will be recognized. In my opinion, the true team player focuses on the team first and how they can contribute to getting everyone credit for their work.
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With more reliance on technology in sales & marketing, this lesson goes even beyond the sales & marketing group. Working well with members of your IT team is essential since they can make or break your tech plans. Partnering with customer service reps fielding inquiries on Twitter can help you gain more insights, etc.
Unfortunately, what usually happens is you have a "team" that has only one or two members that are actually playing. When it's time for recognition it's often one of the team members that really didn't participate that gets the credit. That's when you start worrying about the credit.