Heads up! To view this whole video, sign in with your Courses account or enroll in your free 7-day trial. Sign In Enroll
Preview
Start a free Courses trial
to watch this video
Working with teams - in companies and even for freelancers - has become part of everyday work experiences, so it's important to understand the keys to being productive and effective with them.
Working on websites and apps can be a very solitary work situation.
0:00
For many of you, it's easier just to do things on your own. There's nobody you have to deal with, nobody you have to wait for.
0:05
You can call the shots, you can control the pace of your work.
0:13
But working with teams and companies and even for freelancers has become part of many work experiences,
0:16
so it's important to understand the keys to being productive and effective with a team.
0:24
Teams do not work if expectations are unclear.
0:30
With the project on the line, team members must be organized and focused on specific tasks with specific timelines in place.
0:34
Understanding the expectations others have for you helps define your priorities and manage your time and deliverables.
0:43
Without this understanding, you may be working on pieces of your project that the team doesn't need yet,
0:50
or you might be going in a different direction than everyone else.
0:56
Members of teams often share files, documents, and other assets to support project deliverables.
0:59
Ensuring that you have access to the latest data means getting on board with the tools and the platforms that the team is using.
1:07
In certain situations, you'll find everything in one place.
1:14
In others, you may have to check out four or five different collaborative tools just to see what's going on.
1:18
Remain flexible but stay current.
1:24
With each project, make sure you know where the latest information documents are and you'll always remain on schedule.
1:27
Related to this, communication between team members is essential.
1:35
We all know how one thing can mess up our projects and our time tables. The effects can be multiplied when teams are involved,
1:40
even more so if these issues are not communicated.
1:49
Make sure you regularly share your progress and share any issues you encounter along the way.
1:52
Don't be afraid of sharing issues that you face. Be transparent.
1:58
The more information the team members have, the better the team's chances are at solving these problems together.
2:02
But, beyond the work, beyond the milestones, the deliverables,
2:10
understand that working with a team means interacting with other people.
2:15
Whether those team members are higher ups, contractors, interns, or anyone else, they are people too,
2:20
so respect their time. Treat them like professionals.
2:27
You don't have to know their life story or understand why they do the things the way that they do.
2:31
Recognize that if they're on your team, they have responsibilities just like you.
2:36
And, just like you, they're going to face problems. They're going to make mistakes, and they're going to need help.
2:41
Treat them like you would want to be treated, with respect and understanding.
2:46
You are working towards a common goal, so support them and they will support you.
2:52
So, if you can work well with a team, how does this benefit you?
2:59
People will want to work with you, they'll want to collaborate,
3:04
and they'll want to know that they can get results and they can do that with you.
3:07
This will lead to more opportunities.
3:11
So, whether you're leading the team or one of many collaborators,
3:14
understanding how to communicate and deal with others
3:18
while treating them with respect will always benefit the team and the project.
3:21
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign up