Wesley Cole

How do you work with people who don’t work like you? 

I would say this is one of the hardest things in working with a team. The harmonization of team members is huge for the success of the team. Think about yourself for a little bit…what are you strengths, weaknesses, skills, and personality? Now ponder the same questions for each member of your team. How are they different and how are they the same? 

The way a person works is determined by many different things, one of them being their personality. Each person likes to work in different ways. Some are extremely task oriented to the point that if you break up their actionable to-do list with a meeting or different process, it can throw off their entire work flow and slow down their productivity. Others are very laid back in their work process and are able to have curve balls thrown at them and run with what is given to them to accomplish very easily. 

Culture also affects how people work. Working with people from different countries from you is something that you really have to be aware of and work to find the middle ground. 

If everyone is different, how do we accomplish working together as a team? 

You can’t expect other people to change, but you can change yourself to be able to work with others in a harmonizing way. Don’t bash heads, but rather help people to see the benefit of working a little bit differently while working to not let your work habits get in the way as well.  Focus on finding the middle ground and do a good deed for your coworkers by trying to work in a way that benefits everyone on the team. Often times we become focused on making the work all about us. Our way is the best and everyone else needs to do it this way. Sometimes you will have the best way, but if you try to go out and dictate how it’s going to be done, most people will not accept that willingly.

Don’t try to change the entire work process, otherwise nothing will change. Work to adapt your working process to be able to accomplish the goal of the team and not your own specific goals. Think as a whole team.