Team Player vs. Top Performer 1

[smk7579]

Let's say you're in an IT group of a dozen people. About half the people are at a level above you and half are on a level below you in rank. You are one of the smartest and most productive people in the group. Let's also say that you have some skills that NOBODY else in the group has. Should you:

1) Focus on being the most productive employee that you can be. Work your a** off and complete projects ahead of schedule. Be cordial with co-workers but keep your eyes glued to the screen and put the pedal to the metal. Reveal little about your knowledge since you spent many years learning your craft. Withhold information to keep others' from competing with you. Refrain from making friends at work. Take full credit for your work.

OR

2) Teach other people the same skills that you have. Put a higher priority on establishing relationships than accomplishments. Be a people person. Focus on trusting and making friends with the people you work with. Help others develop their skills and realize their potential. Freely share information. Be a team player and allow others to take credit for your work.

Which employee would be more secure in their job and benefit in the long term?

 

[paterson]

Wow, what an interesting senario.

You forgot option 3, where you work hard at kissing butt and get promoted! hahaha. Sorry, I got off track.

I have always preferred the 2nd option as long as what I am doing is being returned back to me. I want to learn too. I find that you should be really good at one or two things and know a little bit about the rest. That way you can support each other. I always resent the guy that will purposely not share with me.

In my first real job as a Telecom Tech, I had a mentor. He showed me everything. I remember going to one site to install a system and do some cabling. If you know anything about cabling, you know you don't like it and you also know that the new guy always does it! Well, he handed me the system and said go for it, then picked up the box of cable and left! Wow, talk about sharing the work! Most senior techs would have left that cabling to the new guy and thought nothing about it. I try and help those around me with understanding everything I do because that is what I expect from them.

If you want to move up, someone has to take the place you're leaving! Why not help mold them in to a co-worker you can trust knows what they are doing?

I find that those people that focus on one thing and keep it to themselves are those same people that get passed over for opportunities. They are so good at what they do, no one wants to find someone to replace them! Ya, they might have a job for the long term, but... I like variety in my job and changing things up once in a while, you know, spread my wings and fly (excuse me while I break into song!).

That being said, if there is not enough of my work to keep me busy, do I want others doing it? Not a good thing if the company is in a cycle of "RIGHT SIZING"!!


**************************************
My Biggest problem is that I almost always believe what I tell myself.

 

[fredericofonseca]

I would not go for 1. Too restrictive, to self centred.

But I would change 2 slightly.
2) Teach other people the same skills that you have.
Be a people person. Help others develop their skills and realize their potential. Freely share information. Be a team player and allow others to take credit for work you helped them with.

I would not allow someone to take credit for my work if I alone had do it.

I am an apologist of helping others when they need or eventually when they are taking the long way road. There are limits off course, and if I see people are asking for help just because they DO NOT want to do it themselves, then I stop helping in those cases where I see the request is for pure laziness. I am also a fan of RTFM, and I use it often.
I normally focus on developing others skills instead of doing their work, e.g. I show then how to do things instead of doing them in their place. (exceptions can and do arise).


Regards

Frederico Fonseca
SysSoft Integrated Ltd

http://www.syssoft-int.com

 

[Welshbird]

I agree. Point two every time.

My wise Dad (who I have quoted elsewhere I know....) always said

If you become irreplaceable you become un-promotable

I've tried to follow his rules, so as he told me, I try and work as if I were the next level up than I am, dress that way, and plan for someone to take over from me when I get my promotion. I may not always get it when I want, but in general I have; purely because I have already taught someone to take over from me.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[LadySlinger]

Agreed again: Point 2 is the best option.

Why? For one it shows that you have yet another skill: teaching/training others.

Secondly, when you're on vacation, don't you want to BE ON vacation? On a vacation when you don't have to worry about that phone call about such and such? I personally prefer my vacations physically and mentally away from the office. So I crosstrain to keep it that way.

 

[mmorancbt]

The protectionist IT professional is a dangerous and all too common personality. Option #1 is not an option. Option #2 is misconstrued a bit - too either/or.

I would, be a people person - working diligently to get over and around office politics through transparency.

When I was an employee, I started submitting a weekly work summary report for the work I had completed and work I had done with others. I listed - in very basic terms..

1) Planned work that was worked on or completed this week

2) Unplanned work that was worked on or completed
- and why it was added to the schedule

3) The plan for the next week
- my contract

4) Any concerns, questions, or ideas that I sprung into my mind
- new services, products, upgrades to systems, etc.

I gave a copy to my boss, her boss, and HR...
- plus I kept a copy.


My nefarious sub-plot - I wanted to be able to show my accomplishments. The net result was that it worked very well. It also let my boss know clearly my understanding of the priorities as I saw them. If she did not agree, she could/would come to me and made adjustments.

These, of course, made it to next week's report..

Share your knowledge because the fact is, if you are good at acquiring and finding knowledge, sharing it won't give that ability to others - you will become known as the idea guy and the go to resources for finding information.

Matthew Moran (career blog and podcast below)
Career Advice with Attitude for the IT Pro

http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/pm/career

http://techcareerconsult.blogspot.com

 

[lgarner]

Two is the better option, but I wouldn't pick either as they are.

Option one is fine, except for the parts about hoarding information. Two is pretty good, except for the priorities. In both cases, putting much effort into making friends is optional.

From 2:
Teach other people the same skills that you have. - Yes, other than skills that anyone in their position should possess.

Put a higher priority on establishing relationships than accomplishments. Be a people person. Focus on trusting and making friends with the people you work with. - No, No and No.

Help others develop their skills and realize their potential. Freely share information. -Yes and Yes

Be a team player and allow others to take credit for your work. - No. A team player is one thing, but allowing people to take credit for work that they did not or cannot do doesn't benefit them nor the company.

 

[kHz]

Keeping information from others is a sure way to be shown the door.

 

[pmonett]

I like seeing that many people are ready to share their knowledge. I have always conducted myself in that way in all the aspects of my life.

Knowledge is to be shared, else it be lost and become useless. I have the utmost contempt for those who hoard their knowledge and share none of it, especially in a business environment. They may be getting good salaries, but they have no credit as a team player and, when the inevitable time comes to see them go, nobody regrets them as they have next to no meaningful social interaction with their co-workers.

I am a team player, and I want my team to be as efficient as possible, leaving no problems unsolved and getting everything working as smooth as possible. When my team is good, we are all appreciated by our co-workers and it makes dealing with users that much easier. If I additionally get respect for my abilities from my teammates, then I view that as a bonus for me, not a condition of my involvement.

Pascal.

 

[edfair]

I remain a team player and a proponent of #2 but have found over the years that the knowledge is tranferable but the understanding of what it means is dependent on the skill level of those who are offered it. With some you give everything you have and they remain clueless.

I had a several people in a troubleshooting class that insisted that they would know more than me within a year after they became technicians. They didn't realize that instructor's learning did not end with teaching a course.

I've ended up in the dead-end technician position twice at the company's choice. In both cases the company suffered more from it than I did.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[blom0344]

The misconception here is that you CAN make yourselve practically irreplacable by turning path 1.
A healthy company led by sane people will avoid landing in such jeopardy and you may ultimately lose all.
Take interest in your co-worker who takes an interest in your field and this will - in 9 out of 10 cases - be beneficial for both.
You may question this attitude if you're dealing with a real path 1 indivudual. Then show polite restraint.

Ties Blom