Teamwork is vital to your success and the success of the company you are working for. It is very rare that you work alone unless you are working on a side project. If you are working for a company you are most likely to work in a team environment.
Being able to work together with team members is very important. As a team you have goals and plans that you want to accomplish. These goals and plans can only work if you and the team work together. If one of the team members or you are failing to pull your own weight then the team will be affected. The team can have much more success and move much farther as a unit as opposed to individuals.
Working well with others makes what you’re working on more fun, and makes people more likely to help you in the future.
When speaking to a team member, make sure you are polite and respectful. Make sure you think about what to say and how to say it before presenting your thoughts. A lot of times we as developers get into a zone while coding so when we get interupted it takes us a couple minutes to switch context and get up to speed on a topic. Be aware of that while speaking.
Another important thing is communicating bugs or defects that others may have created. Be careful not to throw them under the bus or put them in a situation to be defensive. This means that if there is an issue. Say something like “hey there is an issue arised from what you did yesterday” and go into how it’s affecting what you are working on. Be specific on what you need from them and keep it a conversation and not a command.
Keep in mind that your team members might not agree with you and that you don’t have to agree with everything they say. Make sure you allow them to be undertood and that they understand where you are coming from without arguing or being negative.
Make sure you reconize your team members on their efforts. If they help you with a task make sure let them know you are grateful. Give them credit when credit is due. Don’t hide that from them.
As the saying goes “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” as a team.