Getting Along With Others On Your Project Team

Nothing can be worse than being on a project team at work and finding that you do not get along with the other people on your team. Of course - if the project will be going on for a while, and you will be stuck with these people every day - it is vital that you find a way to get along with them! Even though you may not like everyone on the team, you can follow these tips to get along with even the worst of them!

One of the first things you need to make sure you recognize is that it is not always necessary for you to prove that you are right. Even though this can be difficult if you find yourself on a team with an insufferable "know it all" who is nevertheless usually wrong, it is still important to adhere to this principle. Oftentimes, the majority of the members on a project team will be absolutely wrong about something, but this "something" will be something that has no real bearing on the project; you will begin to notice this as you realize that you do not always have to prove you are right. In essence, this will lead you to start picking your battles, learning to only correct the rest of your team at those times when it is necessary.

You will likely encounter conflicts and frustrations with the way some of the others on your team work, and picking your battles extends to these situations also. In the end, it is better for both yourself and the project that you only assert your strong opinions about something when it is necessary to do so. It will pay off in the long run to always be "the bigger man" - as difficult as this can be when you are around these same people every day!

Being the "bigger man" also entails allowing others to take credit for work they did not do if they choose to try and mislead your superiors. In the end, your superiors will come to realize who did the work and who did nothing!

Being on a project team can be about more than completing the project well; it can also be about simply surviving to the end! You will be able to not only survive to the end when you follow these tips, but you will also be able to thrive!