Relationships, Teamwork, and Problem-solving in Business

What have you done in the past to contribute toward a teamwork environment? Currently I work on smaller teams of entrepreneurial minded people striving to lay the groundwork for solid business foundation. We produce work that is goal oriented and I give to the balance of ideas so results can only be delivered by committee. I use my strengths in full as an integral part of this team, which helps to compensate for each other's weaknesses. For example, recently one of my partners was having some difficulty conceiving a promotional item that needed to get out quickly. I suggested a few things to get him stimulated. My different personality type balanced and complemented his, as we worked to meet the deadlines. The result was something neither of us expected and was roundly complimented for its scope and creativity. This assignment was definitely his responsibility to complete, however I deemed it in both of our interests to get something real done, otherwise the overall success of the business could be hurt, thus affecting me and my co-workers. Another good example of my contribution to teams would be my volunteered effort with various community organizations. Recently I attended an open orientation for people who were interested in starting community gardens. During the course of the event I met with like-minded but diverse people. We developed a plan to raise funds and work toward the goal of establishing a sustainable community garden. My contribution was and now is to offer clarity in who is responsible for what and avoid overlapping authority. I noticed a risk recently where two team members were competing for control of a certain area. My solution was to divide that area into two distinct parts and give each complete control in ...

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...d arranged for the department to flourish while still completing an essential project across departmental lines. In working with other departments I came to the realization that I rely on the other department’s support sometimes to complete my projects. For example, I approached the marketing department soliciting advice on how to make a particular campaign more profitable for the company without alienating the personal attention needed to apply to the clients. Our views conflicted. I saw their implementation of new tools being difficult for clients to understand as an improvement; their perspective was that this new approach was going to make the business more money without cutting back on overall creativity. After much discussion we came to a mutual understanding, taking pieces from each perspective and worked together to create what ended up being a great choice.