A follow-up companion reader to The 17 Indisputable Laws \rof Teamwork, here is a clear character profile of the \rideal Team Player. Maxwell stresses some main qualities \rof a good team player: intentional, or she is focused on \rthe big picture, relational, focused on others, selfless, \rwilling to take a backseat for the good of the team, and \rtenacious - works hard to overcome obstacles, no matter \rwhat.

1. Adaptable: If you won't change for the team, the \rteam may change youTeam players who are most likely to \rbecome adaptable possess the following characteristics:

a) they are highly teachable;

b) they are emotionally secure;

c) they are creative; and,

d) they are service-minded individuals.

To achieve such characteristic, the following are \rrecommended:

a) get into the habit of learning;

b) reevaluate your role on the team; and, c)think \routside the lines.

2. Collaborative: Working together precedes winning \rtogether Collaboration is the key word when it comes \rto meeting challenges as a team. Cooperation is merely\rworking together agreeably, but collaborating means \rworking together more aggressively. Every team player \rmust bring something more to the table, and not just \rput in his minimum required work.

A collaborative team player needs to change in four \rkey areas: \ra) Perception; b) Attitude; c) Focus; and, d) Results

3. Committed: There are no halfhearted champions\rCommitment usually is discovered in the midst of \radversity. Committed people don't surrender easily. \rIt does not depend on gifts or abilities. Rather, \rit is the result of choice. Commitment lasts when it's \rbased on values. If it's something you believe \rin, it's easier to keep.

To improve the level of commitment, one must:

- Tie commitments to values.

- Take a risk.

- Evaluate teammates' commitment.

4. Communicative: A team is many voices with a \rsingle heartCommunicative team players do not isolate \rthemselves from others; make it easy for teammates \rto communicate with them; follow the twenty-four hour \rrule; give attention to potentially difficult \rrelationships; and, follow up important communication \rin writing. To improve communication one is expected to: \ra) be candid; b) be quick; and, c) be inclusive.

5. Competent: If you can't, your team won't\rCompetent does not mean simply having adequate skills \rto perform a job. It means the individual must be \rhighly qualified to do the job well. To improve the \rlevel of competence, one must: \ra) focus yourself professionally; \rb) sweat the small stuff; \rc) give more attention to implementation.

6. Dependable: Teams go to Go-To players

The essence of dependability:

- Pure motives. If there are no hidden agendas the \rteam will make progress.

- The ability to take on responsibility. The team \rplayer must want the ball and be able to sink it in \rthe basket and score.

- Sound thinking and good judgment, when it counts.

- Consistent contribution, no matter how tired, \roverwhelmed or distracted, you must be able to \rdeliver.

To improve dependability one must: a) check your \rmotives; b) discover what your word is worth.; and, \rc) find someone to hold you accountable.

7. Disciplined: Where there's a will, there's a win\rDiscipline is doing what you really don't want to do, \rso that you can do what you really want to do. It \rmeans paying the price so you can have the reward \rlater. To become the kind of players teams want, \rpeople must develop discipline in three areas.

- Disciplined thinking. Keep your mind active, and \ralways think about the right things.

- Disciplined emotions. Either you master your \remotions, or be mastered by them.

- Disciplined actions. Action separates the winners \rfrom the losers. When people act on what they must do, \rit is for the benefit of all those on the team.

8. Enlarging\rAdding value to teammates is invaluable

Team members love a player who is able to inspire \rthem to become more successful. Team players who \renlarge their teammates share common characteristics:

- Enlargers value their teammates.

- Enlargers value what their teammates value.

- Enlargers add value to their teammates.

- Enlargers make themselves more valuable.

How do we become Enlargers?

- Believe in others before they believe in you.

- Serve others before they serve you.

- Add value to others before they add value to you. \rPoint out your teammates' strengths, encourage and \rmotivate them out of their comfort zone, but within \rtheir gift zone.

9. Enthusiastic: Your heart is the source of energy \rfor the team People who bring an enthusiastic attitude \rto teamwork often.

- Take responsibility for their own enthusiasm.

- Act their way into feeling. The only way to begin \ris simply to begin!

- Believe in what they are doing.

- Spend time with enthusiastic people. Enthusiasm is \rcontagious.

To improve enthusiasm, one must:

- Show a sense of urgency.

- Be willing to do more.

- Strive for excellence.

10. Intentional: Make every action count\rBeing intentional means working with a strong sense \rof purpose. Successful individuals are never scattered \rand haphazard. They have a clear reason why they are \rdoing what they are doing. For a team to be successful, \rit needs intentional people who are focused and \rproductive, the kind of people who can make every \raction count.

11. Mission conscious: The Big Picture is coming in loud \rand clear.The four qualities of mission-conscious team \rplayers are the ff:

- They know where the team is going.

- They let the leader of the team lead.

- They place team accomplishment ahead of their own.

- They do whatever is necessary to achieve the mission.

To improve mission consciousness you must:

- Check to see if your team focuses on its mission.

- Find ways to keep the mission in mind.

- Contribute your best as a team member.

12. Prepared: Preparation can mean the difference between \rwinning and losing

To be a more prepared team, think about the following:

a) assessment; b) alignment; c) attitude; and, d) action. \rTo improve preparedness you must:

a) become a process thinker; b) do more research; and,

c) learn from your mistakes.

13. elational: If you get along, others will go along\rTeams want people who are relational. Look for the \rfollowing in your team relationships: a) respect; \rb) Shared experiences; c) Trust; d) Reciprocity; and, \re) mutual enjoyment.

To better relate to your teammates you must: a) focus\ron others instead of yourself; b) ask the right questions; \rc) share common experiences; and, d) make others feel \rspecial.

14. Self-improving: To improve the team, improve yourself \rPeople who are constantly improving themselves make three\rprocesses an ongoing cycle in their lives: Preparation, \rContemplation, and Application.

To become self-improving you must: a) become highly \rteachable; b) plan your progress; c) value \rself-improvement above self-promotion.

15. Selfless: There is no "I" in team\rAs a team member, how do you cultivate an attitude of \rselflessness?

- Be generous. \r- Avoid internal politics. \r- Display loyalty. \r- Value interdependence over independence.

To become more selfless.

- Promote someone other than yourself. \r- Take a subordinate role. \r- Give secretly, without the other team members \rknowing.

16. Solution-oriented: Make a resolution to find the \rsolution Your personality type, upbringing and personal \rhistory affect how solution-oriented you are naturally.\rAnyone can become solution-oriented. Solution oriented \rpeople recognize these truths:

- Problems are a matter of perspective.

- All problems are solvable.

- Problems either stop us or stretch us.

To make yourself a solution-oriented team player, you \rmust: a) refuse to give up; b) refocus your thinking; \rc) rethink your strategy; and, d) repeat the process.

17. Tenacious: Never, never, never quit\rBeing tenacious means giving all that you've got, 100% \rnot more than you have. It has something to do with \rworking with determination, not waiting on destiny. \rTenacious people do not rely on luck, fate, or destiny \rfor their success. When conditions become difficult, \rthey keep working. Quitting when the job is done, not \rwhen you're tired. Push yourself beyond what you think \ryou are capable of.

To improve your tenacity, you must: a) work harder or \rsmarter; b) stand for something c) make your work a game.

Key thoughts:

"Be more concerned with your character than your \rreputation, because characte is what you really are, \rwhile your reputation is merely what others think you \rare." \r-John Wooden, college basketball coach

"Although they only give gold medals in the field of \rathletics, I encourage everyone to look into themselves \rand find their own personal dream, whatever that may \rbe - sports, medicine, law, business, music, writing, \rwhatever. The same principles apply. Turn your dream\rinto a goal and learn how to attack that goal \rsystematically. Break it into bite-size chunks that seem \rpossible, and then don't give up. Just keep plugging away." \r- John Naber, swimmer, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist

By: Regine Azurin\rRegine Azurin is the President of BestSummaries.com, \ra company that provides book summaries of the latest \rmotivational, inspirational, self-help and personality \rdevelopment bestsellers.\rhttp://www.bestsum.com \rFree Book Summaries of Top Self-help, Motivational \rand Inspirational books

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