7 Sportsmanship Rules in the Workplace
- Be polite to everyone you’re playing with, even those that you’re competing against. No trash talk. Although you don’t have to like everyone, treating them with respect will hopefully earn you respect. Also, this avoids any fights and negative tension.
- Don’t show off. If you’re really good at what you do, people will automatically praise you and think highly of you. Showing off will make you sound insecure. Plus, people will imagine throwing heavy machinery your way.
- Listen to your coaches - your supervisors and bosses. Follow their directions and listen to their advice. After all, their position usually means that they have more experience. Or, at the very least, they sign your paycheck and they have a say in your future in the company.
- Don’t make up excuses or blame a coworker when you lose. While some things are mostly another person’s fault, try to own up to your own weaknesses. Also, learn from these mistakes so that you won’t repeat them.
- Be willing to and delegate some tasks - even if you may be a better player. If you’re working with a team, you have to remember that things should be a group effort. Find out what each member specializes in, and let them contribute accordingly. Hogging all the work and glory to yourself makes you seem selfish. Your team members can also learn new skills better if they try tasks for themselves.
- Play fair and don’t cheat. Do you remember those classmates of yours who just copied off your homework? If they’re in a successful position in life, odds are they didn’t get there the honest way. When you step on someone’s toes and take credit for the work of others, you lose very important alliances and trust that you’ll be needing during the rough times. Also, you’ll sleep better at night.
- Encourage your team and root for them, whether you win or lose. This shows loyalty, and people respect others who are loyal to them. Rooting for a team regardless of the outcome lets them know that their hard work is appreciated. If you lose, simply go back on your mistakes and learn from them - without nasty finger-pointing.
This kind of attitude makes people want to work with you again, plus, you might inspire them to do better next time.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Channel Theme Days, Workplace Wellness, Workplace hacks, Workplace pimps
4 opinions for 7 Sportsmanship Rules in the Workplace
b5media - “On the Ball” at the Business Channel!
Oct 15, 2007 at 4:26 am
[…] Celine Roque of Pimp Your Work applies sportsmanship rules to office politics. […]
What’s Sports Got To Do With It?
Oct 15, 2007 at 9:05 pm
[…] Celine Roque of Pimp Your Work applies sportsmanship rules to office politics. […]
Gabriel
Oct 16, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Celine, how do you figure out who to delegate to? I mean, how do you find someone with the skills, and how do you go about assigning the work?
On unrelated notes, you might be interested in the following things:
1) The link to Celine Roque in the sidebar is broken. It goes to Http:///
2) I wrote a post at Youmoz on systematizing your business that may be interest to your readers, as per the About page here. The link is here:
http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/seo-consulting-systems-share-what-youve-systematized
Several readers have also contributed good tips and systems advice.
Celine
Oct 17, 2007 at 6:03 am
That’s a good question Gabriel :) If you already know your teammates well and you’ve worked with them before, you probably already know their backgrounds. If you’re not as familiar with your teammates, you can look at their background on paper - their resume, previous projects they’ve undertaken, and their performance metrics (if any).
If you’re pressed for time *and* you’re not familiar with your teammates, decide which tasks need to be done and ask for people to volunteer in the areas that they consider as their forte. Of course, verbally asking them what their background is will work too. It’s not an ideal solution, but given the lack of time and familiarity, it’s the only one I’ve seen.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: