Courtesy ASME’s Affinity Partner, American Management Association (AMA)

You may be a part of a team that you may want to move in a certain direction -- sometimes a different direction from what the team leader has in mind. How can you do this while still being a good “team player?”

Dissent privately.

Small differences can be addressed during the meeting itself. But if you disagree with a major decision of the leader or other action by the leader, it is better to bring your concerns to him or her in private via memo or one-on-one conversation. This avoids any suggestion that you're trying to undermine him or her or show off in front of the rest of the team.

Support the leader.

When you're making suggestions to him or her, seldom use I, as in "I think we should do this," or, "If it were my call, I'd...." Instead, phrase your suggestions as questions ("Have you considered doing this?") or as possibilities ("It might help if we tried that.")

Enthusiasm doesn't mean being fawning and flattering to the leader. Saying "Good idea" or "We can do that!" whenever the leader opens his or her mouth makes you look weak, not supportive.

Be helpful to your team leader during meetings, without being too blatant about it. For instance, if a team member is running on and on, making a speech instead of asking a question, and the leader is looking for a diplomatic way to cut the speaker off, you might help by saying, "Yes, that is an interesting point." Looking at the leader, then you would add, "What do you think about it?"

If the leader is trying to express a difficult point but is having trouble making himself or herself understood, say, "Let me see if I understand you. Are you saying...." The leader will either say, "Yes, that’s what I meant," or "Not exactly. You're right about A and B, but what I meant to say about C was...." Thus you've at least narrowed the field of confusion.

Announce your initiatives.

Keep the leader informed of how you're progressing o your assignments and how you're approaching them. As you do this, state whatever initiatives you're about to take rather than asking permission to take them: "I'm researching my report on the Perkins situation, and I'm finding that Frawley is a much more important player than we'd originally thought. I'm going to set up a meeting with her and see if I can get her on board." If the leader objects to this, he or she will say so; otherwise, the leader will let you proceed.

Know your role.

Know it and stick to it. Likewise, know your strengths and make the most of them. Does your strength lie in building consensus? solving problems? executing the solutions? gathering information? Whatever is your main purpose as a team member, will affect the way you influence the rest of the team.

Put your own spin on your work.

While it may not be your role to determine the team’s objectives, or even your own objectives as a team member, you can influence the effect of those objectives. For instance, say your team leader has assigned you to "Find out what factors are negatively influencing employee morale and how morale can be improved."

Instead of simply preparing a list of employee complaints and possible solutions, find out which of those grievances are causing serious trouble, and which are minor annoyances. Then campaign hard for reform on the one or two most important issues.

You might report, "Seventy percent of those surveyed said that the parking situation is inconvenient, and 80 percent said that the coffee in the vending machines is of very poor quality, but these matters were generally mentioned in an off-handed way. Only 25 percent of employees surveyed complained of the security procedures in the office but their complaints were vehement. Thus while the coffee and parking situations could stand improvement, the issue of security must be addressed at once." You could then list suggestions for increasing security measures or, if they found them excessive, educating employees on their necessity.