In an obvious attempt to tap into World Cup fever, we've persuaded the Institute of Leadership & Management to put together a little quiz to help you identify what kind of team player you are (and the England footballer that you are most like).
Are you more Wayne Rooney than Steven Gerrard? More David James than John Terry? Our very scientific quiz will tell you.
The questions:
1. A colleague on your team has made a major, but accidental, budgeting error that could put the team's whole project in jeopardy. What would you do?
· Assess the situation and try to find a solution that would repair the damage (A)
· Continue doing your job to the best of your ability — it's not your area of expertise; other people on the team are better at sorting out problems (B)
· Offer to help, but begrudgingly, as it wasn't your mistake (C)
· Step in and try to come up with a fantastic solution to save the day; keeping a cool head in a crisis is one of your fortés (D)
2. Your teammate [who made the mistake] seems to have lost their confidence at work as a result. How would you respond?
· Keep your mouth shut... while feeling confident that you would absolutely not have made that error (B)
· Tell them that it's fine and they shouldn't worry — although secretly you're disappointed that they'd let the team down (C)
· Talk to them and try to lift their spirits — it was a genuine mistake and anyone could have made it (A)
· You'd tell them to 'keep calm and carry on' because you've been there before, so know how they feel (D)
3. You're working on a big project and the deadline is looming; everyone is stretched and the team could really use another pair of hands. What would you do?
· Work longer hours and do the lion's share yourself — nobody does it better (B)
· Analyse the extra workload and suggest spreading it evenly across the team (C)
· Work as hard as anyone else, taking on as much as you can, and pull everyone off non-essential work to concentrate on this crucial task (D)
· Spot that the team is far too overloaded and suggest to your manager that extra help is drafted in from elsewhere (A)
4. You have been working as part of a team on an important project for months. At the end of the project, one particular team member is singled out for special praise. How would you feel?
· Pleased for them, it is the team result that counts! (D)
· Frustrated — you put as much work in all everyone else and you helped set up their achievements! But you wouldn't make your feelings known (C)
· Not bothered either way; you know that you put the work in and it helped achieve a great outcome (A)
· Outraged — you'd tell your boss that you also did some brilliant work and deserve the same recognition! (B)
5. You've been called into a team meeting and given a group task of coming up with some ideas for a new project. How do you feel?
· Slighly wary — you don't think you are the most creative member of the team and sometimes find it difficult to produce fresh ideas off-the-cuff (A)
· Really excited — it's a great opportunity for you to show your creative side and suggest as many new ideas as possible (B)
· Not bothered — you like ideas meetings, but tend to be strategic and realistic; you prefer to spot when an idea is going to be successful or unlikely to take off (D)
· Up for the challenge — you enjoy hearing other people's suggestions and like to contribute a few killer ideas of your own in the hope that it gets a good discussion going (C)
6. After the meeting, you are chosen as the member of the team who has to present the strategy to the senior management. How do you feel?
· Terrified — you're not comfortable with public speaking/taking the limelight and hate to think of everybody's hopes resting on you! (A)
· Excited — you don't mind performing and would love the opportunity to showcase your creative ideas (B)
· Reluctant but inspired by the challenge — you don't naturally assume centre stage, but can always be relied upon to answer difficult questions (D)
· Nervous at first — but you know that once you get started you'll relish the responsibility and opportunity to take control (C)
7. You've just started a new job and have already spotted a number of things that could be done differently. What would you do?
· Probably speak out, but maybe later regret having made your feelings clear so soon (B)
· You're good at taking everything on board quickly, so would try to make some strategic suggestions at an early stage (A)
· Choose your moment — while you can spot problems quickly, you'd prefer to act carefully rather than speak up too soon (C)
· Keep quiet; toe the line and try to fit in — at least until it started affecting your job (D)
8. One member of the team is always taking on the more practical, menial tasks (e.g. tea-making, cleaning out the fridge, doing the recycling, reloading the paper in the photocopier). How would you manage that?
· By offering to help sometimes, but if you're in the middle of something then it's best to concentrate on that — you don't like to be distracted by things that can wait (C)
· By suggesting that you both share the jobs, although eventually you'd probably get a rota together — the rest of the team have a responsibility to help too (D)
· Probably by starting with good intentions of helping to share the load — although, in reality, something always tends to get in the way (A)
· By concentrating on getting your job done — that's what you're paid for, and anyway there's little time to get involved in anything else (B)
The answers:
Mostly As — John Terry (Defender)
Team role: You're strategic; the foundation of the team — you can cover problems, find solutions and take the heat off others when things become stressful. Sometimes you feel that you don't always get the recognition for a good team result.
Weak spot: be careful to take responsibility for your actions; delegation is great but don't pass off things to others that you really should be managing yourself
Mostly Bs — Wayne Rooney (Striker)
Team role: You're the creative; a bright spark that can provide inspiration and pluck inspired ideas out of thin air when everyone else is stuck. You have excellent attention to detail and deliver when the chips are down. Sometimes you feel that people overly depend on you to find a come up with brilliant solutions.
Weak spot: go easy on the 'me, me, me'! You don't want to be thought of as an individual (but slightly arrogant) talent rather than a team player.
Mostly Cs — Steven Gerrard (Midfielder)
Team role: You are the lynchpin of the team. You play a pivotal role in holding everything together and maintaining the office status quo. You're able to manage up and down, delegate effectively and juggle lots of projects whilst barely breaking a sweat. You can provide the spark that makes the difference, but sometimes you feel that your contribution is not always recognised.
Weak spot: don't get drawn in to the occasional rash tackle; take care to be head over heart rather than vice versa!
Mostly Ds — David James (Goalkeeper)
Team role: You're a safe pair of hands, good at dealing with problems and often step in and save the day. You're great at keeping an overview of what's happening elsewhere. Sometimes you feel that you're being asked to spread yourself a bit too thinly.
Weak spot: make sure you don't go into auto-pilot when the team is doing well; there's never any room for complacency, however good you are
