Being a team player

Teamwork Empathetic Supportive

is not simply about being member of a team.

It is rather being able to function as a part of a greater whole, and to communicate effectively at an emotional and technical level.

Interpersonal skills are particularly important in stressful situations. This became apparent to me while fighting against wildfire as a member of a volunteering rescue unit (ETEA) in Grammaticos, Greece, 2014. Each member of the team was so invested in our task that they gradually veered off the pre-defined path risking to be cut-off from the team. Right there and then I learned how important it is to communicate with the members of the team so that everyone is on the same page.

Offering a hand of help to those in need is compelling to me. I would never refuse to help a colleague even if I had urgent tasks of my own. And it is not a matter of reciprocal acts of kindness, no! Being supportive and caring firmly binds a team while the individual members feel the profound happiness of belonging.