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""23 things I didn't learn in college / grad school":
#10:
Work on being a reliable colleague
.
#10:
Work on being a reliable colleague
.
Two phrases best describe the people I think of reliable colleagues: consistent and even-keeled.
Even if the mean value of what your colleagues can expect from you doesn't increase very much year over year, it is very useful if the variance is low.
Let's face it -- most of us aren't mercurial geniuses.
When we work in teams, consistent performance and a steady temperament are way more valuable than an unreliable genius.
I'd say a team of 10 can afford no more than one of the latter (provided they aren't a nasty person).
When we work in teams, consistent performance and a steady temperament are way more valuable than an unreliable genius.
I'd say a team of 10 can afford no more than one of the latter (provided they aren't a nasty person).
Being over-committed leads to being an unreliable colleague. (I struggle a lot with being over-committed -- with apologies to all my colleagues who have borne the brunt of it; at least I now know what I'll say when asked about my biggest weakness in my next job interview 
)
)
Equally, on the other end of the spectrum, lacking intrinsic motivation and depending too much on your colleagues to derive your motivation to work well makes one an unreliable colleague.
Find the middle path, be someone your colleagues can trust to be a good teammate.
Find the middle path, be someone your colleagues can trust to be a good teammate.
