Self-reflection is typically a personal process, but you can also share it with someone else. However, it might be valuable to first reflect on your own before seeking a partner to discuss your thoughts, the concept, or any questions that arise. You’re free to choose how you reflect—whether by walking, writing, drawing, building, or creating mind maps—whatever feels right for you. Therefore, find a comfortable space that suits you best, whether it’s sitting on a bench, lounging on a couch, working at a table, using your computer, or simply being outdoors. The key is to be in a space where you feel at ease.

• Step 1: Go back in memory to the few situations that you were working in a group on an important task. Try to remember the first time you started to use teamwork competences, or in which situation you realized you lacked some of them? What was challenging for you in those situations? How did you react to the challenge? Which emotions did you feel at that moment?
• Step 2: Consider other key moments in the development of these Recall any important training sessions, workshops, or experiences where you began to develop or use them. Reflect on how you have progressed in developing those competences and identify any challenges that still remain.
• Step 3: Here are some guiding questions that you can use to aid your reflection, though you’re not required to answer them all:
  • How did you develop this competence? What aspects did you handle well?
  • What challenges did you encounter? Which aspects were still difficult?
  • How did you assess your progress in developing this competence?
  • Where do you currently stand with this competence? How confident do you feel in it?
  • What challenges remain? Which areas need further development? Where do you feel uncertain or fearful?
  • What do these reflections reveal about your motivation, strategy, and focus in further developing this competence?
• Step 4: Record the outcomes for yourself by writing, mind-mapping, drawing, or expressing them in any other way that suits you best.

Congratulations! You have just created your learning plan. Following it will help you to grow as a team worker. You can do this activity again in a few months in order to compare the results and track your progress.

Another area that you can reflect on is how you behave while working in a team. Maybe there are some patterns that you often follow? Being aware of them can also help you to better understand what you can offer to your team and what you need from the others to feel comfortable.

To do that we will use Belbin’s Team Roles Model.  This model helps people understand different roles that individuals naturally take on when working in a team. It’s like thinking about how different people have different strengths, and how each of these strengths can help a team work better together. It was developed in 1981 by Dr Meredith Belbin, British researcher and management consultant best known for his work on management teams. The model identifies nine distinct roles, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and categorizes them into three groups: Action-Oriented Roles, People-Oriented Roles, and Thinking-Oriented Roles. In any team, it’s important to have a mix of these roles. Some people naturally fit into certain roles, and understanding this can help a team use everyone’s strengths to achieve their goals. For example, a team full of creative thinkers might have lots of ideas but struggle to get things done without someone to organize and push them forward.

By knowing your role and the roles of others, you can communicate better, work more effectively, and create a stronger, more balanced team.

The model describes nine typical roles that people usually take while working in the team. Let’s have a look at strengths and weaknesses of each of those roles.

Source: https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each of Belbin’s Team Roles can help individuals and teams make the most of their talents while being aware of potential pitfalls. Each role is valuable in its own way, but an effective team needs a mix of these roles to balance strengths and weaknesses. Understanding each role’s characteristics helps team members support each other and compensate for any potential shortcomings. It also helps in assigning tasks that align with each person’s natural strengths, leading to better collaboration and success. Which role are you fitting in the most?

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ANPCDEFP. Neither the European Union nor the ANPCDEFP can be held responsible for them.