How can you develop resilience when working with team members who have different work styles?

1 Understand your own work style

Before you can appreciate and adapt to other work styles, you need to understand your own. How do you approach tasks, problems, and deadlines? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What motivates and frustrates you? You can use tools like personality tests, feedback surveys, or self-reflection to identify your work style and preferences. Knowing yourself can help you communicate your needs, expectations, and boundaries to your team members, as well as recognize your biases and blind spots.

2 Respect and appreciate diversity

Different work styles can bring different perspectives, ideas, and skills to the table. Instead of seeing them as obstacles or threats, try to respect and appreciate them as valuable contributions. Learn to listen actively, empathize, and give constructive feedback to your team members. Avoid judging, criticizing, or imposing your work style on others. Instead, focus on the common goals, values, and vision that unite you as a team. Celebrate the diversity and the achievements that result from it.

4 Be flexible and open-minded

Working with different work styles can require you to be flexible and open-minded. You may need to adjust your work habits, methods, or expectations to accommodate others. You may also need to learn new skills, tools, or techniques to improve your performance. Instead of resisting or complaining, try to embrace the changes and challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement. Be willing to experiment, innovate, and compromise. Seek feedback, guidance, and support from your team members when needed.

5 Manage your stress and emotions

Working with different work styles can also cause stress and emotions. You may feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or anxious by the differences or difficulties that arise. You may also experience burnout, fatigue, or boredom from the workload or the routine. To manage your stress and emotions, you need to take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. You can do this by setting realistic goals, prioritizing tasks, delegating responsibilities, taking breaks, practicing relaxation techniques, exercising, eating well, sleeping enough, and having fun.

6 Develop a growth mindset

Finally, to develop resilience when working with different work styles, you need to develop a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the belief that you can learn, improve, and overcome challenges through effort, feedback, and perseverance. A growth mindset can help you see the positive aspects of working with different work styles, such as learning new things, expanding your horizons, and enhancing your creativity. A growth mindset can also help you cope with the negative aspects, such as making mistakes, facing setbacks, and receiving criticism. A growth mindset can motivate you to keep trying, learning, and growing as a software designer and a team player.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?