Teamwork starts with you - tips for a better working atmosphere

A good team doesn't fall from the sky. It is created when people show themselves - with respect, with clarity, with a genuine willingness to contribute. You are part of it too. And you can make a difference. Not at some point. Now.

You are the climate - not the weather

A good working atmosphere is not something that just happens. It's not a whim, it's not luck, it's not ‘if everyone is nice, it will work out’. It arises when people take responsibility. Even if they are brand new, only work part-time or sometimes feel insecure. Especially then. Because the atmosphere in the team changes with every look, every sentence, every silence. You are not powerless - you are part of it.

It starts with your attitude. Not loud. Not conspicuously. But honestly. An attitude that shows when you can listen without immediately interrupting. When you try to understand before you judge. Listening is not waiting for your chance to speak. It is work. It is respect. And it's often exactly what colleagues need: the feeling that there is someone there who is really listening.

Say what you need - ask what others need

Communication is more than just exchanging information. It creates connection. And connection is the stuff that good teams are made of. So say what's important to you. Clearly, calmly, without drama. Maybe you need more calm, more feedback, more structure. Maybe you just want to know where you stand. It's okay to say that. It's just as important that you ask what others need. And that you mean it.

Good communication doesn't start with the perfect sentence, but with a genuine intention. Do you want everyone in the team to do well? Then you also need to know what they are missing. If you don't ask, you're left out. And if you remain silent, you leave room for misunderstandings. Working together also means: thinking together, feeling together, growing together.

Stay clear - even if it's uncomfortable

A positive climate does not mean that everything is always harmonious. It means that you can also address difficult topics without fear. If someone is constantly being interrupted, if someone is being excluded, if people are talking behind your back - then it's your decision whether you stay quiet or not. Clarity is not always comfortable. But it is necessary.

You don't have to have endless discussions. It's often enough to draw a line. Or simply to say: ‘This doesn't feel right.’ With moments like these, you send a signal. Signs that respect counts more than power games. That fairness counts for more than belonging to a group. That's how trust is built. Not through rules. But through people who live by them.

Mistakes? Part of it - if you deal with them openly

Nobody is perfect. Not even you. Neither are the others. But in many teams, everyone acts as if they are. Mistakes are hidden, concealed or passed on. Yet it is precisely the mistakes that show how a team really works. Whether it's about blame - or solutions. Whether you belittle each other - or learn together.

Conclusion

You don't have to solve everything. You don't have to be the centre of attention. But you can show yourself. With your voice. With your respect. With your courage. The atmosphere in the team is not a side effect - it's what happens when people take responsibility for each other. When you listen. When you say what needs to be said. If you don't walk away when things get difficult.

You can't change everything. But you can start. And sometimes that's all it takes to get things moving.