The supporter

When you first apply for a role, the team cares about your skills and past experience. They hire the best fit. But once you’re in, no one looks back at your résumé. What matters is what you contribute now. What matters is whether you’re a good teammate. Put simply: what matters is whether they trust you.

You might deliver dazzling work and impressive results in record time. But none of it lasts if the team doesn’t trust you. Most opportunities come from trust—and trust is earned slowly. It takes time, and time demands patience.

Doing great work doesn’t always require patience—most people enjoy the rush of a big challenge. But supporting the team quietly, doing the simple (sometimes boring) things that unblock others—that demands far more patience.

The ability to be a supporter is a skill many talented people overlook. Yet it’s often the very thing that creates the space for their talents to shine when the moment finally comes.