Over the course of my career, I have learned about quite a few qualities that team members can possess that add value to the team. Many of these strengths are fairly obvious: being willing to work hard, prioritizing tasks properly to meet deadlines, not becoming siloed and unaware of what other team members are doing, etc.
One strength that may not be as obvious, but is certainly as valuable as the ones above – if not more so – is being able to fill the skills gap when one arises. Having a team member who is not only willing and able, but even excited to learn about previously unfamiliar technologies or processes can make a huge difference in how a team operates.
Such a person becomes a great asset to the team, and often becomes the “go-to person” for any new challenge, in part because of the willingness to step outside the box, but also because people like this tend to be quite resourceful in acquiring new knowledge.
Avoiding the mentality of “staying in one’s lane”, as far as specialization goes, is key here. Not that you shouldn’t become specialized in your field, but that you should be willing to explore related (and sometimes unrelated) fields to get a better perspective of how to solve whatever problem is at hand.