I think teamwork is a very interesting concept. Personally, I’m a very social individual and I feel as though I’m well suited to work in a collaborative environment; however, that’s not to say that working in a team a,ways works for me. I’m also an impatient person (one of my flaws I’m actively trying to fix). Therefore, if I’m put in certain situations when given a team assignment I’m more likely to fail.
For example, if I’m placed in a group where I’m the one who understands the material best I sometimes get frustrated when I need to take what feels like unnecessary time to explain concepts. Logically, I understand that everyone thinks and learns differently and that for certain subjects or assignments some will do well and some people may need more help; however, I occasionally find that my impatience is more overwhelming than my logic. In a situation like that, I might not be the best teammate because I can’t help the group succeed, just myself.
Another example is when I’m placed in a group that doesn’t have the same level of ambition or determination that I do. I definitely have no patience whatsoever for a lazy team that expects one person to do all the work, and more often than not in situations like that I get angry and make it known.
Conversely, if I’m unable to contribute to decisions made by my team or group I also become very unmanageable and outspoken.
Coincidentally, I’m in a class called Sports Marketing and Campaigns, and we have our first client meeting next Wednesday. This entire time I’ve been urging my group to get together so that we can work on our creative brief, but to no avail. Finally, I began to do the work all by myself. I finished the project and called my dad looking for someone to complain to. He responded in a way that I didn’t expect. He said: “It’s easy to get frustrated when people let you down. It’s easier to get mad. What’s difficult is being a leader. It’s your job as the apparent leader of the group to find a way to motivate them rather than lash out. Hard work takes you half way there, the other half is how you help others.”
Sometimes, I think my dad is too smart for his own good but I’m very glad to have him.
