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No I Team


No I Team
  • AuthorAllyson Hertz
  • DateFebruary 02, 2023
  • MediumNewsletter Article
We had to cheer each other on, be clear on expectations, and not blame each other when the play did not go as planned.

Ever heard the cliché, “There’s no ‘I’ in Team”? When working as a team, it’s not about an individual. There is no “I” in team, however there is an “E” for everyone! It’s expected that each person does their part, and it takes everyone’s input, skills, and abilities to accomplish the goal. However, sometimes it doesn’t feel this way and can lead to frustration.

 

I reflect on times when the professor told us we would work in groups. I dreaded hearing those words. Sometimes I was left to complete the project alone while one or more of the group members that didn’t take part in any of the actual work just signed their name(s) to the project.

 

In one of my university classes, I was stuck with the worst group I have ever been with. I would try to reach out to them and divide the tasks to complete the assignment before the deadline— simply did not respond. Because I did not want my grade to slip due to the lack of teamwork, I completed all the work. I sent a simple email to the professor, letting them know what is going on.

 

Notice all the “I” in this example above? That means that teamwork was NOT working in this class! However, in the work world, we find a way to make it work.

 

Through my internship experiences, my viewpoint on group tasks is changing positively.

 

One way it is changing my viewpoint is by all team members being fully committed to work within the office hours. This gives everyone in the group time to collaborate on the project together, instead of having to deal with random class schedules, part-time jobs, and other distractions that post-secondary education brings. The primary goal of any group project is to divide the tasks and multiply the success.

 

However, this does not completely exclude those who may still push the project work onto others. There are outside factors that play a role when working in groups that you should consider.

 

Here are some ways you may professionally address issues when working on a team project:

 

Instead of saying:

Try saying:

“If I’m doing your job for you, then what are you doing all day?"

 

“Is there a higher priority task that is consuming all of your capacity at the moment?” 

 

“You are not pulling your weight on this project.”

“Our contributions on this project to date do not appear to be equal. Will your involvement be increasing as the timeline continues?”

“Your micromanaging isn’t making this go any faster.”

“Though I appreciate your attention to this, I feel as though I could be more productive if I worked independently here.”

 

“Are you going to do your job or am I going to have to do it for you?”

“If you require my support to complete this task, please let me know.”

“Our deadline is approaching. Hurry up.”

“As our deadline is quickly approaching, can you provide an update where you are at in completing this task?”

 

If you’ve tried these methods and your team still doesn’t function, it may be time to let your supervisor or instructor know what is happening.

 

Teamwork does not have to be all about taking on more work for everyone. Personally, when I think of teamwork, I think about high school sports and how we all had to work together to get that win. We had to cheer each other on, be clear on expectations, and not blame each other when the play did not go as planned. 

 

While you and your coworkers may not be playing your rival team, it is important to cheer each other on after completing a task or hitting a milestone. Being on a team is also a great way to get to know your coworkers and use everyone's skills to their best ability.

 

Continue your career Search on AgCareers.com! 

 

                

 

 

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