While watching Celebrity Apprentice last night, I realized that some folks are just NOT team players. Not that I shouldn't have figured it out before now--I've had many jobs, and there's always at least one who doesn't grasp the team concept, or even worse, doesn't WANT to grasp it.In some work situations, it is nearly impossible to get tasks accomplished without everyone pulling his own weight. Most everyone is short staffed and overworked--we have to work together. If you are lucky enough to be surrounded with like minded colleagues, it can be a lot less stressful.
But more often than not, there's that rogue team mate who is only out for himself. They show up late. They leave early. They come to meetings unprepared. They sabotage the work of the rest of group. And the one that always gets my goat--when confronted, they pretend that they have no idea what you're talking about, or worse yet, they try to throw someone else under the bus. What is that about???
I think teams are better off without such members. They bring everybody down. I'd much rather undertake a challenge with fewer team members, as long as we are all in it together, wouldn't you?
Your comments--priceless!
Funny thing about team building. It seems whenever I'm engaged in a volunteer project or a project a group willing gathers to perform, team interaction is great! On a job, it sucks. Usually because folks want recognition on their job and prefer to work independently. Also, the trust factor plays a big part. People don't trust their co-workers. They are NOT the people they would pick as friends or trusted associates. Most work teams find themselves with a self appointed 'diva (m/f)genius'... then it's 'let the games begin'!
because of the field i worked in we were always going to seminars about the work place, there is no 'i' in team, etc. problem is that unless you have folks who are motivated to work together, no amount of seminars, learning centers, approaches, will work.
on my career journey i learned some very important tips for myself. 1. if the company always has an ad in the paper looking for employees, pass on it. 2. if you do go for an interview and no one is smiling and there doesn't seem to be any camaraderie, pass.
those two tips (learned the hard way) made the path easier further down the road.