Teamwork
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Recently my daughter was assigned a class project that required her to work with several of her classmates. Teamwork is not a strong suit for my daughter. As a high Thinker personality type, she prefers to work alone. She is a stickler for rules and somewhat of a perfectionist. These are not bad traits, but they can make working with others difficult.
From day one this project caused a lot of frustration for my daughter and me. She would get upset with her teammates because she felt they were not covering all the key requirements of the project. She wanted all the statistics and facts to support the project where her teammates were more interested in the emotional side of the issue. I spent a lot of time trying to calm my daughter down and explain that just because they were not doing it her way did not mean it was wrong.
Although we do not know the final grade of this project, according to my husband it was as good if not better than the other projects presented at the Parent Presentation night. In fact, this project drew a lot of student attention due to the “graphic content”, as my daughter put it. She would have preferred statistics and facts, but the emotional side her teammates preferred is what drew the crowd.
Teamwork is an everyday occurrence and something everyone must develop. We work with others in school, church, social organizations and at the office. Although teamwork is difficult for my daughter, this project was a great opportunity for her to grow. Bridge Builders enjoy the team-oriented environment, but can spend so much time building consensus among all team members that they can slow a project down and confuse the project goals. My daughter’s Thinker personality can be a great asset to a team comprised primarily of Bridge Builders who are often less attentive to details. As a Thinker, my daughter was constantly referencing the assignment requirements and ensuring they were included. She was concerned about time; kept the team on task and did much of the research.
During this process I often reminded my daughter of her Thinker traits. I was not trying to change who she was, but I felt it was important for her to understand that these traits can sometimes cause obstacles. In addition, understanding and accepting who we are can help us identify what assets we bring to the table.
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Hi Deb,
How smart of you to acknowledge your daughter is a thinker and not necessarily a team “player”. It sounds like this was a good lesson for her, and this blog post is a good lesson for the rest of us. It reminds me of how even when we aren’t enthusiastic about something, when others are involved, what we offer is as important as what others offer. I think when we’re open to others opinions, even though they may be different than ours, in the end we become a lot more well rounded.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..2nd Chance Drawing
Barbara – I agree! It is so easy to get stuck on our views of something and fail to see the other side. If we just take a moment and step back and try to look at a sitution objectively, trying to listen to the other person’s point of view we may realize we weren’t so right in the first place. Of course, this is truly easier said than done!