Group work, ain't always easy

Where to start…?

Well, getting to know your team members and working out what there clear strengths are is always a first for me. 

It gives you an initial platform to base the activities and tasks off of and allows you to familiarize yourself with each member. This may be handy when you are trying to get something done later on, so keep them in mind. (Networking people)  

Another thing is a notepad and pen. This can be used as a tool to mediate and jot down key ideas that group individuals may have to contribute to the task; it will also prove affective when reflecting back on the work when completed. 

Admittedly, I have been placed in groups that I may not have necessarily been too keen on, but have managed to put aside my differences, and get the job done. For some, this is no easy obstacle and can often cause climatic blows between team members resulting in miscommunication and sometimes the in completion of the end job, which is not what we should be aiming for. 

Learning to set aside these differences and completing the job is mostly difficult when you are one, too opinionated or two, not opinionated enough, Although, presented are two extremes by learning to have a controlled balance between the two, you are enabling yourself to play a neutral part within the group, which will be noted by team members as a comfortable trait that they can trust and relate to in the future.

“Too many chiefs and not enough Indians”

In the bid to be top dog, it is possible that you will tread on toes and possibly damage your reputation as a leader. Some people are natural born leaders and taking control is nothing new to them. Picking this leadership trait up is as easy as watching carefully for body language, dialogue and written communication, a leader will be forward facing and at the front, they will converse with purpose and meaning, and finally they will write in a detailed form, to help preserve the information for future reference.

The best advice I could give is, to never be the center of attention, share the workload, help each other out and be open to new ideas. Narrow minded and selfish team members will be left behind and there is no doubt that it will show.

Be a team and be proactive.