Reflections on Teamwork

Reflections on Teamwork

Introduction

Teamwork can be defined as a collaborative group effort towards achieving specific goals or the effective completion of a task. The concept of teamwork can be understood better when analyzed in the context of a team. Definitively, a team is a group of individuals working interdependently towards the achievement of the set goals(Xyrichis and Ream, 2008). During my college studies, I have participated in various teams, including group work, club activities, sports activities, among others. The experiences garnered in these activities have helped me in my professional development, leadership skills, and, generally, the growth of my social skills. In today’s increasingly competitive world, the ability to work in a team is a principal element of professional and personal development. Therefore, I expect that my participation in group tasks will help me a lot in my future career goals and professional development.

Insights and Opportunities

Being part of the members of a team can lead to either a positive or negative impact on the team spirit and the ability of the team to meet set goals. Fortunately, in many instances, my involvement in team tasks has had a positive impact on team performance. Being a charismatic person, I believe my presence in any team has always been a motivation and inspiration to fellow group members. I always believe in positivity and innovativeness, and whenever I am engaged in group activities, I always try to give my best, while also committing my self to the provision of solutions to any challenges that face my team. However, every person has his or her weaknesses, and this has also had an impact on my ability to work in teams. Being naturally a believer in perfection, I have, in some instances, found myself unable to agree with fellow group members on some issues where some team members agree to compromise on protocols and outputs of group activity. Generally, teamwork enables everyone who is part of a team to influence the outcome of its activities. However, it is salient that members are willing to forego personal ego and interests for the sake of the success and performance of a team.

My participation in various group activities has tremendously facilitated personal growth in several aspects. Specifically, I have advanced my leadership skills and also appreciated my potential as a young leader. In numerous instances, I have been selected to lead certain group activities. An example of this is my tenure as the chairperson of the Wellness and Hospitality club at the university. This position allowed me to interact with people with different personalities towards the achievement of the set club goals. It also enabled me to realize I possess some excellent leadership skills. In some times, I was called upon to make decisions and give directions to the club members, and fortunately, in many times, the choices I made were agreeable to many of the club members. However, I also found my self on a collision course with the interests of some club members. Despite these challenges, I grew my leadership and problem-solving skills over time, and in most cases, I was in a position to settle all the problems that arose amicably. Generally, I believe transformational leadership is the best leadership style if the best is to be gotten from a group. Transformational leadership means that a leader is actively engaged in team activities, and inspires his followers towards meeting set goals (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt,  and Van Engen, 2003). By getting everyone involved in team tasks, success can be achieved easier and more efficiently

Participation in team activities has also enabled me to develop strong interpersonal skills. Team-oriented tasks have been touted as the best way of developing social and interpersonal skills (Duffy et al., 2004).  Personally, the kind of social skills I have today is a result of my active participation in team tasks. I have developed my active listening skills over time. The ability to listen and interrogate other speakers with the required courtesy is a crucial principle of teamwork. Without actively listening to others, there will likely be a communication breakdown, and the team tasks will even be more difficult to achieve. Aside from active listening, I have also advanced my sense of responsibility in the workplace. As a team leader, on a number of occasions, I have had to organize my members and inspire them towards achieving team goals. This sense of responsibility goes hand in hand with leadership, and a responsible person is more likely to be a good leader.

Professional development is also an aspect I have improved on significantly. Working in a team, especially academic groups, has enabled me to get a better understanding of concepts. This is so because when people combine their innovative ideas and theories, it becomes more likely to grasp concepts and criticize what does not meet expected standards. This is a vital step towards career and professional development. My motivation to participate in group activities is partly fueled by the fact that in today’s world,  people of different disciplines need to cooperate and share opinions if specific tasks are to succeed. In addition, the ability to successfully engage in group activities leads to increased confidence and social skills, which are vital for academic success and professional development.

Action Plan

Leadership in a team is not about being a perfectionist, but it is based ln the ability of an individual to keep the team focused on delivering the expected goals. This is only possible if there is efficacy in leadership, and there are effective communication and cooperation between members. Every person has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, and I feel, despite my successes in the groups and teams I have participated in, there are some actions I need to take to perfect my leadership skills. One of these is my ability to solve problems without necessarily being subjective. In several instances, I have found myself angry and subjectively attacking my fellow team members, especially when they seem noncommittal to the team tasks. Now, I believe that taking to those lagging in the realization of team goals is the b3st way of building team spirit. I also think that by effectively communicating my concerns on the group activities, I do not agree with can help in building consensus with other team members despite the differences in opinion. With respect to my interpersonal skills, I believe there is still more room for improvement. I believe I should improve in the aspects of patience and flexibility. Patience is essential in teamwork as it allows members to practice restraint in all the actions towards team members. Flexibility, on the other hand, can help in making it easier to make decisions. Flexibility means that team members should be in a position to change their opinions on certain issues. This can help significantly in enhancing innovation and high performance in a team

Expected Outcomes

A change in approach or the opinion of an individual towards teamwork can bring some positive and negative impacts on the working of a team. I expect that if I improve some of my interpersonal skills, for instance, flexibility, I will be in a better position to impact the performance of a team positively. Being flexible means that I will actively listen to others as they speak, and is their ideas are superior, I adopt them.  Many teams or groups with a common interest are faced with flexibility issues. It is even worse is a team leader exhibits a lack of flexibility, as this could significantly dampen team spirit levels, motivation, and performance levels. With regard to patience, I believe that if I improve my patience levels, I will be able to consider the opinions of other people, without unnecessarily discarding team members’ views. Generally, an improvement in interpersonal skills can help significantly in the development of the leadership skills of an individual. People with strong interpersonal skills, effective leadership skills, and commitment to team goals are associated with high-performance levels, strong personality, excellent social skills, and fast, professional development.

Conclusion

Teamwork has been a crucial part of my college life. Arguably, it has dramatically changed my perceptions of leadership, my social skills, my interpersonal skills, career goals, and in general, my personality. Today I feel more of a gifted transformational leader who possesses exceptional leadership skills when it comes to team management. I can now inspire teams and motivate them to work towards achieving set team goals. In addition, my ability to communicate with people has improved tremendously, and this has come in tandem with an improvement in my social skills. The ability to communicate effectively and interact positively with other people is a crucial element of personal growth and self confidence. All these aspects are vital in the workplace, and they can determine the trajectory of the career advancement of an individual. In terms of professional development, the ability to work in a team is a principal factor. People who have poor teamwork skills, poor leadership skills, weak personality, and poor social skills are most likely to face difficulties in their professional development. I believe with the improvement in my leadership skills, the ability to work in a team, interpersonal skills, I will develop professionally and realize all my career goals.

References

Duffy, F. D., Gordon, G. H., Whelan, G., Cole-Kelly, K., & Frankel, R. (2004). Assessing competence in communication and interpersonal skills: the Kalamazoo II report. Academic Medicine, 79(6), 495-507.

Eagly, A. H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & Van Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: a meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4), 569.

Xyrichis, A., & Ream, E. (2008). Teamwork: a concept analysis. Journal of advanced nursing, 61(2), 232-241.