Dream Team Or Not, Teams Work

2013-01-02

Everyone has their own opinion of working in teams. Maybe you are always the first person to jump up and grab your friends for group projects. Or maybe you’re someone who prefers to work alone. Either way, working in teams in school, sports, organizations, jobs and life in general is unavoidable. So when you find yourself working in a group, make sure you do a few things to ensure your team’s success:

1) Designate a team leader. The team leader is someone on whom everyone relies. They give direction, stimulate conversation and delegate responsibilities appropriately.
2) Stick to deadlines. Once you establish a deadline, make certain that everyone knows what the schedule is and how to complete their assigned portion of the project. If you don’t know how to do something, don’t wait until the night before it’s due to ask a team member for help. Make sure you allocate plenty of time.
3) Plan to be done days before the assigned task is due. This way, you leave your team a “cushion” for final edits and other situations that may be impossible to avoid.

Just remember, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to be on your “dream team.” Regardless of who is on your team, though, teams do work. Teams help their members be prepared for anything and everything, so everyone involved is successful!