Lakhasly

We all enjoy being part of a group - there's no better work than teamwork , right ? Actually , I disagree . Teamwork can be tough . In fact , it was so difficult that I left my office job and started working from home on my own . It's a much better fit for me , and it has made me think about why teamwork can make our jobs harder rather than easier . Personalities can make teamwork difficult . There's a famous saying . There's no Tin TEAM , meaning I have to do what's best for the team , not what's best for me . But there's often someone on the team that puts their needs first : " I want to do it this way . My way is best . " The team often goes along with this person , whose ideas might not be the best , just the loudest . Teamwork can be difficult for an introvert , like me . It's hard to speak up if there's a dominant voice in the group . And then there's that team member who likes argue - and not in a constructive way - who just wants to say " no because the others said " yes . " And , my least favorite the people pleaser - someone who is such a nice person that they feel they can't be honest . They don't want to hurt anyone's feelings , so they say " yes " to every idea . Just one difficult personality can make teamwork tough Combine several challenging personality types , and it's even tougher . Lack of time together can also make teamwork challenging . For example , I was once on a team where we never had enough time to meet as a group . Team member A was at a conference , B had to meet with a customer , C had an important phone call to make , and so on . To successfully work as a team , you need time together - and lots of it . A final reason teamwork is difficult is because there's often no training on how to work on a team You can't just put people in a room and expect them to work well with each other . You need to build trust with your team members . Think of football players : They aren' t just given a ball and told to play . They practice , and they train . They also have different positions , know who does what , and how they affect one another . It helps to have clear roles on company teams , too , with the right people in them . It's not such a good idea to give the role of a leader to the ME , ME , ME person . Teams can be tough , but working alone has its challenges , too . When my computer doesn't work , don't have an IT person to turn to . When I have a great idea , I don't have anyone to share it with to see if it really is a great idea . Don't get me wrong - I still like my team of one and enjoy making all of the important decisions myself . But now I realize what was wrong with the teamwork I did in the past and how good teamwork could be if done correctly . And that's useful information - because one day I might want to turn my ME TEAM into a WE TEAM