With finals season in full swing and countless group projects having come to a close, I can’t help but be reminded of how difficult it can be to work in a team. Regardless of whether it is a high-stakes university course, a high-level job, or even a high-level sporting event, there is always that one member of the team who is coasting on the efforts of the other team members, putting in minimal effort toward reaching a common goal but still expecting to see similar results. The pressure that finals bring is stressful enough on its own, but with group projects, the element of dealing with other people is introduced.
This is unfortunate for me because, as someone who places such a high value on my grades, I find that I tend to end up compensating for this in a negative way. This is because, when my teammates communicate to me that they didn’t feel that it was worth putting in the work on their part, I find that I am the one who is compelled to do my teammates’ work for them. This is because a group project means a group grade, which I am not willing to have brought down because my teammate doesn’t feel that it is worth putting in the extra work.
When I first started college, I assumed that, since we pay to attend this school, people would care more than those in high school. I was sadly mistaken. I’ve seen tons of my classmates barely even show up to class, never mind putting in the extra effort for a group project we’re working on. It seems as though many are fine with someone else doing the extra work when they are not, which is what makes it a problem when people don’t pull their own weight.
This pattern of difficult teamwork is nothing new to me. Growing up, I did cheerleading for 12 years, where you need to rely on teamwork and trust. Mistakes would affect everyone collectively. Yet even then, girls would refuse to take accountability for their mistakes, and as we got older, they just became meaner and more defensive, claiming that it wasn’t their fault.
In reflecting, I recognize that I learned from these experiences how I now conduct teamwork. Realizing that if I wanted things done right, I had to take control, this is a mentality that has assisted me in my success within academics but has also left me drained and frustrated with the imbalance of effort.
The adults in my life have always warned me that, when I enter the real world, and start at a big-girl job, I will have to learn how to navigate my way around challenging individuals. I understand that not everyone will possess the same work ethic that I do, but at 21-years-old, I feel drained! These experiences are supposed to better prepare me for the real world, but I don’t know how much longer I can overcompensate for others without letting it take a toll on me.