Week 5: There is no ME in TEAM

Today we talked about how to feel most comfortable within the team setting. This is something all of us have surely struggled with at least once in our lives. Sometimes it truly is hard to find your exact place within the team setting, especially if you haven't met or communicated with these people much before you are expected to perform with them. Not just that, but the stress of performing well can also stress us out even more when trying to fit into the group!

While watching Dr. V and his thumb wrestling exercise, I noticed how this simple game put a spotlight on why some people feel uncomfortable in the group/team atmosphere. When the first team began "wrestling", the young lady did not hesitate to use her other hand, in an effort to overtake her opponent. This is because, as Dr. V put it, we are usually concerned with what we as individuals can get out of something. However when the next young man came up to thumb wrestle with Dr. V himself, a different scenario was laid out for him. Dr. V instructed the young man to do exactly as he says, which required the man to trust Dr. He indicated that he indeed did trust Dr. V, and they began wrestling. At the end of the game, Dr. V said the man truly didn't trust him because he was trying to win. This shows that the young man was trying to beat Dr. V to try to get something out of it for himself--a victory. However in the team setting, we can't look at our tasks and say, "What will I get out of this? How will this benefit me?" If we do that, we might lose sight of what's best for the group. In doing that, we will probably and ultimately fail as a group. In order to succeed, we must focus on the TEAM'S goals, what will benefit the TEAM, and always keep the TEAM rather than ourselves at the forefront.
So far, my experiences within the team I was assigned to have been a breath of fresh air. The individuals in my group are completely different from me, but that is a blessing in disguise. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and we play on them to achieve greatness. For example, Ryan (very left), is talented in graphic design, so he created this group picture of all of us. Great, right?!