i recall the occasional phrase, "doesn't play well with others" on elementary report cards. i was always exceedingly bright but would get knocked down to a "satisfactory" on report cards due to this. i was also the youngest in my grade, started kindergarten at age four, went to college at age 17, will finish grade school at 24. so i am accustomed to being the youngest around but interestingly instead of being complacent and agreeable, i still to this day, get worked up over the stupidity of group projects. lets just say, mba=a million group projects. luckily i have formed amazing friendships with easily the smartest gals in my program, but still we wind up with some hangers on in our groups that, don't do shit, and just drive me bonkers. i tend to get much more upset about these boogers then other people do. don't get me wrong i am not a type a, perfectionist, will accept nothing but the best....... i am human, i will fall apart, or slack occasionally, or even procrastinate to dangerous levels.... but never, do i not complete my portion on time, when others are counting on me. be it the magnitude of team sports i played growing up, or learning the worst thing you can do is let your peers down, or perhaps i just like to feel superior. maybe it is a little of all of it, but i don't let me team down. i finish my part with due diligence and am ready to get everyone else parts and see them fit together like a puzzle that creates a project that REALLY represents the magnitude of combined brain power of our group. insightful, witty, creative, thorough, and most importantly complete. but dummies that are in my group always seem to make this a near impossible task.
i once had a teacher who, during class one day, asked, "who here likes group work?" about 1/5 of the class raise their hand, "the teacher says, now everyone take a look at these people, remember who they are." ....."all of those that didn't raise their hand, hate group work more than anything, it is because of you few, with your hands raised, that they hate it." quickly hands went down. but i felt so great in that moment, that a teacher understood and was empathetic of the struggles to carry the dead weight that is your lazy classmates.
but riddle me this. why, if teacher know how horrible a struggle it is, do they still assign so much group work?
i know, because in the real world, you will have to deal with lazy, unmotivated, or just bad colleagues.
i maybe optimistic, or naive, but i hope to work in an atmosphere someday with people who care about the quality of their work, that can meet a deadline, that have a sense of time urgency, and are intelligent and decent people. (oh, and team-players too!)
of all the lies that one could put on a resume....to lie and put you are a team player, when you actually are not, just because it is one of the BUZZ phrases that managers like to see, has got to put you in one of the deepest rings of dante's hell.
and that is why ladies and gents, i don't play well with others.
