Team work makes the dream work
As Steve Jobs once said, great things in business are never done by one person.
Growing up an only child I have always been used to working on my own and have liked it that way. My ability to work independently is something I prided myself on but when starting my short work placement I quickly realised that this was no place for keeping myself to myself and it would be a success is if my team mates and I worked together. Working in a small group during my placement was an early experience that taught me a lot about myself as it highlighted the importance of group work to me and made me realise that it is true, there really is no ‘I’ in team.
The placement was quite demanding in the sense that there was a lot to do. This included social media advertisement, alumni arrangements and general organisation. It was clear that there was no way this could all be done without all 3 of us putting in equal amounts of effort and most importantly, communicating with each other. This worried me a bit at first as I was nervous that my team mates and I would not get on or maybe there would be some conflict. But this was not the case at all.
The students I worked with were lovely and we became really good friends in no time. This was a big achievement for me as I have struggled to make friends during my time at university and was starting to lose hope thinking I would never be able to do so. The group work provided me with a warm, happy feeling in side as I quickly began to see the other students as my friends rather than just team mates. This was a massive help with the whole process as knowing that we all got on so well made communicating with each other easy and also meant that, as well as working hard throughout the process, we could have a laugh with each other. If one of us was struggling with something there would be no doubt that the other team mates would step in and offer as much help as they could which was essential for the success and efficiency of the placement as it meant that things ran smoothly and we all felt that we had a good level of support for whenever we needed it.
This was a really important early experience for me as it helped me realise that I am capable of working well with others and making friends. This was a real confidence boost for me, especially because it is something that I have been struggling with recently and now I feel a lot more confident about working with others in the future.
