Bad Habit: Team Work

Teamwork itself is not a bad habit. But really, try asking yourself. What is teamwork?

Most people would say - when you are in a team, you must do your part. Hmmm. I say, bullshit. That's not teamwork. That's a damn selfish definition of teamwork. Teamwork really means that working in a team, when your teammates slack or is unable or unwilling to perform, you take up the slack. In other words, you do more.

No bloody use in pointing out who is doing less. Or complaining that it's not fair you have to do more. News flash. Life isn't fair. I am unsure if death is. So, get use to the idea that life is not fair.

I now have my own company. I enjoy working with my business partners. We all contribute in different ways. Sometimes, they cannot attend meetings - I will attend those. I won't mind when they cannot attend the meetings. Sometimes, I am not able to attend the meetings. That's OK too. If we truly work as a team, we fill in the blanks for each other. Not bloody shoot at each other.

At times, managers are also to blame. Even CEOs are to blame. When someone tries to do more, they say - just do your job. That's someone else's problem. In a team, there is no such thing as someone else's problem. It is everyone's problem. But it may not be your business. For example, if I had argue with my girlfriend last night, I would be in poor spirits today and one way or another, if will affect my performance. That will affect the whole team. But it is none of their business what the argument was about. So, if you can help me out that much on a bad day, do it.

The key is really - to recognize the problem and to realize what is our business or is it someone else's issue. If it is a financial issue, realize it. That would be beyond your job scope, but see how you can work as a team to help out. An informal discussion over lunch with Finance would be a start. But please don't start by sending bloody emails.

So, how exactly do you define teamwork? Do you help others when you complete your task? Or stand there and laugh at others suffer when you are free? Always remember - it is better to be in the position to help than to ask for help. So, help when you can.