Working with a team can be quite exerting just as it can be quite enjoyable as well. Both options have their perks and what makes them either desirable or detestable. Whichever the case may be. Many people like me prefer to work alone, as long as I know the task, I just like doing it myself because I feel like working with someone else draws me back.
Having to wait before everyone can agree on your idea so you can implement it is just maddening, and it gets even worse when no one agrees with it. When you go solo, no one’s opinion matters and you have all the say. But that comes at a cost.
You get to do all the work while the work is shared equally in a team. Everyone to their strengths and with the collective effort, the job will get done faster and probably better because with so many people pitching in ideas, it could go well.
Just like everyone else, I have my experiences with diverse opinions within a team and their effects. These are events that have helped me to better understand the human species and also shaped my workings with teams ever since.
A few years back, when I was still writing scripts for the drama team in our church, there was a time I was appointed to direct a script I had written. This was not that hard considering, I had done it a few times prior. However, you’d be shocked to learn that the most difficult part of directing a church drama is not actually about directing the acting, but mainly about getting the actors in the first place.
The team turned up as usual and we had a meeting where we decided on the timing. Considering how every one of us was working (we’re all youths), we needed a time that would fit everyone in. So, during the day was not feasible for everyone. We decided to hold our rehearsals at night. We meet at 6 PM and rehearse until 8 PM, then we go home. it seemed like a good plan, and we all agreed that it was the best thing.
However, first day of rehearsal, no one turned up. The only person besides me that came did so around 7:30 PM. It was just so annoying, considering how we had all agreed that this was how it was going to be. None of them gave excuses for not coming. I had to call them all one after the other to inquire about their whereabouts, a few of them assured me they were coming over and over again, but never showed. Others told me plainly that they couldn’t make it because they were too far away.
Because of this, I had to set another meeting, online this time around to settle this matter of timing. However, things only got worse. We couldn’t come to an agreement for the rehearsals. No matter what one person suggested, some other person would refute it that they wouldn’t be able to make it! The back and forth lasted for a few hours and in the end, I just gave up and said that no more daily practice, we would hold the rehearsals immediately after Sunday masses before we went home. It was the only time we all would be sure to be in church.
None of them could find a good reason to refuse this and they all agreed. So, we met only once a week and had our rehearsals then. The actors gave it their all, but you know how Sundays can be. Many don’t eat before leaving home, and that morning sun can be terrible (although we rehearsed away from it, in the shade, although the heat was a problem as well). So, there were days when practice went without much progress.
Thankfully though, the drama was performed and the actors did their best. Although I’m certain that things would have gone better if we had more practice. After that experience, I became wary of directing dramas anymore. I knew that if money had been involved, they would all have been present, no matter what. But then, because it was for the church, they were acting as if by turning up they were doing me a favor. Anyway, I’m just glad the drama went without a hitch. And I’ve not done much directing since then.
On the flip side, diverse opinions came in really handy for me, at a time when failure would have been certain if it was otherwise. In Polytechnics, the school systems are divided into two, the OND and the HND, and both are treated like full institutions. You have to gain admission into both and also graduate from both. Even though HND is a continuation of OND.
So, back when I was rounding up my OND, we were charged with a project, similar to what final years do in University. Our supervisor was really helpful. We had to build an automatic change-over switch. We knew the materials we needed, we just had to go to the market to buy them. Our supervisor suggested a shop where we could go. The man had everything and the supervisor even told us how much they would cost so we would know how to package ourselves. He even told us to tell the trader that he (our supervisor) sent us, so he would take it easy on us for the pricing.
Apparently, it turned out to be a big mistake! The trader seemed to think that because we were doing a project we had a lot of money to spend. When we explained the reason we were there and even dropped the supervisor’s name, he called a price that was easily at least 10 HBD more than we budgeted. There’s no kind of begging that we didn’t give this man, but he was adamant. Every material he called was just too expensive, we couldn’t afford them.
Eventually, we left but we couldn’t return to school empty-handed. So, all of us decided there and then that we’d check out other shops. We divided the materials among ourselves and split the money accordingly. Then, we all went to hunt. By going off individually, we didn’t give off the aura that we were carrying invisible bags of money.
That way, we managed to buy everything, with change to spare. And we returned to school happier than normal simply because we didn’t let that greedy trader win. Thankfully, that was just the first instance of our teamwork. We followed through with that energy until the device was built. There were obstacles along the way and major challenges, but we all were willing to put in the work because we were interested in passing the course.
And we did!! None of us failed it, and the defense of the project was just spectacular. Now that I’m going on to HND finals, I have another project in my near future and I pray that I have a similar team. There’s nothing quite like working with people who are on the same wavelength as you and who want the same thing you want. Success.
I get so angry when people feel too full of themselves like taking your studies seriously is going to do me any favors. You’ll have to beg them to do basic things and even to turn up and chip in. I hope such people stay the hell away from me. If not, we’re gonna have a problem.
