​Whether you’re a part of your chapter officer team or not, there are going to be times when you are able to (or have to) work in a team. Depending on who you are, this could be a blessing or a curse to you. Regardless though, you should make the most out of your time working with others and make sure to be a good team member.
So then the obvious question is, how do I be a good team member? This is a really simple question with a really complicated answer. It’s probably best to start with the basics; what is teamwork? Sure it’s working in a team, but it’s so much more than that. The most important aspect of teamwork is synergy, meaning that you and the rest of your team will get more done together than you would individually. Something that you need to realize about this is that it means you have to contribute more than you would if you weren’t with a team. But that doesn’t mean you have to do more work.
In fact, when you work with a team, you can do less work, get more done and have more fun doing it. This happens when a team is full of good team members. Good team members will collaborate and bounce ideas off each other so that better ideas can be thought of. Multiple brains are better than one. In addition to this, working with good team members makes working more fun. By being friendly and communicating with everyone, the entire team can feel more involved and that the work they’re doing is more meaningful than if they worked alone.
It is worth noting though that teamwork can have a major flaw: stalling. We’re all guilty of it, we’re working in a group with our friends and get off task so much that nothing gets done. To combat this, teams need to make sure they stay on task and stay motivated while having fun to make sure that things get done.
Working in a team is a unique experience. You have multiple people who may have completely different ideas and want to do completely different things. But that’s just a part of life that you can’t change. Instead of trying to, you should cherish the experience and gain something from it.