Share The Credit. Take the Blame.

While in school, I hated group work. All the way through college, every time a teacher or professor would assign a team assignment, I would cringe. My problem was that I knew my level of ability, but didn’t trust that of the rest of the group. So, I would just do most of the work, and we’d turn it in together. It wasn’t until I started my Master’s Degree that I realized the significance of getting meaningful input from your team. You will get a lot of group work in your life: assignments in school, projects at work, volunteer opportunities. If you play sports, that is another example. If you want to be a leader, you must utilize your team. Find their strengths and accentuate them. Learn their weakness and try to minimize them. Make them feel a part of something larger than what they could accomplish on their own. And, in the end, treat them with dignity and respect. If the project was a “win,” share credit. This is something you all did together, after all. However, if the situation was a “fail,” accept the blame. Soften the blow of losing by owning up to your own mistakes and failures along the way. Doing this will bring your team closer together and improve future efforts. Additionally, if gives you opportunities to self evaluate and see how you can improve. It would be great to say “I did it all!” when you win and “You guys suck!” when you lose, but that is not the most effective manner to build relationships in a team. And if the object is to work better together, strong relationships are crucial.