Question 1: I believe that conscientiousness is the greatest strength that I have for my team; my team has many different distinct personalities, and the vast majority of them have very extroverted interests. I think I can put those traits to good use if I led them with compassion and conscientiousness toward their wants and needs, so they will feel valued. I want to contribute to a collaborative spirit with my team so I can bring out the best in them. I believe my biggest weakness is my neuroticism, which seems to be more present than my other personality traits (given that it’s the highest score). My teammates are all fairly assertive and confident, which means that they might have a greater sense of self-efficacy and leave me to catch up to them. I fear that this will affect my sense of initiative around them. I am definitely a closer, which is not matched well by the rest of the other teammates, so I wonder how well my personality will mesh with these other personality types. I am one of two ‘guardian protectors’, which might make me need to be the ‘bad guy’ around the more artistic personalities.
The biggest obstacle my team overall may face is that there is no clear leader in the team as yet; while I most closely identify as a ‘closer’, the vast majority of the other group functions well as ‘managers,’ leaving no one to provide direction in the group. In order to address the team and personal challenges, I will have to learn how best to curb my more neurotic tendencies, which include being doubtful of the team’s acceptance of me. I also need to make sure that I know how best to perform my role as closer, while allowing the others to manage me until my strengths can be utilized in the group.
Question 2: My two goals toward addressing these problems are to develop good working relationships with people from different functions and to be a reliable teammate. In order to better develop good working relationships with my teammates, I will do two things. One, I will find a communal activity that we all enjoy (basketball, going to the movies) and invite everyone to engage in it. Two, I will take time to speak with each team member individually on at least one occasion and talk to them about what expectations we have of each other in these goals. In order to be a reliable teammate, I expect to remind myself to follow through on each and every task I am assigned or volunteer for. I also will make sure to be punctual to every single meeting that we have for the project. (These things will lessen my neuroticism and nervousness about teammates’ perceptions of me.)
Question 3: I believe the most important trait in a team member is a collaborative spirit, meaning that they are willing to compromise, accommodate and listen to others without overstepping bounds. Collaboration is important because it allows all parties to feel included and valued, thus allowing for a smooth working relationship without interpersonal conflict or ego problems. I wish to cultivate a collaborative spirit through the aforementioned personal engagements with the team in hobbies and activities we all like. I also believe it is necessary to put down in writing our respective responsibilities and expectations for each other in the group to make them clear.
