Group Work

   This year I was fortunate enough to take on a challenge that only a select group of people have the privilege to pursue - grad school. Most MBA programs are spread out over two years. The program I enrolled in, however, condensed those two years into one: four quarters, Monday to Thursday, 9am to 12:30pm. At first glance, that type of schedule may have seemed flexible. School was out by noon every day, and there’s no school on Fridays. After completing my first of the four quarters of the program, I have to say that I used every spare minute outside of class buried in a textbook, reviewing PowerPoint slides, reading journal articles, conducting market research, struggling to comprehend mathematical concepts, while balancing group projects for each class. I can honestly say that it has been the most intense eleven weeks I have ever experienced, educationally. With three more quarters to go before graduation, I’m taking this time to reflect, regroup, and re-train my mind toward success.

     “I hate group work.”

     “I can’t stand this person.”

     “This person doesn't do any work.”

     “This person does all the work!”

     “I don’t have any friends here.”

     “I could care less if I don’t see anybody ever again, once we graduate. I’m just trying to be done.”

   These are some of the statements I have heard almost on a daily basis these past few weeks, and I totally understand where they are coming from. As an undergraduate, most of the academic work could be done autonomously, with no group work required. Students could come to class or not, and still get by. Grad school, on the other hand is a whole different story. Here, we have the same twenty-two classmates that we see every single day, and we have to learn how to work with each other, every single day. Many people find it difficult to work with others, but to me, learning how to work with people is one of the most valuable skills one could learn in life, and the sooner you learn it, the more effective and successful you will be.

   With that being said, the following are a few tips that I would give to anyone struggling with doing group work with people:

        Attitude Determines Your Altitude.  What do you see? An optimist looks at a glass half full, a pessimist looks at a glass half empty, while an entrepreneur sees the opportunity to sell half-sized cups! The next time you catch yourself saying, “I hate group work,” ask yourself how you can make the situation work for you.   

See The Good. What you say about other people establishes them in that identity. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss things, small minds discuss people.” The next time you find yourself in a conversation where everyone is gossiping about everyone else, stop and let Mrs. Roosevelt encourage you to elevate your mind from small, to average, to great.      

         Reputation Is Golden. People will talk about you no matter what you say or do. The question is, what are they saying? Are you the type of person that talks about other people behind their back, or are you the type of person that fosters good relationships? Are you the type of person that is known to work hard and give 100%, or are you known as a slacker? Nobody wants to work with a slacker. People want to work with people who are excellent. Let excellence drive your engine, and set yourself up for success.

   People attend graduate school for different reasons. Some people just want to get it done and move on with their lives, other people truly want to learn for learning’s sake, and then there are those who don’t just want to be informed with the knowledge, they want to be transformed by the knowledge. I belong to the latter category. I can’t wave a magic wand and make people join me in that latter category; the best I can do is transform myself and hope that they would be inspired to do the same. Four quarters come and go with the blink of an eye, and I want to make sure that my eye sees everything that it can.