I have to admit I am NOT a “team” person. Whenever I had a task I’d ask to work alone. The funniest moment was, 10 years ago I think at the International House in Timisoara (a place we went to learn some better English) .. We were 11 in the “class” I think and we had to work in pairs. Knowing how bad it is to have someone on my team (they always dragged me down and I had to work for them too) I asked with the nicest voice: “Tina, can I be a pair?”

It was funny, but I think this is what I am .. a “pair” person, who’s making the “pair” all by herself.

As I mentioned before .. I am not a team person. I was always pretty fast when having to work on something. I found out that, if I worked on a team, my results would be worse: we’d fool around (well, we’re not always that interested in learning/working), I would lose pretious time trying to explain my partners the solution and most of the time, totally ..ssed on their stupidity, I’d have to do all the task by myself.

No, I am not Einstein, but I do seem to have a higher IQ. And this makes working with me impossible on an equal level.

This would be the main reason I don’t believe in equality in a business.

I discussed months ago this issue with my boyfriend and we kinda agreed: there are some excellent teams working nicely, but most of the time partnerships end in “divorce” after some time. Why cannot people be that compatible?

• they have different speeds and capacities to solve a task. Just like me, in my schooldays, some might solve a problem faster, some might solve it slower or might never find a solution. This SHOWS and, in time, can become a problem;
• some are working hard, others are hardly working .. again .. at the beginning this might not be such an issue, but as time goes by, the one doing all the job will rebel.
• money changes a lot .. all the things mentioned above become more serious when money is involved. When high revenue starts rolling, people start thinking more about how to maximize their own profits and get rid of the slow working ones.
• people are people .. as in marriage, a business relationship means a lot of compromises, many potential fights … It’s hard to work in a team since you have to work with other people. They won’t always agree with you and living as a “couple” is hard.

I know this might not be what you’d expect from a “business related” blog entry. Maybe you’d like me to praise the team work and tell you how wonderful a community is. Well a community is superb (this would explain why I own 14 forums right now). I am addicted to interaction, to people and all kinds of projects. But I don’t see them as an equality position. I am a leader or have a leader.

Knowing the hierarchy really helps me work better. I know my tasks and can achieve my goals as an employee or as the only leader.

What do you think?

Filed under: Painful business truths by ramona