Team Phases and Proposal Preparation

One of my team mates gave me the idea for this blog during our last group meeting. We were discussing how arduous and frustrating we found the Webinar proposal process. I'm sure it's not this frustrating for everyone. It seems that some groups have what appears to be a natural affinity for getting things efficiently.

I have worked on group projects quite a bit lately, here at work. I can say, it hasn't been any easier. At work, there are varying ability levels, knowledge sets, experience, biases, ego, and a large degree of stubbornness. Here, we're not students, most of us were hired because we have a specific skill set. Bringing those skill sets to the table and making project decisions can be very difficult because many working professionals lack the humility to admit that someone else might have a better idea, or better way, than their own. We get overly invested because big ideas translate to successful projects that translates to promotions and salary increases. The stakes at work are quite different than in a classroom. In a classroom, we explore. We're here because we know that we have something to learn. We bring a degree of humility to the process of learning, or at least we should bring a degree of humility.

I have found with my group that the frustration brought to the table is generally frustration about myself, and my own performance, or lack of. What I don't know about project management is alot. What I don't know about eLearning is huge! Talk about a steep learning curve. So I'm really in a learning mode all the time and suspect that my fellow classmates are feeling very much the same. In writing this blog, I conclude that the amount of "pain" has a direct correlation to the amount of personal and professional knowledge gained from these recent experiences. I'm really pretty lucky to have the opportunity to learn, work, fail, and sometimes succeed all within the most supportive environment imaginable.

Now what was I frustrated about?