Have you ever worked with a group of people and thought you were all on the same page only to find out that one player was not committed to the team or job like the rest?
I was recently involved with a work team which had this type of situation happen. The office was going through some big changes with their computer system and it was very stressful on the team as a whole. They decided it would be best if each member took an area of the new software to study and learn and then would teach it to the rest of the team.
This seemed like a good idea and it would save time for all of them. As they gave out the assignments of who would learn what aspect of the software, one of the members seem a bit reluctant to help and made a joke about waiting until they figured it out and then they could show him.
The project took a few days to complete and this same team member slacked off and even left early one evening when they all agreed to work late to finish. Not only was the rest of the team upset, they were disappointed to find out their teammate did not have the same level of commitment to their job or the team as a whole.
Commitment is one of the essential qualities of a good team player. I love the quote that John Maxwell said “There are no halfhearted champions.”
You are either committed or your not there is no middle of the road. Commitment does not depend on abilities it is the result of choice. We need to remember that if we are not committed to the team how can we expect them to be committed to us.
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