Teamwork means never having to take all the blame yourself!

While I thank Stephen Hawking for his famous quote, my batchmates at XLRI Jamshedpur with whom I have spent one very enriching term deserve their well-earned appreciation too.

I have often been asked about my learning experience with senior HR folks in my ongoing PG HR program from XLRI Jamshedpur . Of the many I have, here are my insights on teamwork, that I learned from the wonderful people I have met.

We, the first batch of the PGDM (HRM) course at XLRI Jamshedpur are a diverse bunch of forty folks with some amazing genres of work experience which is very unlike the homogeneity that I am used to in my corporate teams. This has meant an enriching experience along with some interesting challenges as well. My perspective on teamwork has expanded and that has made me much more aware and inclusive both professionally and personally thanks to this experience.

Here are some of my top takeaways on teamwork from my peers outside of academic learning.

• Find, your why, well most have. We are largely driven by self-motivation, which can contrast with teams within a corporate where an extrinsic push of a corporate deadline or a client usually drives the team to deliver and is easier to manage. In our class, we all are juggling multiple roles: there are careers and family, and many other priorities. And that demands plenty of energy to keep going, past where we normally finish. This reinforces my belief that when one is motivated, one does find a way.

• The intersection of multiple perspectives. In a group as diverse as ours, there’s a variety of thoughts that are shared. Many of those are gained only from several years of experience through the school of hard knocks. A good discussion is not one where everyone agrees with everyone else but knowing how to develop multiple viewpoints into a constructive dialogue. Grateful for the opportunity to learn so much from peers.
• Division of work works. Depending on the nature of the task, assigning roles to each team member ensures better clarity and accountability and just helps get the work done. We have someone who plans the study topics, another pitches to schedule the meetings, another is a note taker, and so on. When everyone is volunteering, there is not much scope for freeloading all the time. :) As with any team, one of the challenges is to keep discussions focused on the topic at hand we are happier to discuss the latest HR news and cool policy that some company has rolled out.

• If it is a priority…then there is no hiding behind the ‘I have no time’ excuse. The challenge comes up when we want to prioritize work, family/social lives, sleep, and everything else at the same level. There will need to be a sacrifice as we have signed up for this and now, there is no turning back. If it is a priority, everyone knows one will make time for it. After all, we are dealing with a whole lot of type A folks!
• Dial it up, maybe not always. It is interesting to see the varying amounts of contribution everyone (including me) is able to put in. The rigor of the course can test even the most dedicated of the lot. Sometimes we lead and sometimes it is easier to just participate and let others lead. It is up to us to make peace with our own energy levels and priorities to ensure we run this marathon without burning out.

• Fighting battles, silently. Understanding people’s lives as they opened up made me realize that “Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”. Whatever the case, it is up to us to be kind and work around people’s challenges to get work done. What helps immensely is that we keep our team members informed and I have seen that they are more than happy to support us, if it is a genuine reason. The only thing the team expects is that you keep them informed and not abscond.
• The extra mile... is uncrowded. After a tiring day at the office, I do respect those ladies whom I have seen take project discussion calls from the kitchen while preparing food for their kids, those guys who are on their way back from work at 11 pm and stop their vehicle by the side of the road to contribute their points, those folks who have taken 20 minutes out of battling fires during a crazy workday to write their share of an assignment. You know who you are, and are superstars!

My biggest takeaway is that regardless of a corporate environment or an academic one if we are honest with our team members and the team sees us putting in the genuine effort, everyone goes out of their way to help out in any situation. A simple switch from a competitive mindset to a transparent collaborative one can be a game changer. That means playing together. And that’s a team for you!

The energy that keeps us going! A batch get-together with our Program Director Premarajan RK , Dr. Rahul K Shukla, Dr. NS Rajan Pankaj Bansal,? Manoj Madhusudanan , KS Bakshi (Interglobe), and the Leadup Universe team.

Here’s to you, Class of 23’ for giving it your best shot to make it all work and to team Vulcans who started it all Dipen Sharma Anobbhaa Bhaskkar Sanjeev Ranjan Ikram Khan Jyoti Singh

Keep Learning, Keep Inspiring!

#learning #teamwork #collaboration #motivation