March 30, 2009

Doesn't Play Well With Others

In junior high I was a runner in track. In high school I was a singles tennis player. I never liked going to Girl Scout meetings. I hate breaking into small groups. I love being anonymous in a sea of people. When I socialize I do so with one person at a time. I don’t like going out to lunch with my group at work. I would never, ever have group sex.

Recurring theme: I’m solo. I don’t do groups. I’m not a team player.

Nevertheless, I belong to a team. A team of crafts people. I thought it would be a good way to network, solely for my own benefit. I’ve tried hard to contribute to the team. I’ve shown compassion to those struggling and congratulated those with success. And now the team members have decided to change the rules.

Basically each team member is required, in several realms, to participate to a greater extent in an attempt to promote the team as a whole. Social and business networking is much different than promoting the competition. I don’t think they realize that. If someone has information and shares it with the group that’s one thing. If I have to participate, work, research, and report back to the group with my findings? Totally something else. I’m not in business to share my information, especially if I had to go out of my way to obtain that information.

Above that, the team leaders are turning out to be a bunch of control freaks, treating the rest of the team members like children. I’ll be the first to admit that many of the team members have the business savvy of a child and are completely unworthy of associating with those who have worked hard to make names for ourselves. But there are others of us who have functioning brains and common sense. We have experience in business and in trial and error. We have information. We are valuable.

As much as I dislike how the team is developing and don’t like the methods of the leaders, the bottom line is: I’m looking out for me. I’m not in business to show others the ropes. I’m playing singles tennis. I’m running the race in my own lane. I want all the success and will accept all of the failure. I don’t want to expend energy promoting other people when I could be using that energy to promote me. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t think so. Does it make me selfish? No, not that either. Do you want me on your team? I think not.