Collecting a puzzle called Team

In 6 days I'll oficially start working in AIESEC Russia, which means that May 1 oficially will be birthday of new TEAM - MC Russia 2009-10. 

8 individuals...8 differents backgrounds, lives, interests, aspirations, hobbies, tastes, ideas...

Will it be easy? No. Will it be rewarding? Hope yes.

Today sitting in Moscow metro when going from MC flat to my appartment I was thinking about team theories and my past experiences when working and managing different teams.

Probably right now we're more referring to Tuckman's team theory based on:

• Forming
  
• Storming
  
• Norming 
  
• Performing
  

I looked over the description of each stage and recognize every word of it in our behaviour:) First we were confused, but at the same time positive, trying to figure out what is relevant for us, having long discussions, but accepting each other. 

Few days ago we got to Storming stage and for me it's challenging, but amazingly interesting, as I don't remember myself being in intense Storming stage in my previous teams. Usually we smoothly skipped it and started performing. So for me personally, it's a time of learning and re-considering some things. These are some statements which explains Storming:

• The honeymoon is over.
  
• The silent leaders may be clashing for control of the group.
  
• People disagree and may blame the team concept, saying it doesn’t work.
  
• Management needs to do a lot of coaching to get people to work past their differences.

I especially liked the phrase, which describes Storming stage "The honeymoon is over" :) 

All the above means that team is not effective in completing the tasks, or it takes much longer than it could, at the same time it's the beginning for understanding each other before team members get to Norming stage. 

I really hope we'll pass, as a team, storming stage during our National Conference, but it requires commitment from all team members. For me it's not easy to keep silence sometimes, stay calm and not get irritated, but I'm definitely trying to overcome myself (though sometimes it still doesn't work:) ), so we'll become not Storming, but PERFORMING team! 

And also it was quite interesting to look over Belbin Team Inventory and actually recognize some features of my team mates there! That means we can actually complement each other and make our weak sides strong ones, which is a key to success! I'd compare process of team forming to collecting puzzle: first you get mad, cuz it doesn't work, then you see some results, see framework and complete goal, start putting it together and in the end when puzzle is done, look back and think that it was fun and easy! We're like puzzles, trying to fit, but now figuring out where and how, at last it will be complete and bright picture:)

Another TeaM I'm gonna be in upcoming year is Talent Managament team of LCVPTMs, but it's another story and different style of work. So waiting for National Conference to meet them and see which stages of team forming we gonna have:)))

In the end I just feel like quoting the following:

"Everything is okay in the end, if it's not ok, then it's not the end". 

So whatever problems we can have, it's ok:) 

Today I found out that one of my friends is applying for MCP after not being active in AIESEC for 3 years... I always admired him for the fact that he was not afraid to be himself, no matter what other people will say! Some will think it's easy to be yourself, no matter what... But I thought about myself and people who surround me and understood that it's not easy: we always adapt, trying to be good so everybody loves us, afraid of critics, scared to death to loose our friends, feel nervous when changing places. All of that makes us to hide some of our features sometimes and say things, which people want to hear, but not the things we want to say.

So step which my friend decided to take really inspired me to stay loyal to myself! Nobody expected him to apply, nobody knows motivation he has for it, but what I'm sure about is that he's true to himself and doesn't care about what others will say about it, but about importance of it to him! 

These actions made by people around me, challenge and make me think about myself and upcoming year in AIESEC Russia! Now I really understood how important it is to stick to the values you have and not to be afraid to LIVE and ACT!

Thank you Max:)))