I have only a short time tonight because I am working with colleagues generating and editing an assessment report for a school in Central California. It is my first time through this process, and though I’ve done accreditation visits and generated those reports numerous times, it is still learning a new language with a new set of terms and nuances.
What I want to comment on tonight is the immense satisfaction that one finds in working with a team. I always think of myself as a loner. In school I hated group work, and if I’m at a workshop and the speaker tells me to turn to my seatmate, I develop a need to run to the restroom. However, working with a group of intelligent people on a shared project is an exhilarating experience. Each person writes a section of the report, and the group edits the draft. It is a highly intimidating experience for a person who takes pride in his writing to put work in front of a group for the first time, and it can be ego bashing if they don’t see it as brilliant. However, in the process of sharing ideas, there is a collegiality, a collectivity that you don’t find anywhere else (feelings that are exacerbated by pressure to get things done and growing weariness). the work stops feeling like work and starts to feel like jazz, a free form collaboration leading to something beautiful.
Oh…I have to get back to work
As always I welcome your comments.