Ideas, Insights, and Inspirations - Choosing the Right Teammates

By Ananya gogula

Uplift North Hills Prep

 

Choosing teammates for your DECA competition is arguably one of the hardest tasks at hand. The natural tendency is to obviously pick your friends, but in the end, is this really the right choice? Are they really the ideal members for your team? Learning what the team needs, and the importance of a well-rounded team with a common goal can help you make the right decision.

 

Importance of diverse strengths: 

To understand, let’s take an example scenario. Let’s say you decide to pair up with some friends; you all are amazing presenters and are like-minded with similar skill sets. While the presentation skills can always come in handy, other tasks for projects can become more overwhelming and less streamlined due to the lack of different skills and perspectives. Delegating and dividing tasks also becomes easier when team members have different skill sets. Choosing people with complementary skills to you can work out really nicely in the end; example - you are an extrovert and have a lot of confidence in presenting while your teammate can make a killer slideshow – these skills go hand in hand. Some other pros of having a team with diverse strengths:

  • Enhanced problem-solving and creativity: more perspectives/opinions, more innovative ideas

  • Improved decision making: more informed decisions, different viewpoints

  • Risk mitigation: makes sure things are not overlooked

  • More collaboration: Shared goals and vision, more communication

Steps to choosing the right teammates: 

1. ASSESS THE PROJECT AND IDENTIFY KEY STRENGTHS NEEDED:
Understanding the event/project topic and what the desired outcome is can be the first step to choosing teammates. What are the deliverables? What do you need to complete the project; are there specific resources available, deadlines, or specific time commitments needed from team members? Is there a certain way the project tasks should be broken down?

2. ASSESS YOURSELF:
What strengths do you have? What weaknesses do you have? Are there certain skill sets/strengths that can complement yours? Are you able to delegate tasks to make the project successful? This is an important step in the team selection process.

3. DIVERSE EXPERTISE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Make sure the team delegates responsibilities equally and communicates effectively. Everyone should hold each other accountable. Remember communication is key and it can actually be better to over communicate at times!

 

In the end, choosing people with diverse strengths and common goals can really help make a well-rounded team. Remember to learn from each other, communicate well, and to have fun!