Project Methods

When I was first assigned to my group, the first thing I wanted to do was become acquainted with everyone. This didn't stop at just names. I wanted to use what was learned in Tier 1 and understand each group member's journey to self-discovery with the individualized activities from the previous year. In this case, some potential conflicts arose. For example, in regards to True Colors, while I and two other members were logically-minded Greens and organized Golds, one member was a Blue, indicating a more emotionally-driven, humanitarian, idealistic mindset. This proved that, while it's important to have varying personalities to have different perspectives on solving a particular problem, there could be some potential conflicts in deciding what steps to take in the project. 

Touching back to what was learned in Tier 1, we each shared our own conflict resolution styles. Thankfully, we all happened to have the same style: collaborative. This means that we all work together to find a way to (a) honor the requests of two or more sides and (b) prioritize the team dynamic and the task at hand.  This was merely an act of serendipity. Because we all had the same conflict resolution style, it was simple to delegate responsibilities amongst the group and come to agreements on who would do what based on our strengths and shadows. For instance, I didn't want to be the liaison between our group and the organization because of my then-present hesitance to reach out to unfamiliar people. Rather than causing an argument, we all agreed that, because my Green analytical, data-driven tendencies bleed into my desire to learn as much as possible, I should be assigned the role of "Proofreader" for our documents. This was to ensure that everything was spelled correctly, had no grammatical errors, and used professional language suitable for Friendship House. This method of understanding group responsibilities kept communication peaceful and I will definitely use this in the workplace and beyond.

As collaborative BHLP students, our team values were creativity, value, excellence, and service. These were the traits we wanted our team to rely upon so we wouldn't fall into the trap of one of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The one particular dysfunction we wanted to avoid was an absence of trust. We nipped this problem in the bud straight away, first by delegating tasks based on our natural strengths. Then, we held weekly meetings outside of BHLP meetings and classes to debrief on the previous week's work. We even met over Zoom during winter break, when a lot of students are at home and taking a break from school. Keeping this diligent schedule allowed us to take accountability for our own roles. There have been times in which I could've had a more watchful eye while proofreading; these rare occasions were always remedied with an apology, an acknowledgement of what went wrong, and what can go better next time. 

The most important skills I've learned from this project pertain to working in a group setting. One crucial detail is that, regardless of how alike your conflict resolution and color personalities are, no two people have the exact same desires for a particular task's execution. As such, it's necessary to discuss openly with the group to reach a consensus on what to do. For me, I learned to use my present strengths to excel in certain tasks and not force myself to do well in something I'm not naturally equipped to do. Research is something that makes more sense to me than organizing social events like a clothing drive; there's no need to force it the other way! I also learned the value in making peaceful compromises, as the primary goal is to better the project and no disagreement is ever personal.

In the accounting profession, despite common misconceptions, there will be quite a few times where group work is necessary. One prime example of this is in an audit for a private company. When I interned for BDO, I was invited to come to a particular client site with two other seasoned employees to record financial data, ask relevant questions (i.e., changes in payroll, supply chain issues that could affect count of inventory, etc), and understand the basics steps of the auditing process set for by AICPA. Much like the Friendship House project, I was was working with people of differing personalities that had a certain view on what facets of the audit should be handled with first. With plenty of open discussion and a clear set of expectations decided upon as a group, we would always get our tasks done.