A-Z Blogger Challenge 2016 - There is no Team without Trust

I am a very different sort of character at work.

My methods, while very efficient most of the time, seem to rub my colleagues up the wrong way (all the time). But apart from me, one of the biggest challenges I think we face as a staff is a serious lack of unity.

When I started this job, almost seven years ago, I was the second youngest staff member - not only in age, but in experience, both in years at the school, and in working years in general. Whenever I tried to implement a new idea or tried to go about my duties in a different way, it was met with resistance. It was here that I experienced how averse people were to change. "She just started here yesterday, who does she think she is?" This is a comment that was passed almost every week, and one I still here whispers of now and again.

It saddens me to have to say that not everyone shares the same vision for the school or its learners; not everyone is supportive when their colleagues wish to do anything that would benefit the school or the learners we are supposed to serve. And in some extreme occurrences, some have even gone so far as to sabotage the efforts of others.
For as long as I can remember, it has been drilled into me to do things without expectation of recognition. But I'm not Jesus. I don't necessarily want recognition, but I feel it when the things that I do go unappreciated (especially when they've yielded results). It makes me want to quit my job and take my skills elsewhere.

It is one of the most demoralizing kinds of atmospheres to work in, and during the last six and a half years it has prevented me from taking on more challenges. I've never really felt part of a team.

This year, due to one of our senior colleagues falling ill, some of the newer and younger colleagues and I were forced into taking charge of a project. We were very apprehensive about taking it on - we don't enjoy the support of our senior colleagues, and we have to contend with a counter-productive vibe (from them) that feels like they're waiting for us to fail.

Despite this, I have every confidence that we'll make a success of it. All of the people involved are on the same page, we all want this to succeed and we are all willing to do what we can, and what is necessary. Yes, we don't agree on everything, but we can do it in adult manner, and we trust that we all have the school's best interests at heart. We are able to recognise and appreciate each other's talents, and for the first time ever, I feel like a valued team member.

"Without trust, we don't truly collaborate; we merely co-ordinate or, at best, co-operate." The trust we have shown with each other so far really has transformed an unlikely group of people into a team. And though we will face some challenges, I am certain that we will make a success of our collaboration in the end.