My favorite worse decision
My favorite worst decision was dealing with the most challenging colleague I have ever had. From the first meeting, she challenged me as a person and as a professional. Refusing to cooperate, arguing with my decisions, questioning the way I was leading the group. I decided to ignore her, not to react to her comments and negative attitude. After about half a year I realized that my decision of ignoring her (and the problem) was a very bad one. It undermined the team spirit, every meeting was uncomfortable for each team member, and there was almost no cooperation, no sharing, and learning from each other. There were just individual teachers sitting in a meeting, waiting to get out of there as soon as possible.
I changed my approach and decided to get to know her, I listened to what she was saying and considered it when making decisions. I asked questions, interacted with her, and involved her in team interactions, making sure to change the subjects or guide the discussion in a positive way. Second year of working together we ended up having a quite friendly but professional relationship. We are sharing our practices, collaborating, and even having meals together with the team outside of school.
Hidden Traps
One of the dilemmas that I had was about relationships. As a new team leader, not knowing my colleagues, I was afraid that some of my decisions would have a negative effect on our relationship, harm the team spirit, and undermine my goal to build a cooperative team, where team members feel welcomed with their ideas and are confidently sharing and contributing.
Another dilemma I had was stepping out of my comfort zone. It was my first time dealing with such a challenging colleague. I always thought I was able to handle conflicts and challenging team members, but I had to learn my ways too, think outside the box, and face the challenge after all.
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