People have aspirations, goals, things they want to do and make happen, but most of it ends up being talk and never gets followed through into something real. Many just don’t put in that extra effort to take action, but there are those few who do, which often leads to a tricky situation, in particular when working in a group.
You would think that the ones who take time out of their day to get things moving forward for the group would be celebrated, yet the opposite seems to happen more often than not – people get upset that you took initiative, that they weren’t able to contribute, and do things the way they wanted to. They try to convince you that they were planning on doing X, Y and Z if you had only waited a little longer.
Many times, the person that does take the initiative is aware that they should get everyone involved because it isn’t something a sole individual should be responsible for, yet many often disregard this opportunity to get involved, especially when it is something that goes above and beyond what is necessary. That is of course until the task or project or item is done and then they chime in with how much they wanted to partake in the creation, and instead of appreciation you get a critique.
There are two lessons here, first everyone needs to be more focused on taking action, not just talking, but walking and while doing so, make the effort to integrate the group when applicable. On the other hand, when someone does take the initiative and gets something done, be mindful of the effort they put in, and appreciate them rather then criticize them. Sure others could have added value and made the outcome better and can still find ways to do so, but if they weren’t willing to contribute in the first place, it is only themselves they have to blame.
