I am a team captain for a youth organized Relay For Life team through the American Cancer Society. As a team captain I experience I large amount of stress and pressure to provide the best opportunities for my team members to raise money, enjoy themselves, and fight against cancer. This summer I team member who has been a part of the team for at least five years, shared with me her opinion of the 2015 event. The day after the 24 hour event, late at night, I received an exceptionally long text message. As I was exhausted from being awake for over 28 hours I was asleep and did not see the message until I woke up in the middle of the night. The text message was confusing and extremely disappointing to read.
As embarrassing as it is, I instantly started crying with extreme disappointment in myself. As a seventeen year old high school student, I am extremely self-conscious about how I am perceived by others. Reading that “the team seemed very dysfunctional” and “The entire atmosphere of the tent was miserable” was something I immediately assumed was my fault. I have no problem admitting that I am a perfectionist. When a I fail in the smallest aspect it feels as if I am disappointing the whole world. That team member seemed like she was having
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Instead we both put up a wall and decided to not communicate. The Perception Checking technique would have allowed me to recognize that I don’t know everything and it would have allowed the team member to recognize the same. There were things I could have done to be a better leader because leadership requires constant improvement. The Perception Checking technique would have also allowed both of us to realize that our initial assumptions and reactions are not always effect. A phone call a week after the event to discuss what could be improved on both ends would have been more effective than a late night upset text