Week 8 at the EPA: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

I’ve spent nearly the entire summer trying to come up with an air pun to no avail, so if any of y’all can think of one, drop it in the comments section below.

As I write this, the heat index is 109°F

The EPA Advance program is transitioning to AQPD (my division), so we are in the midst of transferring institutional knowledge. If Org Theory prepared me for anything, it’s this, because we are writing team charters and work plans, delegating responsibilities, prepping briefing materials for upper management, and developing a strategic plan. Handing a program off to someone else is no joke. There’s lots of meetings and teaching and file sharing involved. A co-worker of mine made the comment that he wishes we could do some sort of mind meld like they did in Star Trek.

However, it is an excellent, real-life learning experience, as teamwork is essential to success ( i.e. making the dream work). I am certainly grateful for how well the MPA program has prepared me for teamwork through our numerous group projects and in-class exercises. Each team member has a unique personality, strengths, weaknesses, interests, and background, and a successful team is one that is able to utilize each member in meeting the mission or goal of the group. In this case, I think one of the most valuable things I can offer my team is new ideas and a fresh perspective. I am the youngest member of my team (and all of AQPD), so I think one of my strengths is being knowledgeable about emerging environmental issues and representing a younger generation.

I’m excited about this opportunity to be a part of a team and help develop this EPA Advance program.

Thanks for reading–see you next week!

Sydney