Team Members Who Did Not Pull Their Weight
I received this message from son.
It's 01:20, but I really need to walk
Had to clutch a group assignment (5 members), after 1 member didn't do his parts on time, we ended up beating the deadline by just 1m, very stressed now
This is an important lesson for him and everyone else. There will always be individuals who will not pull their weight in a group environment. These individuals are like leeches; it stays on you and sucks you dry.
Short Term
My son is fortunate that this is a one-off group project. The leecher has effectively damaged his own reputation, I doubt he will get invited back to another group project again. Being a leecher may bring short term wins, in the long run the reputation is so tattered that no one wants to work with the person anymore. These individuals quickly get flushed out.
Long term
What if the settings are in an office or an organisation? My advice is to track everything. Store and keep all conversations, communications and documents. Hold the person accountable by being transparent with the team and leadership's expectation. If the leecher is not pulling his weight, the whole team will know. Report to the leadership and seek for help if necessary. If you are not getting the necessary support, maybe it is time to leave the organisation.
In my group work, I keep all my work and expectations transparent. I hold myself and the whole team accountable on the outcome of the work. Leechers are nothing buy anchors dragging us from reaching our goals. Get rid of them as you soon as you identify them.