7.1 “Surrounded by Idiots”

Picture This:

You are part of a five-person group tasked with completing a project worth 25% of your grade. Teamwork and cooperation are supposed to be critical, but as you walk into the meeting room, you are already focused on efficiency and results. Wasting time is not an option, not when this project carries so much weight, and you have a million and one other things to do.

Without missing a beat, you dive right in. You lay out a clear plan, delegate tasks, and set deadlines. Momentum is building; that is, until Karen jumps in. She’s enthusiastic and social, sure, but she cannot seem to stay on topic. Every time you try to move forward, she veers off into random stories or unrelated ideas. You grit your teeth, resisting the urge to shout, “Stop talking! Don’t you see we have actual work to do!?”

Meanwhile, Tara and Tom sit in silence, barely contributing. Their calm, easygoing nature might be fine in other situations, but it feels like they do not care right now. You catch them whispering to each other on the side, and you cannot help but wonder if they are talking about you. You try to brush it off, but the nagging suspicion lingers.

Finally, just when some real progress starts to show, Dexter decides it’s his time to shine. He launches into a barrage of nitpicky, detail-oriented questions. Sure, details matter, but do we really need to dissect every tiny thing right now? You can practically feel your eyes rolling as he picks apart every single point.

What was supposed to be a quick meeting has now dragged on for over an hour, bogged down by distractions and delays. Still, you push forward, determined to carry this entire project on your shoulders if that’s what it takes to get it done. As the meeting limps toward a close, you pause for a moment and think to yourself, “Why am I always surrounded by idiots?”

No matter how strange or frustrating it may seem, there is no such thing as “normal” human behaviour. The unique ways in which people approach tasks, handle conflict, or respond to setbacks often lead to misunderstandings and tension. By recognizing and adapting to these differences, you can foster stronger connections, better communication, and more effective teamwork, ultimately leading to higher-level wellness. This chapter explores the diverse ways individuals think, behave, and react to difficult situations and offers practical strategies to improve communication with different personality types.