Should Every Group Project Have One Leader?

At the beginning of our school exhibition project, choosing a leader seemed like the obvious first step. Our group selected the most confident speaker, assuming that someone who could explain ideas clearly would also know how to organise the work. For the first week, this arrangement appeared to work well. Meetings were short, decisions were quick, and everyone knew whom to ask.

Problems emerged when the project became more complicated. Our leader was expected to check the research, design the display, settle disagreements, and remind people about deadlines. Meanwhile, several quieter members waited for instructions even when they had useful ideas. We had confused having a coordinator with giving one person responsibility for everything.

Our teacher explained that leadership could be shared without making responsibilities unclear. She asked us to list the tasks that needed decisions and consider who had the relevant knowledge. The student who rarely spoke during meetings knew more about visual design than anyone else. Another member was excellent at checking whether our sources actually supported our claims.

The final display was designed by two students who had previously stayed in the background. Our original leader continued to coordinate meetings, but research questions went to a different person. We also wrote down decisions so that someone who missed a meeting could understand what had changed. Sharing leadership required more explanation at first, yet it reduced the number of questions directed at one exhausted classmate.

If we had kept the original arrangement, our leader would have faced an unfair workload. However, replacing one leader with several task coordinators did not automatically solve every problem. Two people sometimes assumed that the other was handling a job. We responded by giving each task a named owner and a clear deadline, while keeping the wider discussion open.

There were moments when a quick decision was necessary. During the exhibition itself, we could not hold a meeting every time a label fell off the wall. We agreed in advance who could make immediate practical decisions. This distinction between everyday coordination and decisions requiring discussion helped us avoid both confusion and unnecessary debate.

Looking back, I would still choose a coordinator for a similar project. What I would question is the assumption that leadership must belong to one person in every situation. Confidence is valuable, but it is not the same as expertise, patience, or careful judgement. Our exhibition improved when leadership became a responsibility that could move towards the person best placed to handle a particular task.

Grammar Structure (Phân tích Ngữ pháp)

Third Conditional

Công thức: If + S + had + V3/V-ed, S + would have + V3/V-ed + ...

Ví dụ trong bài: If we had kept the original arrangement, our leader would have faced an unfair workload.

Past Simple Passive

Công thức: S + was/were + V3/V-ed + ...

Ví dụ trong bài: The final display was designed by two students who had previously stayed in the background.

Reported Speech

Công thức: S + explained + that + S + could + V (nguyên mẫu) + ...

Ví dụ trong bài: Our teacher explained that leadership could be shared without making responsibilities unclear.