Your Boss Was Wrong — There Is An “I” In Every Team
There’s a high possibility that your office has motivational posters on the wall. Posters that have phrases like “Hard work beats talent”, or, “If you believe in it, you can achieve it”. Among all these motivational sayings, it’s also likely that some variation of “There Is No ‘I’ In A Team” is your boss’ perennial favorite. While the intention of the axiom is right, its hardcore acceptance is debatable.
Teams at work are made up of a bunch of I’s (individuals) with unique personalities, skill sets, and needs. Whether in the field or at the workplace, a team performs at its potential best when the needs of each team member are supported while addressing the needs of the group as a whole. Our leaders have to think about the ‘me’ within the ‘we’ if they want their employees to grow in tandem with the business.
The expression “There is no ‘I’ in a team” is oft-repeated in the office and across all levels in sport. Sports coaches and business leaders swear by this interesting saying. The reference suggests that no individual’s needs, abilities, and ideas have a higher priority than the combined skills and efforts of the entire group. The question that arises here is — how true is the literal adoption of this saying? Is the essence of collaboration all about suppressing the individuality of your team members for a greater good?
The answer is a resounding “maybe”.
Or “maybe not”.
Or “it depends”.
True leadership begins with an ‘I’ and usually ends in ‘We’ and it’s crucial to understand the balance between the ‘I’ and the ‘We’. This balance often translates to the present versus the future, and there is a direct correlation between the two. Being a great team player at present means that you have the potential to go on and become a better leader in the future. While planning your future is up to you, you cannot do so without honoring and respecting your present. In sport, the ‘great’ ones never accept personal accolades without giving due credit to the team. This act of true sportsmanship doesn’t imply that the winners didn’t expend their time and energy to improve their skills to perform at legendary levels. It just goes to show how equally skillful they are off the pitch.
As digital transformations disrupt industries globally, companies now bank on collaborative teams to drive growth and innovation. Teamwork has never been more important or in higher demand. Several case studies indicate that people collaborate because they feel that a collective effort will lead to better, more creative ideas, innovative solutions, and increased levels of productivity. Leaders trying to convince their employees to work together needn’t do so as they’re already hyper-collaborating. What they can do to help is to understand and balance the needs of all those I’s within their teams, to help them thrive better.
Giving more control to individuals over their experience at work is the key to supporting them. Letting employees gain more control over their work environment will require the leadership to change their mindset towards people management. As industry-leading businesses demand rapid growth at a swift pace, altering the paradigm to attract and engage those talented “I”s to join their organization might be a good thing.
To lead a smart and effective team, it is important to realize the purpose of the team and you will understand the importance of the ‘I’ in your team. Your team should be able to function as an intelligent hub, make educated decisions, and bring more ideas to the table together than the smartest member of the team.
Human behavior lies on a spectrum of complex issues. Given the intricacies of ego and bias in behavior, the ‘I’ in the team can wear different hats in a competitive work environment. The individuality of each team member can make or break the overall proficiency of the team. It’s impossible to understand the nature of the team if we continue to view a team as a group of single-minded individuals, expecting them to aimlessly churn out results.
This is where leaders need to step in and find ways to enhance the skills, knowledge, and abilities of individuals, instead of suppressing individuality. Avoiding group-think becomes critical in highly functional teams as a group-think approach values harmony and coherence over accurate analysis and critical evaluation. It’s essential for our leaders to promote a work ethic that gives selfishness and selflessness equal importance. After all, each of us needs to be able to be who we are and say what we feel without the remnant sense of looming consequences.
