You Can't Spell Team Without an "I"
by David A. Goldsmith & Lorrie Goldsmith
How many times have you heard someone say, "You can't spell team without an 'I,'" or "There is no 'I' in team?" Please don't tell us that you say this! In every team there are plenty of I's, and without them there would be no team. Maybe ignoring the obvious is the obvious reason why most teams don't achieve optimal results.
At the macro level, teams are groups of people who link together in search of similar beliefs and goals. Now a team may have two people or several thousand; it doesn't make a difference. For the sake of argument, let's take a passing view of what is typically referred to as a team in the arena of sports. Here, teamwork is designed as the way to victory over the competition, It's what rallies the troops. A coach's ultimate goal is to make the team work like one.
Let's take the micro level. You're now on the team, the coach says everyone must work together today to win. Your translations might sound slightly different, "I must play a great game today," "I must remember what I learned," "I must make sure to pass," "I must think of the team as a whole." Notice that the I coagulates the image of the team. If everyone plays his/her role as defined, then the team wins. If even one individual does not remember the patterns, the plays, and the objective, then the team's victory can be lost in a moment.
In the business of personal and team development, ropes courses and obstacle courses are tools to get people to work together better as a team and to think like a "team." Part of the process is to open them up to the individuality of members of the group and to develop trust. Additionally, the purpose is to show how teams can produce so much more than the individual, if there is fluidity in judgment and individuals helping one another. If we once again view the micro level, it's easy to see that part of the challenge is to get everyone on the same page. "I had better be where I'm most needed." "I had better not drop him when he falls backwards." "I need to do the best I can to show I'm a team player." "If I don't succeed, the team my not finish, and I don't like to lose." On the flip side, some of the seasoned "ropesters" could be saying, "I'm pretty athletic ... I can help here," or, "With my problem solving skills, I may be a be the person to quickly get the job done."
In any case, there are a lot of I's in team. In the real, everyday world of business, it's once again the I's that win. Yes, management must talk in "we's" to focus the group, and if the "I's" get too out of hand without asking themselves about balance, then the team will never reach its goals. It's the balance that often is missing when others use the "I" phrase, and it makes for poor external imagery. "I" oftentimes breaks the group into those who are self-serving and those who are contributing to the overall team mission. To clarify the situation, however, the individual may say, "If I don't forget my ego, then the company may lose money." Look around your firm and at your job. When you see certain people, do you hope that they ask themselves, "How can I improve what I do to gain a win for the company?" There's nothing wrong, and everything right, about realizing that everyone is counting on one person to win the proposal, for instance.
If you're in the mood for a little team bashing, think about how often you've said to yourself that you could have gotten more done by yourself. The issue is that teams also allow for an uneven workload distribution if not handled correctly. In addition, if members are not thinking about the "I," they may be allowing the team to take the fall.
Here are a few thoughts you may want to consider the next time you're developing teams. This is for every person considered a member.
1)Will each member contribute to the team ... "I will uphold my share of the work and do what I need to do to get the job done on time." All members must know they are counted on individually.
2)Will each member know their roles ... "I will be the best at what ever specialty I bring to the group, and I will make sure to continually grow in the area of expertise so that I can make sure we are positioned for the future." If members forget they are selected for a certain task because of their skills, then everyone loses.
3)Will each member help others ... "I will take the project on as my own so that I will make sure it get's done." Entrepreneurs put themselves in this position when they put their hard earned money on the line to start a business.
4)Will each member realize that the team is a group of individuals working together ... "I will utilize the strength of other individuals to insure our success." Part of being in a team is not to "hog the ball," but to put the Michael Jordan's in a position to score.
5)Will each member share the blame ... "If the team does not succeed, I've got to remember that I may not have done everything in my power to succeed, so I am to blame, also."
Remember NASA's 25th mission, when 73 seconds after lift off the Challenger exploded in mid air costing the lives of 7 crew members? Remember when Abercrombie & Fitch placed stereotypes on shirts about Asians? How about the recent GMC recall of 720,000 vehicles for the possibility of faulty air bags from the years 1999-2002? Individuals within the team made decisions or acted in error to create blunders, yet the entire team had to endure the consequences. On the flip side, the team benefits when individuals do something right. Think about how the Romans built the aqueducts, allowing 1.2 million people to have 150 gallons/per person of running water in the city every single day. Every person involved in the team reaped the benefits of progress.
I, I, I is the building block of teams just like there are 4 building blocks of a DNA strand. Any one link that is damaged and cannot fulfill the organism's need, will cause a weakness in its ability to survive. Think team ... and at the same time do like the Army does, "Be an army of one." Forget the play on words.
Who cares if you can SPELL team with an I or not? The bottom line is, no team exists without its "I's."
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