As I was reading through Marcus Buckingham’s “The Truth About You,” one of the things that really made me think was the fact that his statement that, “There’s no I in team,” is a false one.
This is something we have all heard growing up. It’s also something managers tell team members to emphasize the importance of the teams’ performance over your individual performance.
Marcus refutes this statement by explaining that great teams are made up of people with the “I” mentality. Which is to say the best teams do not have a bunch of well-rounded individuals, they are made up of people that have unique skills that contribute to the overall team’s performance.
“What we, your teammates, need to know from you is what your strengths are, where your shoulders are the broadest, and when the pressure is on, what plays we can count on you to run.”
If you know what your strengths are and where you are the strongest, you can partner up with people whose talent fills the gap where you are weak. If I were starting a social media community would I want 4 people who know a solid amount about social media, building communities, web design, monetization? No, I would want the person that knows the most about social media, the best community builder, the most talented web designer and Darren Rowse.
Miracle happens to be on television tonight, and something Coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) said helped to reinforce Marcus’ philosophy:
“All-star teams fail because they rely solely on the individual’s talent. The Soviets win because they take that talent and use it inside a system that’s designed for the betterment of the team.”
Then this blip from a conversation between Craig Patrick and Brooks:
Craig Patrick: You’re missing the best players.
Herb Brooks: I’m not looking for the best players, Craig, I’m lookin’ for the right ones.
The best illustration I can think of is the difference in Team USA Men’s Basketball in 2004 and the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal team. The 2004 team was made up of some of the best basketball players in the world, but many of them were cut from the same mold. They were slashers, mid-range shooters an athletic specimen.
The 2008 team not only adjusted to the style of International play, but they also changed the dynamic of their team. Instead of a bunch of shoot-first point guards, they brought back Jason Kidd and added Chris Paul and Deron Williams, all unselfish guys who look to distribute first. They carried 3 big man on the roster instead of 5, and they added a deadly shooter in Michael Redd and a lock down defensive talent in Tayshaun Prince.
The 2004 team was by far the most talented team on the court, but it wasn’t about the most talent, it was about having the right team, suited for the right project. Think about this next time you are building a team; think about this the next time you are working in/with a team.
Good point. I’m not a big fan of having a team composed of people who see themselves mostly as cogs in some machine. Yes, it’s important that they contribute to the team, probably in a particular role, but I want them to feel that their own individual contribution is meaningful and special as well.
@Lance
I agree, and I think that’s part of the notion that Marcus is trying to convey. If you know where you’re the strongest and contribute to the team, particularly in that area (an area others aren’t as strong in), then the member will realize that their contribution is meaningful.
Michael Redd is was one of the least recognizable stars on Team USA, but his role was sharp-shooter. He knew is role well, and was valued because he was the best 3pt shooter on that team of mega stars. The same way Tayshaun Prince was one of the best defenders (nobody knew Kobe would take his defense to the upper echelon for the Olympics).
Thanks for your contribution!
There is no such thing as a ‘team’ in the real world.
When you go out into the world and look around you – what do you see? You see separate, distinct individuals.
Individuals voluntarily co-operate in order to achieve common goals and purposes, but the word ‘team’ imparts a false sense of meaning. For example, the word ‘team’ is used to help foster the idea that nobody is better than anybody else; everyone is a player on the same team so to speak.
But let’s think about it for a moment. All individuals have strengths and weaknesses and therefore – this makes us better than each other in certain areas of life and less so in others. We can all do things that the other person can’t do or is unable to do for various reasons – whether physical or intellectual in nature. Hence, this notion of equality is quite demonstrably FALSE in every sense.
In addition, the word ‘team’ is also used to convey the impression that everything on the surface will run more smoothly, efficiently and productively as a result. Pay special attention to the words ‘on the surface’ in that sentence. In reality, teamwork just means that the more competent you are as an individual – the more work you will do to bail out the less competent people around you.
Teamwork is just really a form of manipulation. It how intelligent people get the average fool to sacrifice his own self-interest and happiness for something that does not even exist.
You cannot ‘see’ a ‘team’. You cannot ‘touch’ a ‘team’. You can only ‘see’ and ‘touch’ INIDIVIDUALS.
Take the word ‘forest’. When you think of a ‘forest’ what are you actually thinking of? What’s the first image to come to mind? Answer: TREES. Why are thinking of the ‘trees’? Answer: Because the trees are REAL whereas the forest IS NOT REAL.
In response to ‘Lance’. You stated that ‘it’s important that they contribute to the team’…….. I would argue that no such thing as a ‘team’ actually exists in the real world. There are only INDIVIDUALS.
In reality, all individuals act out of self-interest first and foremost. Why do you get up in the morning and go to work? Answer: ‘to earn money’. You do not go to work to be a part of a team and share you’re wages with the team. You go to work to reap the fruits of you’re own labor, whether physical or intellectual in nature. You can only live for yourself in the sense of valuing you’re own mind and seeking out you’re own happiness.
The concept of ‘teamwork’ just makes everything sound more rosy and inclusive, when in fact, it is an outright attack on the individual. For example, this notion of ‘teamwork’ is nothing but an ugly form of collectivism because it regards people as being members of a group, rather than valuing them as unique individuals. Much like ‘Racism’, another ugly form of collectivism’ which equally regards people as being members of a group.
Stop thinking of yourself as ‘belonging to something’ – because in reality you never will be or can be. You exist as one and you will die as one.