There is no ‘I’ in team.

There is no ‘I’ in team. I heard this statement quite a lot in my career, but is this really true? What does it mean to you?

I interpret it as the ability to have a well-functioning engagement when working with others. One core component is to find the balance between learning to listen actively and sharing your point of view.  This is true for every single member of the team including their leader.

There are several ways you could obtain this, for me, having team agreements has always worked. In a very simplistic way, team agreements are the guiding principles on how members of the team would interact. Once finalised, these principles should be published and revised on a regular basis (at least annually) to assess if they still make sense to the group. The content of the agreements will depend on the purpose of the meeting, but I would recommend that at least one of them would be to ensure everyone would have space to contribute.

What I found throughout the years of managing small and large teams is that if you are looking for the best solution to solve an issue, then the secret sauce is to get all voices heard. Apart from when you are in an emergency situation, you should always find time for it, even when you are being pressured by the circumstance to have a quick answer.

For the team leader, one of the key roles you play is to ensure the extroverts hold back in dominating the conversation and that introverts have space to share their views. Teaming is an art and a science.

The whole idea is not for you to lose your identity when you belong to a team. It is quite the opposite, by being yourself, the team is stronger, because each member feels comfortable in bringing their best as they strive to achieve a common goal.