Of course, there's no “I” in “TEAM”

Following two seemingly random events, I started giving some attention to the saying “There’s no ‘I’ in Team.” The first event was seeing this clip from The Wyans Brothers’ comedy, Dance Flick. The second event was a conversation with my colleague, Harry Rodenhi, who shared his view that most people are so imbued with the idea that there is no “I” in team that they tend to lose touch with what they offer and exactly how they make a difference for others.

In elaborating, Harry noted that self-knowledge is critical to successfully finding work through networking. As he sees it, knowing what value you create, and how you create it, is fundamental to creating professional presence and being considered for new opportunities. Coupled with that, Harry believes people need to have points of view that become the basis for engagement with others in their communities of practice. According to Harry, conversations generated by shared points of view not only help you establish credibility, but also make you memorable and increase your attractiveness to an organization. So, stand for something!

This, of course, makes great sense from a personal brand point of view. Not only does it take into consideration one’s distinctive talents and attributes, but also the broader context of professional community.

To be relevant to others you need to know what it is you bring them. Diminishing yourself in service to an organization doesn’t serve the needs of anyone. Indeed, in a competitive world, where diversity increasingly drives innovation, you need to be you! So, it’s critical to relate what you bring that makes a difference to the teams that are part of your brand community.

In retrospect, the idea that “there’s no ‘I’ in TEAM” seems pointless. In fact, it stands in contrast to a better idea: Together Each Achieves More. In short, it’s the combined talents of individuals that drives organizational success. So, figure out what you bring and seek out opportunities to share it!

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog.

Comments

[Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter]

Yes! I love the theme of this post, Walter. You summed it up perfectly with the "Together Each Achieves More" idea. Truly, our 'combined talents' drive company success.

In collaborating on career positioning documents daily, I often see the 'we' challenge surface (i.e., "I can't really stake claim to ABC achievement").

In fact, individuals 'can' claim their individual contributions to projects, programs, small- and large-scale initiatives; as you said, they can claim ideas (stand for something), and assert their individuality.

You make so many good points throughout this article, and I agree that not diminishing one's service to an organization and instead 'figuring what you bring and finding opportunities to share it' are keys to maintaining professional presence and career momentum (and in the case with my clients, adding muscle to their career resumes).

Nicely done, Walter!

Jacqui

[Walter Akana]

Thanks for your comment, Jacqui! I appreciate your validation on my key points!

Indeed, seeing the reluctance to own accomplishment certainly does show up at the stage of resume creation. So, coming up with a powerful resume is an important step in the process of owning one's value.

Combine that with discovery and articulation of one's personal brand, and you begin to have a strong platform for long term career management – as well for the contributions that come from clarity about the value you bring to others.