The Client Letter
August 1, 2012
Sedona, Arizona
Sunny 68 degrees
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This single skill is responsible for more of my income than any other.
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There is no “I” in team.
I think back to the number of times I’ve actually believed that and well, it’s funny just how naive I used to be.
I’ve been on teams. I’ve been on teams where you get the pat on the back, where you’re welcomed into the “back room,” where you share a drink with the movers and the shakers, where you’re told what a valuable team member you are.
Funny enough, you usually receive that accolade right before someone shows you the door and explains that your exit would be… in the best interest of “the team.”
At this point in my career, I can laugh at stuff like this. But that wasn’t always the case.
Please understand this: The problem isn’t that this type of thing happens. The problem is that we think it can’t and shouldn’t and won’t happen… to us.
The problem is that we allow a false sense of security to invade our minds. The problem is that we think being a member of the “team” means something. This affects our decision making, and often not for the better.
Being on a “team” shouldn’t change your focus at all.
I went through a mess with a “team” a few years ago and the experience has forever shifted the way I view things.
There is no “I” in team? Yeah right. That’s the only thing there is in a team. Teams are made up of a bunch of “I’s.” Ignore that at your own peril.
My experience has shown that a real “team” is very rare. Maybe it doesn’t exist among humans at all. I don’t really know. I do know that talk of the “team” seems to often be a type of lip service used in an effort to produce a higher level of performance.
Call me cynical, I’ve lived it. I don’t call it cynical though. I like to think of it as street smart.
Maybe you’re like me, and you’re not really into the whole “team” thing. That doesn’t mean you have to be a hermit. It doesn’t mean you can’t work with others. It doesn’t even mean you shouldn’t work on a “Team.”
You just have to be smart. And you have to remember that you are the only one responsible for your well-being.
Being on a “team” does not relieve you of that responsibility. You have to look out for yourself… always. No one else will ever do that for you.
At the end of the day, we all play on teams of ONE. Just remember that. It’ll help you make smarter decisions. And you won’t be caught off guard when someone makes a move that reminds you of this fact.