There It Is The I In Team Hidden In The A Hole: Funny Team Appreciation Gifts

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The term ‘team player’ is probably one of the most overused yet relevant, desired qualities across all the workforce. It’s definitely the most generic skill used on resumes as well as in job descriptions. And don’t get me started on all the annoying office mottos it’s spawned ( “There is no ‘I ‘in team”, “We, better than me”, “Teamwork makes the dream work!”). But if it’s such a cliched quality why the importance? Because no one wants to work with an asshole, that’s why. And guess where the “I” in Team has been found, that’s right, the A-hole. In this work-related structure, context is the macro to micro factors that influence our attitudes such as time pressures to get a job done, our personal relationships outside of work (did we have a row with our partner before coming in to work etc), what is the prevailing organisational culture as well as the wider economic and political environment. What is more important for this discussion however is identity. Thanks for shooting Bin Laden, but buddy, I would have done that and paid for the privilege. As for the rest of your complaints, you made your bed, now sleep in it.

Something we all hear from time to time is the phrase, ' There is no I in team!' and it proper does my head in. This phrase is usually said in response to someone expressing a dissenting voice or opinion. It's also usually rolled out in some kind of 'toughen up' kind of tone. For me, I always hear an old school military overtone in this phrase. It's not what you could call in inclusive or a constructive phrase. I have another favourite one in a similar vein, ' taking one for the team', which usually refers to someone being bullied into something they don't want to do. Bullied is a strong word, but you know what I mean. What is increasingly clear, is how and why individuals can and do affect team collaboration and it’s associated success and therefore why it is so important for every individual, within a team, to be self-aware - both in terms of their own capabilities and behaviours but also how they, as an individual, will impact the team identity, empowerment and performance. HOW you deliver information often dictates how others receive it. Remember there are many ways to communicate (visually, verbally, physically, etc.) and a great communicator will be perceptive to all of these cues. And once you’ve identified your audience, make sure you’re matching your delivery appropriately. If we apply some basic mathematics, then the complexity of larger teams is easily highlighted (and would support Belbin’s assertion about optimal team size). Controversial maybe but over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t just an ‘I’ in team, it’s actually one of the most important elements of a fully functioning, and high performing, team.Onsuccessful teams, it is clear to all that leveraging the collective intelligence of the group is a better way to solve a problem than making it the sole responsibility of the department head even if the problem lies within just one department. This creates a construct within the team, a solid platform for interaction, work and achievement. The team is made up of individuals, and in working through these questions, you will create a team made up of it's constituent parts. A team with it's own values and vision and team most definitely made up of the 'I'. Another classic theory, Meredith Belbin’s self-perception inventory, which first appeared in his book Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail(1981), defined the now well-known nine team-role behavioural styles. Belbin identified balance as the key enabler to team success, the most successful teams tended to be those with a mix of different individuals; what’s more Belbin argued that the optimum size for a team is only 4 people, any more than this meant that individuals did not work closely enough together to constitute a team and therefore were defined as a group!

For this reason, the leader’s focus must be on facilitating his team’s success–not on fulfilling his own personal ambition and glorification. The importance of individuals contributing to the greater good is critical here and if I’m being honest this is not a new concept, in fact it’s been around for a long time. Alexander the Great once said "Upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all."

The Shooter,” says he did not get protection for his family. That, ladies and gents, is a flat out lie. Why is it a lie? Because until he started opening his mouth, only a very precious few people knew who pulled the trigger. Anonymity is a powerful protection because your enemies cannot find you if they don’t know who you are. Rob if you wanted the benefits, you should have gone for more years. Now that you’re out, blaming the military for not rolling out the red carpet just means that you failed to understand what your role in the mission was. Adair, for many the father of modern-day management theory, in his seminal work Action Centred Leadership placed Individuals within the triumvirate of overlapping circles of leadership responsibility and concern. For Adair, the leader needs to understand the task to be delivered, build a fully functioning team to deliver the task but fundamentally he/she must understand the individuals within the team and what (and how) they can/will contribute to the teams delivery of the task. Maybe frustration borne of an inability to deliver a lucid response to a challenge, accommodate differences of opinion within a team, or build a team that represents a collection of individual strengths, goals, dreams and vision. This kind of team will probably be a teeny weeny bit hierarchical and display some of the traits of a team nailing a 'C average' report card.