Winning Alone, A Culture of Me′s
Culturally we are polarizing, either winners or losers, no gray area. In order to win, we focus on controlling as many factors as we can in the scope, timeframe and players to win. Ask any student if they like working on group projects, ask anybody.
Teams > Individuals?
Early in our lives we are told team work is important and essential to success. The promise has always been: teams can do far more than any individual. Has that been your experience? Have you seen the power of teamwork, or have you heard too many of the following…
- I wasn’t assigned to do that.
- This is outside my job description.
- They don’t pay me enough to do that.
- That was just too hard.
- I don’t really care.
- It’s not my responsibility.
Relying on others to take ownership of their commitment to the team is essential. We’ve all felt the disappointment when someone skirts ownership. Self-reliance and independence are the natural elixir, removing unknowns and controlling win. Most of us first learn this at home or at school. We find that the freedom to make decisions without compromise is the way to win. We trade the power and capability of the team for the trust in one. Success was defined by the finish line not the commitment to the journey.
In Conclusion
We need to redefine winning, build a new strategy, and teach different principles. That will require a whole new approach to create a culture of we.
Article Thought Primer: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/11/its-not-your-fault.html
