This is an old sporting adage often seen in many changerooms and workplace team meeting rooms around the world.
Depending on their modus operandi, coaches and leaders beg, beseech, implore, cajole or aggressively demand their players buy into this belief. I remember playing sport for many years and never questioning this, it had become such a truism that I just accepted that it must be right.
It wasn’t until many years later that I learned what really motivates human beings and I began to question the wisdom of the saying. I know the intent is to create selfless team members who sacrifice all for the sake of the team or cause.
I also know there are some who seem to buy into it and really do put life and limb on the line for their sport. Finally, I know that all people are playing and performing because of their own needs, not because of and often in spite of, the exhortations to give their all to the team.
So how does this work? Every human being is driven to meet their needs, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. All of us have the same needs, but we each have our own unique mixture of these which is genetically determined. Gradually we learn and develop a suite of behaviours which are intended to meet these needs. To a greater or lesser extent our needs will then be met. When they are, we are truly happy and content, when not we tend to be angry, sad or anxious and generally unhappy.
Each person playing in a team is there because they want to meet their own particular suite of needs, perhaps winning and success is the most important for one, for someone else it may be that they are there for the connection and sense of belonging, yet another may want the security that comes with being a member of the group, perhaps someone is there to learn, grow and just enjoy the experience, one may also be there because of the freedom they experience in participating.
These needs are the true motivators and are different for every single one of us.
Great coaches and leaders intuitively understand this and strive to create a team culture and environment which recognises that there are in fact many “I”s in any great team.
