• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, August 9, 2023

They say that possession is nine-tenths of the law, but in the workplace, I find possession to signal something that can destroy a culture.  Possession borders on ego at best and arrogance at its worst.

I know this is a nit-pick, but I have difficulty with people who say, “my team did this” or “my team did that.”  It’s especially common in large organizations where “empire building” is a thing.  For those of you who don’t know (and you should consider yourself lucky), empire building refers to the practice of amassing the largest group of people to work under you in a hierarchical organization.

People take on responsibility for managing large teams either because they have a valuable insight or skill that can be used to benefit the organization (this is good), or because they are looking for the largest footprint to validate themselves and warrant their compensation (this is not good).  These same people routinely refer to the responsibilities and output of those teams as the work of “my team,” and leverage that work to justify their role in the organization.

Saying “my team” assumes you are taking on the role of leadership and that you should be recognized for the work of “your team” when, in fact, this is not how a team works.  The best leaders are truly part of the team, and they signal this not by saying “me,” but rather by saying “we.”  These leaders also routinely surface the names of the people who deserve the credit.

The concept of a team comes from sports, and you can see the examples of this in sports today.  Steph Curry and Klay Thompson refer to “we,” and they never say “my team” because they know a team implies no possession.  Jordan always referred to “we.”  So did Peyton Manning, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and more.

In a work environment, most people accept the term “me,” but I find it demotivating.  It’s important that everyone knows we all work together, and that it is really only ego when you proclaim "I'm the leader of my team.”

I fully understand hierarchy.  Everyone does.  But there is no reason to reinforce hierarchy when you are looking to motivate the people around you and inspire them to work effectively.  Nobody likes to be reminded where they sit in an organization, unless they are trying to feed their own ego.

What’s far more important is reminding everyone that they have the empowerment to make decisions and work for the benefit of the team and the organization around them.  The word “my” or “me” removes that authority and serves only to hinder their feelings of empowerment.

Don’t make leading an organization more difficult than it has to be.  Don’t take the empowerment away from your colleagues by flaunting your authority.  Don’t perpetuate a culture of hierarchy when there’s no need to do so.  Whether you are a starter, coming off the bench, or simply part of the practice squad, you are all part of the same team.