There’s no ‘I’ in team – and yet there are as many individuals in the team as there are members.
The question is whether they are being given the opportunity to contribute their innate individuality to the collective cause.
Teams are at their best when everyone feels recognised and respected as an individual. Shared aspirations turn more readily into actual achievements when there’s an acceptance of not only individual strengths, but individual points of view.
This is one of the fundamental tasks of team leadership: creating the psychological safety for people to speak up. To raise their head above the parapet without fear. In its absence, you end up with team members bringing a shadow version of themselves and wishing they were somewhere else.
It takes leaders with authenticity and great listening skills to create that safety. Sometimes, patience, too. But that is one psychological investment upon which leaders will see a very healthy return.