Team Building Activity: Do you have an "I' problem?

There's no "I" in Team!

A colleague was working with a team of people to solve a problem.   When the manager came in and asked what ideas they had, one of the people said, "I was thinking . . . I'm certain that . . . I think this will work etc."  -  as if he had been the only one working on the problem, and he had figured it out all by himself.

It can be demoralizing for an entire team when someone doesn't realize there's no "I" in team.  And, we've all heard many times that people are tuned to the station WIIFM - What's in it for ME?  

I recall writing a letter for an English class, and having he English teacher circle every "I" that was included in the page-and-a-half letter.   There were a number of red circles . . . how embarrassing.

When someone is totally absorbed with self, it can be a major distraction to a work team.   Have you ever thought of how many interpersonal conflict situations have a  direct link to EGO?   And who doesn't have an EGO in the game?  Often EGO takes over quite unconsciously, and gets in the way of effective team work.  Getting conscious really matters.  

One way to become more conscious is to  take a look at how YOUR ego works - and works against you - is to pick up Eckhart Tolle's best-seller, A New Earth:  Awakening to Your Life Purpose.   Some things might be hard to read, but the upside is you will be more conscious and aware of opportunities for interpersonal harmony when you see how letting the little "me" of EGO gets in the way of much greater purpose and a powerful and energizing "WE."

In the mean time, here's a great little five-minute team activity for dealing with your "I" problems.  It's called an "I" Down!

Have team members pair up with a partner:

They are to have a simple two way conversation,without using any personal pronouns:  (I, ME, MY, MINE, MYSELF, WE or US)  Either partner can start the conversation, (on any topic) and they cannot be silent for more than 5 seconds.   When one of the partners uses the forbidden words, they must sit down, and the remaining person looks for another partner who is still standing.  It helps to have an observer wandering around to notice when one of the partners uses personal pronouns. Continue the activity until there are only two remaining conversationalists.  Have them demonstrate the process in front of the entire group.  This activity brings lots of laughter and insight.  An award such as a Marathon Bar makes a fun addition to the activity.

Here's to greater team effectiveness!

Use DiSC and Team Dimensions for greater conscious awareness among your team members.

Janet Cortright

www.profiles4u.com

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