They say, “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘌𝘈𝘔𝘚.” They are 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴.
So let’s go beyond spelling and into high-performing 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 with their high-performing 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀.
Every team consists of a whole bunch of individuals. They don’t have a collective consciousness. They are separate, yet they come together to create that team. Each one of them is a strong individual, “I”, or as I put it in my drawing below from a recent keynote to a global leadership team:
𝗜𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 “𝗪𝗘”, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 “𝗠𝗘”.
And their success lies in how well they communicate. It’s not easy, especially if you want to communicate across regions and silos. Whoever said it was? But what happens if you don’t?
Communication shapes behavior. Behavior drives result
And how each team member acts and communicates over time will aggregate into what we call a Culture. It will affect the brand, the employee experience, and the customer experience.
(“There is no I in TEAMS.” I get that you should leave your ego, but then what?)
Team Antoni Explains
The myth of “no I in teams”
The idea sounds good.
Remove the ego. Focus on the group. Think collectively.
But in reality, teams are made up of individuals.
Each person brings their own mindset, behavior, and communication style.
Ignoring that does not strengthen a team. It weakens it.
Why individuals matter more than we admit
There is no team without individuals.
Every decision, every conversation, every action comes from a person.
That means performance is not just about team structure. It is about individual contribution.
Strong teams are not built by removing the “I”.
They are built by aligning strong individuals toward a common goal.
The real meaning of “WE”
“We” is not the absence of “me”.
It is the alignment of many “me’s”.
When individuals:
- Take responsibility
- Communicate clearly
- Act with intention
The team becomes stronger naturally.
But when individuals are disengaged or unclear, the team suffers.
Communication is the connecting factor
The post highlights something critical: communication.
Without it, alignment breaks.
Especially in complex environments:
- Different regions
- Different teams
- Different priorities
Miscommunication leads to confusion.
Confusion leads to inconsistent behavior.
And over time, that shapes culture in the wrong direction.
How behavior builds culture
Culture is not created in a meeting.
It is created through daily actions.
How people speak.
How they respond.
How they collaborate.
These behaviors repeat over time and form patterns.
Those patterns become culture.
And culture impacts everything:
- Brand perception
- Employee experience
- Customer experience
Balancing ego and individuality
The real challenge is not removing the “I”.
It is managing it.
Ego can damage teams when it overrides shared goals.
But individuality is essential for performance.
The goal is balance:
- Keep the confidence
- Remove the ego
- Stay aligned with the team
Final thought
High-performing teams are not built by ignoring individuals.
They are built by connecting them.
In every “WE”, there are many “ME”.
And how those individuals think, act, and communicate will always define the strength of the team.
