(There is No “I” in Team is an annoying business term and is just one of the 212 Most Annoying Business Phrases Managers Effuse, Confuse, and Overuse detailed in the hilarious must-have guide for every workplace: The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room. Available right now on Amazon.)

There is No “I” in Team

Common, clichéd phrases like there is no “I” in team are simply painful to hear. Most of the jargon in this book is harmless to a group’s progress, and merely just irritating.

There is no “I” in team is different.

If just used to motivate the group, it would be acceptably annoying. Unfortunately, there is no “I” in team is almost never used to improve true team dynamics. Instead, it’s most often voiced as a way to crush individualism and personal initiative, while driving for lockstep consensus.

The annoying managers who spout there is no “I” in team are not simply annoying, they’re dangerous.

They’re pushing for groupthink in organizations that desperately need creativity.

These managers are like the Kumbaya crowd – those who push for open offices and uniformity among all layers of the company. Nice thought; but while these concepts might work at Google, experience shows they don’t work in the real world.

If everyone always did what was best for the company, we never would’ve invented managers.

Unfortunately, when we invented managers, we got all types. We got some great leaders and we got some jerks whose push for consistency is killing your team’s ability to innovate.

While there is no “I” in team, there is an M and an E; and if you’re not going to let me be me, then why did you hire me in the first place?

Replacement phrases: No replacement needed – unless, of course, you want to replace the manager who can’t stop saying this idiotic phrase.

See also: Team Player

…

The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room is available on Amazon