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Hmm. The problem here is that everyone wants team players, but far too few people reward them. Broadly speaking, it seems like a good thing to be. It implies thinking of the wider cause or goal before thinking of oneself.
But there is a significant gap between this ideal and the reality of the world in which you might be told to take one for the team. In fact, being too much of a team player seems seriously overrated. The gap between team player and mug is troublingly thin.
A new book by Michael Gove’s estranged wife details the moment the former minister kicked up at David Cameron’s plans to demote him to a less visible role and, in so doing, trim a hefty £36,000 off his salary. When Gove, who thought himself a close friend, protested, the prime minister responded: “You must realise I divide the world into team players and w***ers . . . Please don’t become a w***er.”
In other words, if you want to stay a good egg in my book, take public humiliation and a hefty cut in salary for the benefit of, well, me. You can see why subsequent appeals to personal loyalty cut little mustard when Gove was deciding whether to side with his boss in the Brexit referendum.
The story is an insight into the Cameron ethos and a central tension of politics itself, but it is also enlightening on the deployment of the team-player card. There are places where team spirit is vital: the military, sports and even businesses where everyone is aligned in an underlying goal. And we can see roles where it does not pay to be a team player: athletes in individual pursuits and, I suppose, cat burglars.
But all too often the demand is a manifestation of a power imbalance. In general, people in well-functioning units don’t need to be badgered into being a team player, so constant demands to prove yourself one are rightly met with scepticism — especially if, for example, it involves things like taking on extra work so that your boss can reduce headcount. The more pious the demand, the more likely it is that your boss is playing for a different team.
And you may have noticed that it is not the team players who commonly get rewarded. In my own profession, I recall a charming and talented colleague, who was seemingly never available for day-to-day stories. But a couple of times a month, he would do something that garnered attention, plaudits and continued promotion. Meanwhile, the colleagues who did the necessary grunt work were appreciated by all but those who decided pay and promotions. Perhaps the two big hits were of more value. They certainly were to him.
These people exist in every business. They are not necessarily unpleasant but, like Tom Lehrer’s advice to boy scouts, they are “careful not to do their good deeds when there’s no one watching you”.
None of this means there is any excuse for being unpleasant or obstructive. Few businesses delight in brilliant jerks, and there is even less call for the far more numerous cohort which displays only the latter of those attributes. But it is essential to understand what kind of team you are playing in and, as important, what kind of manager you have. Does your team-playing captain muck in with the grotty jobs or undesirable shifts? Do they fill in when the team is short-staffed? Do they ensure their juniors get credit for their work?
Perhaps the trick is how to look like a team player without being too much of one. Do your work well. Be pleasant. Always do your coffee run. Be a pal when a colleague has an emergency. Being nice on minor matters may make it easier to decline major impositions.
But don’t allow colleagues or your boss to see you as selfless. You need to introduce transaction costs for those demanding serious favours. Be a little unapproachable, ready to say “no”, and always ask who else has already been tapped for this favour, and whether the person asking you to step up can’t do the task themself. Take a bit too long responding to texts and calls. Be hopeless at PowerPoint. Alternatively, become such a star player that you can simply refuse. Your favours will rarely be bankable.
If you want to be a team player, then I salute you. It is often the classy move. But for God’s sake don’t ever let others think of you as one.
Email Robert at [email protected]
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