The best part about working for a team is cohesion.  You are an expert in one field or several, and you bring something to the table that others can’t.  Maybe you write better.  Maybe you’re a master graphics artist.  Whatever your skill set, you are the expert, and no one can bring you down.  Right?

Well, it’s true that well oiled teams need their experts.  In a small business office, for example, you need someone to supply the goods or services (the service provider), a person to sell your goods or services (a salesman) and someone to set appointments and schedules (the receptionist).  While there are such things as one-person companies, most need at least a handful of these specialists to keep things running smoothly.

Teams don’t need just any old experts, though.  They need team members with a little humility.  Take Pam, for instance.  In the early seasons of The Office, she was the heart of her company.  No job was too small for her, she got along with (most everyone) very well, and she kept the team motivated even when her boss or co-workers were doing everything in their power to create factions amongst the company.  And she wasn’t the manager or the salesman, she’s the receptionist.

Of course, TV and movies like to glamorize non-glamorous jobs, true.  Even so, I don’t think it was Pam’s job so much that defined her.  Let’s be honest – in terms of her job, she’s pretty replaceable.  Anyone can answer phones and set appointments.  But her humility – ignoring her boss’s somewhat lewd behavior to see his better half and ability to motivate even at the cost of ridicule – that’s what really made her a necessary member of her team.

Most of us like to think about teams in terms of what we bring to the table.  I know I do.  I love writing, and having that business card with “writer” in my pocket always makes me feel special.  But in truth, my expertise is only a small part of what I add to any marketing team.  I also have to work with web developers to make sure I’m sending the right messages to fit their product.  I have to work with graphic design to make my newsletters shine.  And I can’t be effective if I’m not humble enough to respect their expertise as well.

So the next time you’re at a meeting and think you know exactly everything that’s going on, why not take a step back and bring a little humility to the table?  And ask others to do the same.  Instead of acting like a team of experts fighting to make decisions, why not try being a team of experts working together to achieve a goal.

Pride need not apply.

-Deborah Fike

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