How to work in a team and at the same time "be yourself"
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 9:04 am
“Be yourself – everybody else is already taken” says the famous saying by Oscar Wilde. We constantly hear about the need to “be yourself” and be authentic in everything we do, but is that really possible? Is it acceptable to behave exactly the way we want to at every moment of our lives, because “that’s us”? As much as we might want to be ourselves in our workplace, the fact is that there are always some business rules and procedures that we need to respect and follow, which prevent us from doing what we want to do. So how do we strike a balance? The answer to that question is not so simple.
If we take a look at the development of the work environment today, we will see that the latest trends are such that employees want to be recognized for their individual achievements and contributions to work teams. They want to perform tasks that are in line with their interests and preferences, receive regular feedback, be rewarded for what they do, and gradually develop into greater experts in their workplaces. The single-mindedness and the motto “tie the horse where the boss tells you” have long ceased to be valid.
Moreover, we cannot all do the same thing and think the same way. That is simply not the point. Imagine a work team in which everyone thinks like everyone else. Everyone works using the same italy whatsapp data methods, and has the same perspective and view of business. What is the result of that? Such a team can reproduce only one solution to the business challenge that is before it. That solution may be good, but it is much more likely that it will not be, or that there will be much more adequate and high-quality solutions than the one that was designed. This phenomenon is called “group blindness” in psychology.
It seems that it is better when the team consists of different individuals. Psychologists have long proven that there are different ways in which each of us can contribute to the team we work in. Someone will be focused on deadlines, so they will motivate and encourage other colleagues to complete all parts of the project on time. Someone will be focused on relationships, so they will establish and maintain an open and pleasant team atmosphere through their engagement, and will make sure that team members treat each other with respect. Someone will be a critic – this is not necessarily a bad thing, because this person will look at the difficulties the team is facing from a different perspective, and may even offer unconventional solutions that other members will not think of. And someone in the team will naturally take on the role of a “leader”, that is, they will use their abilities to successfully distribute tasks among other members, and will regularly inform them about the goals and developments within the team. Conclusion? It is really necessary for team members to be different in order to go that famous “extra mile”.
However, sometimes we don’t want to be ourselves in our workplaces because we’re afraid of negative feedback or potential discrimination, especially if we don’t have very good relationships with other colleagues. This is a shame, because some research has confirmed that allowing team members to be themselves can have very positive implications for the work atmosphere in general. Namely, a work environment in which people feel free to take risks and behave authentically often results in increased work performance, and team members experience increased creativity and problem-solving effectiveness. They are happier and report lower levels of stress in the workplace. This phenomenon is called “psychological safety” and it seems that it is slowly but surely changing the modern work environment over time. What’s more, it has been found that even a temporary improvement in mood at work results in a 12% increase in efficiency!
If we take a look at the development of the work environment today, we will see that the latest trends are such that employees want to be recognized for their individual achievements and contributions to work teams. They want to perform tasks that are in line with their interests and preferences, receive regular feedback, be rewarded for what they do, and gradually develop into greater experts in their workplaces. The single-mindedness and the motto “tie the horse where the boss tells you” have long ceased to be valid.
Moreover, we cannot all do the same thing and think the same way. That is simply not the point. Imagine a work team in which everyone thinks like everyone else. Everyone works using the same italy whatsapp data methods, and has the same perspective and view of business. What is the result of that? Such a team can reproduce only one solution to the business challenge that is before it. That solution may be good, but it is much more likely that it will not be, or that there will be much more adequate and high-quality solutions than the one that was designed. This phenomenon is called “group blindness” in psychology.
It seems that it is better when the team consists of different individuals. Psychologists have long proven that there are different ways in which each of us can contribute to the team we work in. Someone will be focused on deadlines, so they will motivate and encourage other colleagues to complete all parts of the project on time. Someone will be focused on relationships, so they will establish and maintain an open and pleasant team atmosphere through their engagement, and will make sure that team members treat each other with respect. Someone will be a critic – this is not necessarily a bad thing, because this person will look at the difficulties the team is facing from a different perspective, and may even offer unconventional solutions that other members will not think of. And someone in the team will naturally take on the role of a “leader”, that is, they will use their abilities to successfully distribute tasks among other members, and will regularly inform them about the goals and developments within the team. Conclusion? It is really necessary for team members to be different in order to go that famous “extra mile”.
However, sometimes we don’t want to be ourselves in our workplaces because we’re afraid of negative feedback or potential discrimination, especially if we don’t have very good relationships with other colleagues. This is a shame, because some research has confirmed that allowing team members to be themselves can have very positive implications for the work atmosphere in general. Namely, a work environment in which people feel free to take risks and behave authentically often results in increased work performance, and team members experience increased creativity and problem-solving effectiveness. They are happier and report lower levels of stress in the workplace. This phenomenon is called “psychological safety” and it seems that it is slowly but surely changing the modern work environment over time. What’s more, it has been found that even a temporary improvement in mood at work results in a 12% increase in efficiency!