There Is an “I” in Team

For years, we've heard the phrase, "There's no I in team."

It's one of those ideas that sounds unquestionably true. Teams matter. Collaboration matters. Nobody wins a championship, builds a company, or creates something meaningful entirely on their own.

And yet, watching Jalen Brunson's journey with the Knicks this season made me think about something we don't talk about nearly enough:

Every great team is made up of individuals who know who they are.

This weekend, Brunson was named NBA Finals MVP. While the award recognizes an individual, what stood out to me was that his success never seemed separate from the team's success. His leadership elevated the people around him, and the team's success created the conditions for him to shine.

Too often, we treat these as opposing forces.

You're either a team player or you're focused on yourself.

You're either collaborative or ambitious.

You're either supporting others or advocating for yourself.

But in my experience, that's a false choice.

One of the reasons I wrote Be Your Own Cheerleader is because I spent years believing that being a good team member meant putting my head down, working hard, and waiting for my contributions to be noticed. I assumed that if I focused on the collective goal, everything else would take care of itself.

What I eventually learned is that organizations don't benefit when talented people disappear into the background.

Teams don't become stronger when everyone waits for someone else to speak up.

Innovation doesn't happen when people withhold ideas, perspectives, or expertise in the name of harmony.

The strongest teams are built by people who understand what they bring to the table and are willing to contribute it.

Watching Brunson this season, three qualities stood out to me.

The first is integrity.

One of the stories that continues to follow him is his decision to leave significant money on the table to help the Knicks remain competitive. Whether you're leading a team, supporting a cause, or building a career, integrity creates trust. People are drawn to those whose actions consistently align with their values.

The second is preparation.

Nobody becomes an MVP overnight. The moments we celebrate publicly are usually built on years of practice, discipline, and repetition that nobody sees. As a global keynote speaker, I've learned that confidence rarely comes first. Preparation comes first, and confidence follows.

The third is kindness.

This one doesn't receive nearly enough attention. I've met exceptionally talented people that nobody wanted to work with. Technical skill may earn respect, but kindness earns loyalty. The people who have the greatest impact are often those who combine competence with generosity.

As I watched the Knicks celebrate, I kept thinking about how often we misunderstand teamwork.

The goal isn't to lose yourself in the team.

The goal is to bring your full self to the team.

That requires self-awareness.

It requires self-advocacy.

And increasingly, it requires self-trust.

In a world where we're constantly looking outside ourselves for answers, approval, and validation, it becomes easy to forget that our greatest contribution often comes from trusting what we already know, what we've already learned, and what we're uniquely positioned to offer.

There is an "I" in team.

Every great team is built by individuals who know who they are, trust what they bring, and are willing to contribute it fully.

That's not ego, it’s responsibility.

If this idea resonates, it's one of the themes I explore in Be Your Own Cheerleader: how to be a valuable member of the team without disappearing inside it. It's also a thread running through my newer work on The Self-Trust Recession, which explores what happens when we stop trusting our own judgment and begin outsourcing our authority to everyone around us.