No "I" in Team, but Teams Don’t Get the Promotion
I find we work in interesting times that are sending mixed messages on what it takes to excel professionally and personally.
On one hand, the companies we most admire are encouraging us to play to our strengths, to be strong team players and collaborators, to take risks, fail fast and innovate. We are working with amazing, achievement-focused, intelligent people who have been in the upper right-hand tail of the bell curve their entire lives--just like you.
And yet, we all know the truth. While there is no “i” in TEAM, teams do not get the promotion. You want the big bonus allocated only to the top performers--you want the promotion, and we all know those spots are limited.
You want to lead in a pack of alpha dogs.
An alpha is not a growling, male dog showing teeth. An alpha is not the workplace bully. Quite the opposite.
Alpha technically means the leader, the lead dog, not the aggressor.
Alpha dogs may be male or female.
Alpha dogs becomes the leader of their pack because they are intelligent, intuitive teachers, and caregivers to the other members of the pack. Not because they are brute-force dominant or bullies.
What it means to lead in a pack of alpha dogs is best illustrated with the story of the Iditarod.
The Iditarod is the annual dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome each March honoring the Iditarod Trail that ran mail and freight in the gold-mining era. The race was created to commemorate the dogsledding heritage that eroded after the invention of the snowmobile.
Up to 16 dogs can be on a dogsled team, and you have to finish with no fewer than 5. ~ 2 weeks. ~1000 miles. ~35 degrees Fahrenheit. I get cold just thinking about it.
Four positions make up a dogsled team:
Leader—the dog at the front of the pack. The fast, intelligent runner at the front of the team who sets the tone, the pace, and makes in-the-moment strategic decisions
Swing Dog—second in the phalanx helping swing the team around turns
Team Dog—all dogs may rotate into this torso position at some point in the race
Wheeler—the dogs closest to the 200-pound sled, requiring the most physical strength
The team dynamics of the Iditarod are fascinating. Consider this:
The Leader position rotates based on the strengths required along the changing terrain.
The Leader may be female or male.
Two dogs may share the Leader position at times.
Each is leading in the pack of alpha dogs to achieve a common goal.
Key traits distinguish that one alpha dog who is a nose above the rest:
the one who is the best steward of the strategy,
the most attuned to the needs of others, and
the healthiest
What a powerful analogy for the Me-Suite as we drive our careers to meet our personal and professional goals. We must be stewards of our own life strategy, demonstrate high emotional intelligence and take care of ourselves.
Contact us for speaking and workshop opportunities to continue this dialogue.
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Share how you lead in a pack of alpha dogs in the comments below. ↓
