Why we should stop saying ‘my team’
Ditch the first-person singular pronouns in favor of ‘we,’ ‘us’ and ‘our’ to promote unity of purpose and drive collaboration.
Something has been bugging me lately: the way people talk about their work teams.
Here’s what I hear from some people in our industry:
“I asked my team to look at it. We’ll have an answer to you shortly.”
“My team is made up of social media strategists and community managers.”
“I’m getting my team together for a brainstorm later today.”
What is consistent about all these statements? The use of the word: “my.”
My team.
Me.
I.
Why is that a big deal? Because we’re talking about a team, not a person, and once you start saying “my team” it makes it about you—not the team. Instead, notice the difference when the statements include “our”:
“I asked our team to look at it. We’ll have an answer to you shortly.”
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