Let’s get real for a moment: external pressures are constantly working against a team-first mentality. Whether you're leading in sports, business, or anywhere else, it's never as simple as “just do your job.” Every person on your team is pulled in different directions—whether it’s by their families, their ambition, or even social media. And these outside influences can push people to prioritize themselves over the team’s goals, even when they don’t mean to.

Imagine this: You’re managing a sales team. One of your top performers, let’s call her Emma, has been on fire lately—hitting targets, making the numbers, and getting lots of attention. Her performance is stellar. But you start noticing something. Every time you congratulate Emma, the rest of the team seems... off. Turns out, her teammates are starting to feel like they’re not getting the same attention, and it's messing with the vibe. It’s not that Emma is doing anything wrong—it’s the outside noise.

Emma’s partner is asking when she’s getting that promotion. Her parents are asking when she’ll get a bonus. Social media keeps reminding her that success is about standing out, not blending in with the team. All of these external forces are pushing her to think, “What’s in it for me?”

And it’s not just Emma—it’s John from marketing, it’s your top engineer who feels undervalued, it’s anyone in your team who has people in their ear, questioning their value and pushing them toward self-interest. The truth is, these external pressures often pull people toward self-serving behaviors, even in environments where team success should be the ultimate goal.

So, as a leader, what do you do?

You counter it. You recognize it. You call it out before it festers into something bigger. Emma’s doing great work, but her teammates need to feel valued too. The first step is acknowledging that external forces are at play. It’s not enough to say, “We’re all in this together.” You’ve got to make sure that each person in your team feels seen, heard, and appreciated—not just for their individual contributions, but for what they’re doing to lift up the entire team.

Here’s another scenario: In a corporate setting, you might have a star performer who’s gunning for a promotion. But instead of pushing the team to do better as a whole, that person starts looking out for themselves. Maybe they start focusing only on their own projects or cherry-picking the tasks that will put them in front of senior leadership. The thing is, they’ve got parents, a partner, or even LinkedIn connections reminding them every day that success is personal, not team-based.

But here’s the truth: When someone is too focused on themselves, it shows. The rest of the team can feel it, and it becomes toxic fast. That’s when you, as the leader, have to step in. You have to pull the focus back to the collective mission. Show them that individual success is amplified when it’s part of a bigger team victory.

Companies like Salesforce have figured this out. They emphasize team performance over individual wins by creating a culture where collaboration is recognized and rewarded just as much as individual effort. They’ve learned that in order to push people past self-interest, they need to foster an environment where team accomplishments are celebrated just as loudly as personal ones.

Take a page from their playbook: When someone does well, recognize the team behind it. Did Emma hit her sales target? Great. But who supported her behind the scenes? Maybe it’s the marketing lead who created killer campaigns, or the operations person who made the processes seamless. Make sure the whole team feels like they’re winning, and those outside pressures that push people toward selfishness start to lose their power.

But don’t just stop at recognition—reinforce the team-first message constantly. Have conversations about how external pressures can mess with the dynamic. Make it clear that as a leader, you’re aware of it, and you’re there to help everyone refocus when needed. Show them that by working together, everyone’s personal goals will be met, but the team’s success comes first.

At the end of the day, leading isn’t just about motivating people—it’s about recognizing the forces working against them and helping them overcome those distractions. When you can do that, your team becomes unstoppable.

Yigal

P.S. Want to talk more about how to create a culture that counters self-interest and builds unstoppable teams? Let’s chat. Your team deserves a leader who can see the big picture, even when they can’t.

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