What happens to the “I” then?
From One to Many
When I work alone, I see the path clearly, and I see only my own footsteps left behind.
When I work with you, I realize there is more than the one path – but I still recognize my footsteps.
When we are three, my path becomes minority. I’m no longer sure sure if it’s the best one, and I sometimes fail to recognize my own steps. Am I I still on my path – or already on yours?
When we are many, I’m exposed to countless paths I never knew existed. My own path dissolves into a vast space of possibilities. No footsteps hold their shape anymore; I can’t tell which are mine. I see too much, I can’t make sense of it. I don’t know where to go… and no one else knows either. All the “I’s” are lost.
The Eagle View
But then – something moves above. You can hear it, feel it: something flying high in the sky. Where does it come from?
That’s the many, the plurality that has emerged. We call it the Team. It lives and enjoys the vast space no single “I” could ever fit inside their head. It guides us. It sees the path on the horizon beyond every “I”. We follow, leaving our individual paths behind.
But does that mean there is no “I” in a team?
Losing and Finding the “I”
When I work alone, my footsteps belong to one path. When I’m in a team, my footsteps appear on many paths.
I’ve lost unity and gained plurality – using Kant’s language of a priori concepts.
Or more simply: there is no one, but many; and many is not the sum of ones.
Yet if I’m experiencing this shift – doesn’t that make it even MORE of me? Because now I’m free to explore all these paths. I experience plurality, not unity – but it’s still ME, right?
So, who is the “I” that leaves footsteps on many paths?
Are you the footsteps – or the one who leaves them? Be careful: if you look up from watching your steps, you may feel dizzy. 😉 But if you do, you might realize that the eagle you saw above is not separate from you. Even though the paths are individual, you are not confined to one of them – or even to all of them. You can be the explorer of the many. Just… leave the ground.
In Facilitation
In facilitation, we see a similar process: from diverse perspectives we enter into the groan zone, allowing something new to emerge. Then, through convergence, a solution is born – through emergence, not force.
But are you willing to give up on your SINGLE path and fly across the many? To fly, you need to leave the ground.
It’s Your Decision
Ask yourself: do you really want to grow your “I” beyond the single path?
Because that’s how it works – teams don’t diminish your “I”; they expand it beyond what you once thought your “I” was.
Sometimes we hold onto it tightly – and you know? That’s ok.
You don’t force a rose to grow. You pour water and give it sunlight – it will eventually flourish when it’s ready.
It’s not total. Not all your paths are shared. A team is focused. Consider which paths you’re willing to give up – and which you’re not – and check that against the team’s purpose. If you want to walk alone on one path, maybe join a team that walks a different scope.
And that’s fine. Not everyone, and not always, wants to work with every team. Who would? 🙂
Quick Recap
- Plurality is not a mere sum of unities; it emerges from them. Likewise, a team is not a sum of individuals – it emerges from them.
- You are not the path you walk; you are the one who walks – unless you decide otherwise.
Why I Wrote This
I explore ways of working beyond the traditional concept of a team, especially where different working cultures, domains, and departments intersect.
