Do you have stay-in-your-lane teammates on your team? If your team is underachieving, you likely do.
As the label suggests, stay-in-your-lane teammates don’t venture from their lane—i.e., their comfort zone. They’re content to keep to themselves, mind their own business, and stick to what they know.
They don’t bother anyone on the team; but they don’t go out of their way to help anyone, either.
They don’t cause any problems; but they don’t try to solve any, either.
Stay-in-your-lane teammates are not bad teammates; but they are not necessarily good teammates, either. And without good teammates, teams fall short of their potential.
The main issue with stay-in-your-lane teammates is that the lane they’re in leads to mediocrity. Their way of thinking keeps teams from experiencing growth.
These individuals tend to construct silos that prevent collaboration. They don’t like to be challenged or inconvenienced. Their aversion to operating outside of their comfort zones interrupts teamwork and makes it hard for teams to pursue bigger goals.
I acknowledge that occasions exist where being a good teammate can equate to staying in your lane. If you think of the expression’s meaning from the perspective of focusing on your role and not worrying about everyone else’s, then sure, staying in your lane can be good.
In that same context, staying in your lane can be beneficial in terms of averting comparisons and thwarting jealousy—two elements that divide teams.
But for a team to grow, staying in your lane cannot be your only method of operation. You must also be willing to pass and yield.
Passing means confronting with action. If your team is entangled in toxicity or succumbing to apathy, staying in your lane will not change the situation. You need to muster the courage to change lanes and accelerate.
Making a deeper commitment, taking on more responsibilities, assuming a leadership role, or abandoning a clique are actions that accelerate growth and move the team in a more positive direction.
Yielding means suppressing your ego. Sometimes the fastest way forward for the team is for the individual to back off or move aside. Delegating responsibilities, empowering others, or demonstrating humility by engaging in work that might be beneath you can also lead to team growth.
When teammates yield their ego to their team, they clear the path to team success.
Anyone who has ever driven on a busy multi-lane highway knows that driving in a middle lane can seem safer and less stressful. But staying in your lane while others consistently zoom by you on both sides can be dangerous—for you and them.
Erratically speeding around everyone else or not allowing other drivers to merge can be comparably dangerous. Being a good teammate means being willing to stay in your lane, pass, and yield. And recognizing when to do each.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
