--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The leaders who work most effectively, it…" description: "\"The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say 'I'. They don't think 'I'. They think 'we'; they think 'team'.\" — Tom Peters" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/tom-peters-967_building-a-team_the-leaders-who-work-most-effectively-it_2718735.png" --- # The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me… ![“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say 'I'. They don't think 'I'. They think 'we'; they think 'team'.” quote by Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/tom-peters-967_building-a-team_the-leaders-who-work-most-effectively-it_2718735.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/tom-peters-967_building-a-team_the-leaders-who-work-most-effectively-it_2718735.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/tom-peters-967_building-a-team_the-leaders-who-work-most-effectively-it_2718735.png) > “The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say 'I'. They don't think 'I'. They think 'we'; they think 'team'.” [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective leaders focus on collective effort, not personal credit. **In simple terms:** Great leaders think “we”. Key Takeaway Prioritize team over ego. Themes leadership teamwork humility Mood motivational practical Type leadership inspirational When to use this quote - project management - organizational culture - coaching Key Concepts collective success ego reduction Questions to Reflect On - How do you foster a “we” mindset? - What challenges arise when sharing credit? A Different Perspective Team dynamics can be complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Building a team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-a-team/) [Building trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-trust/) [Business leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-leadership/) [Collective effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-effort/) [Effective leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effective-leadership/) [Effectiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/) [Good leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-leadership/) [Great leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-leader/) [Great leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-leadership/) [Great team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-team/) [Great team building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-team-building/) [Great team work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-team-work/) [Great teamwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-teamwork/) [Greatest leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-leadership/) [Inspirational team building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-team-building/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Leadership and management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-and-management/) [Leadership by famous leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-by-famous-leaders/) [Leadership by great leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-by-great-leaders/) [Leadership skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-skills/) [Leadership teamwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-teamwork/) [Servant leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servant-leader/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Team bonding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-bonding/) [Team building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-building/) [Team building inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-building-inspiration/) [Team collaboration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-collaboration/) [Team leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-leader/) [Team leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-leadership/) [Team management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-management/) [Team work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-work/) [Team work inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-work-inspirational/) [Team working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-working/) [Teamwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teamwork/) [Teamwork and leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teamwork-and-leadership/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-leader/) ## Related quotes > [No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-member-of-a-crew-is-praised-for-the-rugged-individuality-of-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/teamwork-is-the-ability-to-work-together-toward-a-common-vision/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [One man cannot make a team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/one-man-cannot-make-a-team/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-can-whistle-a-symphony-it-takes-a-whole-orchestra-to-play-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-leaders-who-work-most-effectively-it-seems-to-me-never-say-i-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People have been known to achieve more as a result of working with others than against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-fromme/people-have-been-known-to-achieve-more-as-a-result-of-working-with/) Allan Fromme > [You put together the best team that you can with the players you've got, and replace those who aren't good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crandall/you-put-together-the-best-team-that-you-can-with-the-players-you-ve/) [Robert Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crandall/) > [Teamplayer: Once who unites others toward a shared destiny through sharing information and ideas, empowering others and developing trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-f-kinlaw/teamplayer-once-who-unites-others-toward-a-shared-destiny-through/) [Dennis F. Kinlaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-f-kinlaw/) > [A major reason capable people fail to advance is that they don't work well with their colleagues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/a-major-reason-capable-people-fail-to-advance-is-that-they-don-t-work/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/what-we-need-to-do-is-learn-to-work-in-the-system-by-which-i-mean/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [I don't believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-landry/i-don-t-believe-in-team-motivation-i-believe-in-getting-a-team/) [Tom Landry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-landry/) > [Teamwork builds trust and trust builds speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russel-honore/teamwork-builds-trust-and-trust-builds-speed/) [Russel Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russel-honore/) > [Think of yourself as an athlete. I guarantee you it will change the way you walk, the way you work, and the decisions you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/think-of-yourself-as-an-athlete-i-guarantee-you-it-will-change-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/interdependent-people-combine-their-own-efforts-with-the-efforts-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Strategy is not a solo sport, even if you're the CEO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/strategy-is-not-a-solo-sport-even-if-you-re-the-ceo/) [Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/) ## More by Tom Peters > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Remember my mantra: distinct... or extinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/remember-my-mantra-distinct-or-extinct/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [A good collection is more than just the sum of its parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/a-good-collection-is-more-than-just-the-sum-of-its-parts/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I don't know what it means to manage the human imagination, but I do know that imagination is the main source of value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/i-don-t-know-what-it-means-to-manage-the-human-imagination-but-i-do/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire disrespectful people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-disrespectful-people/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hire for attitude. Train for skill... More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-for-attitude-train-for-skill-more/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Think about the market, think about the design, and think about who is going to design for that market. Hit the mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/think-about-the-market-think-about-the-design-and-think-about-who-is/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“The “Excellence Standard” is not about Grand Outcomes. In Zenlike terms, all we have is today. If the day’s work cannot be assessed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-excellence-standard-is-not-about-grand-outcomes-in-zenlike-terms/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The day firing becomes easy is the day to fire yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-day-firing-becomes-easy-is-the-day-to-fire-yourself/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Only pissed-off people change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/only-pissed-off-people-change-the-world/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [What you decide not to do is probably more important that what you decide to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/what-you-decide-not-to-do-is-probably-more-important-that-what-you/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) [Explore all 316 Tom Peters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## More Building a team quotes > [Strategy is not a solo sport, even if you're the CEO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/strategy-is-not-a-solo-sport-even-if-you-re-the-ceo/) [Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/) > [People have been known to achieve more as a result of working with others than against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-fromme/people-have-been-known-to-achieve-more-as-a-result-of-working-with/) Allan Fromme > [The gender parity is something that has been organic to Eventbrite since we started building a team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/the-gender-parity-is-something-that-has-been-organic-to-eventbrite/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [Good teams incorporate teamwork into their culture, creating the building blocks for success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-sundquist/good-teams-incorporate-teamwork-into-their-culture-creating-the/) Ted Sundquist > [Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/interdependent-people-combine-their-own-efforts-with-the-efforts-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Wearing the same shirts doesn't make a team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-buchholz/wearing-the-same-shirts-doesn-t-make-a-team/) Clay Buchholz > [“Jesus served as the supreme example of good Christian leadership through servant-hood, humility, taking risks, sharing responsibilities with others, and building a team. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-s-haraburda/jesus-served-as-the-supreme-example-of-good-christian-leadership/) [Scott S. Haraburda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-s-haraburda/) > [Gettin' good players is easy. Gettin' 'em to play together is the hard part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/gettin-good-players-is-easy-gettin-em-to-play-together-is-the-hard/) [Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/) > [Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/teamwork-is-the-ability-to-work-together-toward-a-common-vision/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [What you have to become is really strong in what you do. That's the point of building a team. You don't know any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-espirito-santo/what-you-have-to-become-is-really-strong-in-what-you-do-that-s-the/) [Nuno Espirito Santo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-espirito-santo/) > [It's easy to get good players. Getting them to play together, that's the hard part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/it-s-easy-to-get-good-players-getting-them-to-play-together-that-s/) [Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/) > [As far as funding and building a team, you being romantically involved with your cofounder really shouldn't play a factor in how you run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/as-far-as-funding-and-building-a-team-you-being-romantically-involved/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) > [When building a team, I always search first for people who love to win. If I can't find any of those, I look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/when-building-a-team-i-always-search-first-for-people-who-love-to-win/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [Overcoming barriers to performance is how groups become teams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-katzenbach/overcoming-barriers-to-performance-is-how-groups-become-teams/) [John Katzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-katzenbach/) > [Synergy is the highest activity of life; it creates new untapped alternatives; it values and exploits the mental, emotional, and psychological differences between people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/synergy-is-the-highest-activity-of-life-it-creates-new-untapped/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) [Browse all 49 Building a team quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-a-team/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say 'I'. 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