One of the most difficult things a leader must do is to influence their team to sacrifice for the good of the group. The more self-oriented the team members, the more difficult to get them to sacrifice their interests for the overall good of the team.

To shift people from “me” to “we,” the first and most important step is for the leader to model what sacrifice looks like. They must show the team that they are willing to . . .

• Make financial and time sacrifices for the team.
• Be honest about their weaknesses and demonstrate humility by continually learning for the sake of the team.
• Trust and empower others for the sake of the team.
• Make difficult decisions for the sake of the team.

Once the leader models their willingness to sacrifice, they build the credibility to ask others to do the same, and, as members of the team begin to demonstrate sacrifices, the team begins to move together with teammate helping teammate instead of moving in different self-centered directions.